The Boy vs. The Cynic: Chapter 1 - John Reuben

[superhawkfan13]

I've had this CD for months, but this is the first time I've heard Chapter 1 (for whatever reason, my copy didn't have it). This is amazing, and definitely some of the best stuff off of The Boy Vs. The Cynic.

[lLouisLovesSkillet13]

I understand y'all's opinions but, isn't that what music is? poetry to a beat that's how it started anyway, with minstrels and all. I consider any musician i listen to a poet in their own right, so to call rap poetry i think you need to include all music.

[NJSimmons456]

I think John Reuben doesn't need to be defined as rap or spoken word or anything, he is an artist making his sound his own masterpiece. thats all there is to it, its almost like he knows he can't be just a rapper, he cant be a rocker, he can only be John Reu

[Deathsucksify]

i've memorized this song's lyrics. This song is my favorite

[Towefin]

I don't give a crap about the music vs poetry debate. That's missing the point. I'm listening to the lyrics, he's right and I'm right there with him. I feel like I'm going through the same stuff. That's what art does, and it's what it's supposed to do.

[staceaboo]

I also want to add...if you don't like a video or song....why in the world would you comment on it? lol I have never found myself on here commenting on videos I don't like. Seems like a waste of time.

[staceaboo]

@staceaboo DRAMA! 

[staceaboo]

I find that every one of Johns albums have a different sound. I have been moved by his "music"..."Poetry" whatever anyone wants to call it. He's amazing! Lyrics are amazing!

[TheLlamaspajamas72]

@xnorange A Capella is Singing without Piano accompaniment. :)

[xnorange]

The Boy v the Cynic is a letter he wrote to the cynic. Like Modernoni said, it's spoken word poetry. Have you ever heard a rap without instrumentals? It's called A Capella. So there can be rap without music. I don't think this music is imaginary. He's got flow, talent, and wonderful lyrics that paint an image. I find the more meaning and more poetic a flow is the better. I'd take this over any fake wannabe gangsters out there talking about how hard they are. God Bless.

[andydrew105]

in reality all songs are poetry. rap just has a talking tone to it

[BobbyJoe529]

I understand that this seems more like a poem with somewhat of a beat added to it, it dosen't seem like music. But John Reuben didn't mention much about music, he always called what he did art, and art it is. His art is real, he holds nothing back. He's not afraid to let everybody know how hard the REAL world is. At least his art has something that music now a days is missing......meaning. Go listen to some of the crap bein spit today, it's not art, it's just braggin. Atleast this means somethin

[Atlloveforever]

This is amazing.

[sovsouth]

Reminds me a lot of SF.

[Twinkcycle]

@sovsouth Sage Francis? :D

[Aqua540]

this guy is amazing, I love him

[TheZamir1]

hahahahahahahahhahahhahahahaha­hahhahahahahahahahahahhahahaha­hahahhahahahaahahhhahahahhahah­ahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahha­hahahahahahhahahahahahahhhahaa­hhahahhahahahha

[joubin1994]

All true...

[viralyinfectious]

@DaveSDCali Really? Beacause i saw it from a humanistic point of view, being a contrast between the hopeful and the hopeless ( hence his diction from approx. 1:32- 1:36 to state one example).

I honestly didnt find it being full of your so called "religious babble". (on a sidenote nor do i find any "fairytales" in christainity. most of what is stated in the bible can be prooven historically and scientifically. but hey this is simply my oppinion and were both entitled to our own.)

[bizzyb0ne017]

lol ok, pass me what ever you're smokin

[viralyinfectious]

sorry i dont smoke anything.

[sovsouth]

Your opinion about what can and can't be 'prooven historically"? lol.

[fillysunray]

Glad you've based your argument on logic instead of propaganda....

[ssnp]

look up buck 65

[MsPrincesscynthia]

I loveeee thiss song...

