By Franklin Saldana Jr.
“My message to anybody that might be trying to rap, if this is what you want to do, then do it,” says musical artist Reggy Steel, “but do it to the best of your ability. Don't cheat yourself, don't take shortcuts, do it to the best of your ability.”
Based in Virginia, Reggy is one of the most positive and influential artists out there. Known for sharing life-affirming messages in his songs, he has a diverse body of work that includes his own albums and collaborations with Hell Rell from The Diplomats, Omillio Sparks, and others.
Raised in a Christian household first in the town of Newport News and then in Hampton, he discovered hip hop at a young age, drawing inspiration from artists like Naughty by Nature, Nas, and the Wu-Tang Clan. Although his parents didn’t approve of rap, Reggy pursued his passion, recording songs on blank cassette tapes from the radio.
“When I was coming up,” he recalls, “the artists from Virginia were Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Clipse - which consisted of No Malice and Pusha T. They all came from Virginia and were around the town, but everybody big was from New York at the time. New York pretty much ran everything. Everybody wanted to sound like Biggie [and] KRS-One… Now, in the 2020s, everybody wants to sound like the Dirty South, like Future or Da Baby. I don’t really mimic anybody - I’ve got my own style.”
The performer started rapping in high school, but began taking music more seriously in his early 20s. He differentiated himself by bringing Christianity to hip hop. Reggy's faith plays a significant role in his music, as he frequently incorporates themes of Christianity and God into his songs. He believes in using his platform to inspire others and shares personal anecdotes about how his music has impacted listeners, encouraging them to reconnect with their faith.
“I talk about God a lot in my music because that’s part of who I am, my faith, and what I believe in,” he explains. “I have a song called ‘Who Da GOAT’, and you always hear people talking about, in sports [and] music, ‘Who’s the GOAT?’ Greatest Of All Time. Is it LeBron James, Michael Jordan? Is it Jay-Z? For me, the Greatest Of All Time is Jesus Christ.”
His take on music is refreshing, as he uses his art to uplift listeners and give them positive messages that can do exactly what religion is meant to do - feel blessed by a higher power.
“People use music as therapy,” Reggy notes. “When people are going through dark times, they write about it and some people can relate to it… but they might see it as negative for the sake of being negative. Sometimes people might be going through a happy time in life, where God is blessing them. I’ve got music where I talk about dark times, but I’ve got good music too that helps bring people together.”
This is evident in tracks like “To The Top” and “Betta Not Fold,” and his album Return of the Servant, which explore how Reggy finds direction in his faith. Often, he will pray before writing a song. Many times, he’s had creative epiphanies by reading the Bible. And on still other occasions, he will take a break and let ideas for verses marinate.
Citing Nelly’s “Air Force Ones” as an example of hip hop’s influence on consumers, Reggy mentions that part of his mission is to erase the stigma that all rap promotes violence. He focuses on giving something back to the community.
“That's how music is with me when I'm talking about God. I know people are feeling that. I know even the people who haven't been to church in a long time, you got people that may have [grown] up in church and maybe they stopped going [for] whatever reason. Their lives got busy, they start working a lot or whatever. But then they hear me; I got a song where I'm talking about God. It might take them back to when Grandma was taking them to Bible school or when their dad or mom would drop them off at church with their friends. And they [may] come back to a certain time and they'll say, ‘You know what? I'm going to go to church this Sunday.’”
As a self-described “older rapper” (he’s 41) and a father of three, he takes pride in mentoring young creatives.
“My goal as an artist is to inspire people,” he affirms. “To let people know it doesn't matter how old you are, where you come from or what race you are. If you love hip hop and you love music and you love to do this, then you have a right to do it and put your heart into it. Because when I was coming up, a lot of people told me I can't rap, I should stop doing this, I’m not good at this. But I didn't listen to any of that. I loved hip hop. When you love something, you don't care what people say. You're going to keep doing it and if you're passionate and your dream and your desire is great enough, it's going to overcome the opinions of other people and you're going to keep doing it. And when you keep doing it, the crazy thing is you get better at it to the point where people have no choice but to be like, “Okay, I like him. That's where I'm at right now. I'm at the point where people like what I bring to the table - because I’m an overcomer.”
If you want to pursue a future in music, Reggy is an amazing example of how to move in the industry with intention, dedication, and an outstanding attitude toward craft. He advises aspiring artists to invest in their futures, be consistent, and put their best foot forward. Instead of spending excess money at clubs or on expensive fashions, he recommends putting funds toward studio time, beats for sampling, marketing, taking high-quality promotional pictures, and taking practical steps that will point you toward a successful career.
Reggy comments that social media has made promotion more accessible for hip hop artists; back in the day, an independent rapper with financial hardships had to hustle by recording in basements or gas stations and hope their tapes could get airtime on the radio. Now, with digital production, independent artists can finish a track and have it streaming on myriad platforms in no time at all (even the ones that work out of their basements). That’s why Reggy continues to emphasize putting one’s heart and soul into the art itself: “You have to take it serious if you want other people to take it serious,” he states.
There is so much we can do to better ourselves; it just takes effort and sacrifice.
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Managed by Marvin Thompson, AKA CEO Swirv, under the record label CEO Life Entertainment (Capital Equals Opportunity Life), Reggy collaborates with artists and continues to work on his music, including his upcoming album titled To The Top, which explores his journey towards success in the music industry.
We encourage everyone to listen to Reggy Steel, a breath of fresh air in the music industry, bringing positivity and encouraging other artists to prioritize working on themselves.
Reggy welcomes collaborations and invites people to connect with him through his website and social media channels.
Visit www.reggysteel.com
Reggy Steel (Facebook)
@reggysteel (Tiktok)
Reggy Steel (Youtube)
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Featured image: Musical artist Reggy Steel; courtesy of Reggy Steel.
