HIP-HOP/RAP
Meet Renaissance Music Records & Their Artists: Johnny Quest The Rebel, Cheek The Profit, & Surf Crews
May
When you couple a sure-fire spirit with words of encouragement, Renaissance Music Records is the result. Trenton, New Jersey-based artists like Johnny Quest The Rebel, Cheek The Profit, Surf Crews, and more— do diligence in providing the jaded human race with music that gets the blood pumping and mind racing with ideas. Their ultimate goal is to revive the waning hip-hop scene and to continue putting New Jersey on the map. Additionally, the musicians aim to create “music for the best version of you.” They join forces in hopes of encouraging others to work hard for their dreams and to push self-love and self-sufficiency. The themes in their music revolve around positive affirmations, personal stories, growth, change, and working hard to obtain life-changing results.
Renaissance Music was founded in 2013 when Cedric “Ceddy P” Perry went to New York with some college friends to visit another group of pals. As they were en route, one of Ceddy P’s frat brothers began to play some of their tracks. In turn, Ceddy P felt a sense of relatability with the songs and got inspired to help his frat brother build his music career. Although the two didn’t have connections in the music industry, Ceddy P aimed to use his marketing degree and love for music to garner traction and start a record label. Amid Ceddy’s venture to create a record label, his younger brother, Malcolm, was working towards becoming a recording artist, which Ceddy was unaware of at that time. After Malcolm took on the pseudonym, Johnny Quest The Rebel, while a part of a group, he finally unveiled this passion with Cedric. Following this, the two had a long discussion, which led to Cedric signing Quest onto the label as a solo artist. Fast forward, and the duo would go on to sign several R&B and hip-hop artists before teaming up with musical creatives from their area, Trenton, New Jersey.
Below I have thoroughly analyzed the latest releases from Johnny Quest The Rebel, Cheek The Profit, and Surf Crews. The message between the three songs share a common factor: the willingness to help others be at ease in a world of chaos. Likewise, these tracks give off a feel of relatedness by highlighting what it means to be resilient and patient with the process.
1. Johnny Quest The Rebel ft. Cheek The Profit – “Pressure”
Johnny Quest The Rebel’s “Pressure” encourages those worldwide to keep working. And coincidentally, the song ends at 4:44, which symbolizes hard work and determination. In “Pressure,” Quest pushes the discouraged to stay hopeful. As he compares his work ethic to the likes of Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson, Quest unveils that it does get hard, but with the right attitude, you can manifest what it is that you want. Throughout his verse, Quest uses a bouncy cadence but does so in a fast manner. The second verse, which is done so by Cheek The Profit, sees him being optimistic. In his bars, Cheek raps about not giving up on his dreams and admits to having some bumps along the road. Cheek also speaks things into existence before he’s finished saying, “It won’t be long before I make it.” Towards the end of ‘Pressure,” there’s a soothing auto-croon and a clever punchline which ties “subzero” with the world’s coldheartedness. One notable line comes from Cheek. He raps: “For the thousandth time I gotta tell you, I ain’t gonna fail you, I am a diamond/I’m embracing my greatness and working my fate on this mountain—just steady climbing.” A passionate violin leads the beat and is followed by open hi-hats and thumping 808’s.
2. Cheek The Profit – “Brother X”
Cheek The Profit’s “Brother X” sees the musician detailing what his goals are. Ultimately, he aims to work hard, so that later he can enjoy the more beautiful things in life like staycations. The song also highlights Cheek’s money-making mindset as he chooses to invest in real estate than a piece of jewelry or foreign car. As the song continues, Cheek continues to manifest positive changes into his future, as he did in Johnny Quest The Rebel’s song “Pressure.” Profit is happy where he is but doesn’t want to be living paycheck to paycheck, so he strategizes on how to make an extra buck. In short, he refuses to stay complacent. He raps, “The dream is so free, but we paid our dues in hustle.” Cheek also aims to build a foundation for the younger generation because, as he raps, “if we make it, they’re going to take it. That’s how we built it.” The song carries an eerie-like soundscape filled with a muffled organ progression, snares, hi-hats, and synths.
3. Surf Crews – The Mood ft. Valona Denise.
Surf Crews’ first-ever single, “The Mood,” meshes a jazzy soundscape with a neo-soul approach. Throughout the song, Crews uses a singsong flow to unveil how he wants to be in an intimate setting with a self-sufficient woman who’s easy on the eyes. Amid his subtle pillow talk, Valona backs him up with an appeasing harmony and soft-spoken vocality. Towards the two-minute mark, Crews drops a slew of bars about how he’d like to tend to her soul and body. He’s aware that she can take care of herself, but he’d still like to relieve some of her stress. One of my favorite lines from “The Mood” is when he sings this witty punchline, “Sweeter than a Now and Later, I wanna see you now and later.” Piano riffs uphold the beat in “The Mood,” along with open hi-hats, and a guitar.