[ohshitits4]

he and baba brinkman are true rappers

[hahaurdeadlol]

@ohshitits4 ive never heard of baba brinkman im gonna check him up..

[y3k23k]

this is like gil scott heron and tokyo police club aka bliss

[LOZERof09]

what do u guys think the meaning is of the second song( the boy vs.the cynic) i've listened to it a couple of times and am having trouble finding a general meaning.

im also curious as to see what other get from the song.

[lduk]

He's just talking about when he was younger and how good it used to be, and how innocent he was.

[larakaroline21]

remember when "hip-hop" or rap was about what your going through each day, what happened to that?

this is the kind of rap we used to listen to the kind that kids used to say "i wanna be just like him one day and rap" now its a bunch of crap talking about money, women, and etc........ really? what happened?

[terror0earth]

Yupp. I hate today's rap it's just awful.

This is beautiful

It's poetry, which is what Rap is. Hope music can turn back into this.

[ReaperPunk]

the way people are making music now a days, its gonna be a pretty long time...

[ETERNALinstants]

I agree. Isn't it sad how they have to fill their songs about money, fighting, sex and cursing.

They have no talent.

[Slayermachete]

the last 2 verses are amazing.

[TMISOS]

no they aren't

[Slayermachete]

o.O

[PacmanAndMnMs]

I love it

this is more then a song to me

i wish my friend could here this song

[Numba1EmoSmurf]

this is more than music, its poetry all his fears and dreams reallized. his soul on a piece of paper transfered by a pin. he sees reality, he wrights it so that we might reallize whats rong with the world. hes a man with plan that he iniatates in the noblest, yet subtlest ways. i envy him because hes the hand of God. He commands alot of respect.

[winkwinkers799]

this sounds really real, like they aren't trying to be anyone else or fall into any label, it's raw

[ND066]

He's such a rebel, man.

[MyGodForgives]

I love both of these songs SO much! The CD rocks!

[Jhbartlett01]

A lot of people are commenting on the music behind the words. So it brings up an interesting question: when considering a song/rap, which is more important? That answer will vary from artist to artist, but the answer here is that, while both are important, the words come first. The reason I can say this is because the music serves to accentuate what he is saying and to enhance the mood, so that he is not misunderstood. The beat changes with the cadence of the words.

[chiaofucious]

Imagine if someone took Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech and put some generic guitar sound in the background. Would any of you consider that music?

Sure the message is good, but he should just write poems, instead of pretending to be a musician. BTW, I would say the same thing about 80% of the rap out there, new or old.

You guys can hate me now.

[Modernoni]

Why would anyone hate you for stating your opinion? :P

I agree with you for the most part, but really the first track I put on this video isn't a "song", it's spoken word poetry. The second track I used IS technically a "song" but I don't really consider rap as music, I consider it poetry with a beat behind it...which is why I loathe most rap because it's just terrible poetry.

[Thejesusfreek316]

@Modernoni, did you happen to know that rap stands for Rhythm And Poetry? Therefore you are correct in your poetry with a beat theory. C:

[crazyyungsta08]

@Modernoni nice

[bornofdust]

Although rap is just poetry with music behind it, it has a meter that's entirely unique. Even Chapter 1 which is more or less freeform with little rhythm is done in the hip-hop style, a large volume of words cascading into each other but with a subtly strong beat behind it. You can take away the music and just call it poetry but it would still sound different from most poetry - the music is part of what makes rap the unique artform that it is.

[badgergrylls]

I think the music sounds a little like Radiohead. I know they're secular, but very successful outside of a specifically targeted market (such as Christianity.) I like the music.

[GSCaptainSHADE]

I've got crazy respect for you guys that you're expressing opinions without any name calling or little red negative thumbs down symbols...way to be mature, seriously. *thumbs up all of you*

[GSCaptainSHADE]

...and for some reason, youtube decided not to have that comment show up as a reply like it was supposed to?

[p0money0ediot]

check Commons vid "I have a dream" Yes, music is speech with beats behind it too.

[opydopy]

@chiaofucious I agree, but music like this is needed. It's a fence in between poetry and music and an amazing combination if I do say so myself.

[mike4long]

@chiaofucious My question is that if you put a beat behind King's "I have a dream" speech how many more would listen to it. People these days listen to garbage on the radio. What if they listened to stuff that promoted goodness. Now a days it seems like everything people have been fighting for is being lost because they think they deserve things without trying. It ticks me off.

[viralyinfectious]

@mike4long agreed, but who is going to start the new revolution here. i havent really seen anyone step up in a big way, and with our track record on leaders, i dont think anyone will. think about all the great leaders we had. since king seems to be the example here look what we did to him; we shot him, and we did the same to gandhi, and other positive leaders. if anyone steps up then wed all have to step up. all 7 billion of us worldwide, idk what im sayin here i guess im thinkin aloud again.

[viralyinfectious]

@chiaofucious i agree he should write poems instead of being a musician but then how would he get his message out to people. (honestly how many people look up poetry every day.) i think hes a "musician" instead of a poet, so that way he can get his message out to people. honestly id do the same thing in his shoes.

[snowsurfandstreet]

@chiaofucious ya im with you on this song and most rap songs but his other stuff is alot more like a song. i just love the message haha

[fillysunray]

@chiaofucious I don't hate anyone for their musical opinions, but I do disagree with you. I think even taking a speech and adding music to the background can be beautiful - it depends on the speech and who's speaking. Both of which in this case, I think are really good. And John Reuben has plenty of "actual" songs, so he has accounted for his "Musician" status.

[jmocity]

@chiaofucious Is it poetry in the mode of a song, or a song in the mode of poetry? I applaud Reuben for being brave enough to branch out stylistically like this. His most recent album has tame and off-kilter beats. It's just as good, but in different ways. He's an artist first and foremost. Rhymes, music, and performances are ways he uses to express his thoughts.

[XFattyfaceX]

@chiaofucious You're right, but one thing they all have in common is that they are artists. Poetry and music can be used separate or poetry can be combined with music to create a mood for the piece of work.

[fenderwangcaster]

@chiaofucious There's music in the background, and he's reciting poetry to the rhythm of the music. This IS, according to official definitions, music. News flash retard, not everyone listens to music for the exact same reason as you. I don't give a shit if there's singing or rapping, as long as it has rhythm, and plenty of people think the same. So quit acting all high and mighty putting it down, most don't give a shit how hard or easy it is to play, as long as it sounds good.

[sabian545]

this stuff is so thick that you have to listen to it several times before you catch every message he's trying to convey. it's nice to hear music about things that actually matter.

[tmaca1821]

Chapter 1 is such lyrical poetry that hits home. I'm not really sure how you can separate any of his songs from his message he has made his intentions very clear and I cheer him on.

[onetonk5]

yes I love this song. he is so good w/ lyrics. he puts things in such a cool way.

[ngatnk]

Too bad I like him when hes doing this serious style perferd to his song with a christian message.

[sabotoged]

Wow, this song saturates me with subtle shock-value propaganda designed to reach a person's deepest-held feelings of insecurity, inferiority, self-consciousness and self-doubt; replacing them with shades of grey instead of black and white.

[soamazingishine]

Have i actually found someone who's intellectually capable of understanding the deep feelings john rueben shaded into this lyrical peice of poetry? Thank you sabotoged, you've taken the words right out of my mouth.

[sabotoged]

Thanks. ;) Yeah, Rueben seems to be a very intelligent artist.

[SpawnOfJenova]

Great song. J-Rue is the best.

[iwuvmoose207]

i think this is one of the most impacting songs he's done. loove it :o

[guitarfreak521]

I like him!

[litezero21]

fantastic words.

[1nonimusfreak]

Good music. ^^