Hip-hop is 50, but Roc Nation has built a roster of artists it believes are fit to lead the culture into the future. One of its brightest stars is Reuben Vincent.
The Charlotte native is one of several up-and-coming rappers featured on Roc Nation’s “Humble Soles” mixtape, which was executive produced by Emory Jones. The 14-song effort — available on streaming platforms now — was revealed last night at the Puma flagship in New York City.
Aside from his budding music career, Reuben Vincent has recently made his presence felt in the world of fashion. The 22-year-old rapper starred in the A Ma Maniére‘s “Do It In The Dark” short film to introduce its collaborative Jordan Air Ship in August 2022, and more recently appeared in the James Whitner-owned retailer’s campaign for its newest collab with Jordan Brand on the same silhouette.
Speaking with FN from Puma‘s flagship for the “Humble Soles” mixtape release event, Reuben Vincent reveals to FN how he forged a relationship with Whitner, the sneakers he has in rotation today and what music he will release before year’s end.
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Your entry into fashion was with one of the industry’s most respected voices in James Whitner through his A Ma Maniére retail banner. How did you two connect?
“I linked up with James a couple years ago, him and [record producer] 9th Wonder, who is my mentor, have a relationship. James, he grew a liking to me, he saw that I was a young kid out of Charlotte growing my fan base, growing my sound. When I started to come up and started to make my rounds in industry, he really just put his arm around me and was like, ‘I’m going to help in any way I can help,’ because he saw where I came from. James always been very supportive, putting me in commercials, getting me sneaker opportunities for any commercial they do. It’s even to the point where it’s like I might just hit him on a random Wednesday and pull up at his house. That’s one of my big brothers and a mentor to me, for sure.”
How did you get into sneakers?
“I’m not the only child from my dad, but between my mom and him, I’m their only child. They had kids with other people who they married after me. When I was younger, before other siblings came into the picture, I lived with my mom my whole life. When I was a kid, my dad used to lace me up. That was the only way I would get shoes. If I go to my dad house, he would actually spend on shoes for me because he was young, know, he likes hip-hop, he wants to make sure his son is fly. I remember one time we were sitting in front of the Eastland Mall in Charlotte, it’s abandoned now, but he gave me some Jordan 17s. I was like five years old. He was like, ‘Always have a clean pair of shoes on.’ That’s one of the very first memories I remember of my dad giving me some game. I remember when I was poor, begging my mom every Christmas for pair of shoes because I that was the only time I’d be able to get a pair of shoes. The first shoe she got me for Christmas was the ‘Thunder’ [Air Jordan] 4s. She was like, ‘This is all you’re getting for Christmas,’ and I wore those shoes to the ground, the paint was chipping. Once I started working myself, when I had a job in high school, I really got into the sneaker game. I was selling sneakers in high school on Grailed, on StockX and all that.”
What sneakers are in your collection today?
“My footwear rotation mixes between a lot of Js — I’m a big sneakerhead. I’ve got a lot of Js right now, I got some 4s in my rotation, I got some 12s in my rotation, some 1s in my rotation, I had the ‘Metallic’ 5s on earlier. I got the CDG Foams [Comme des Garçons x Nike Foamposite] in my rotation right now, some New Balances are in my rotation. If you see my closet, it’s getting full. As far as Puma, I’ve been rocking these [RS-XL ‘Cassette Tape’], and I have another pair of Pumas, the Slipstream, I’ve been rocking them.”
How many pairs do you have?
“I’ve got like 60 or 70 pairs in my collection. I sold a lot of shoes before I signed my deal when COVID was happening, I needed some extra bread (Laughs).”
We know you have a relationship with A Ma Maniére, but what are some of the other stores you hit when looking to add to your collection?
“Social Status, I’m hitting GOAT, I’m hitting Grailed, too. I be on Grailed a lot. I go to Kith, I picked up some New Balances from Kith the last time I was in New York. That shoe spot in LA, Flight Club, I definitely go there. Really a lot has been online, going on StockX, GOAT, Grailed and stuff like that.”
Puma has long been synonymous with hip-hop. As a young, up-and-coming rapper, how would you describe the brand’s position in the culture?
“I’m young, I’m 22, but I’m a real student of the game. I remember people talking about the Puma Suedes, rocking those joints in the late-’80s, early-’90s. Even to now, to today’s time with Nipsey [Hussle] was on the Puma brand, J Cole, even my label mate Rapsody. I remember before I even got my deal, I was traveling with her and she was getting stuff from Puma. They always champion hip-hop, even from the earlier days. Even Jay [Jay-Z] and the deal he has with Puma now, they’ve always been able to take the risks to reinvent the wheel.”
You’re one of several Roc Nation artists featured on the “Humble Soles” mixtape. What makes this project so special?
“Just the brotherhood that’s been built off of this. Emory, he’s not really the dude for the industry stuff. He took a liking to some up-and-coming artists, put them there for four or five days and was like, ‘Yo, y’all just cook up.’ I never even talked to these dudes before this, but we built a real brotherhood. We were all coming in with the same mindset like ‘We’re about to come in here and really make some real raw mixtape records.’ They’re still big songs but we came back to like no filter. I was hungry, bro. I’m probably on the most songs on the mixtape out of everybody, but it was because I was going into every room just trying to be a part of the community that was building. It wasn’t even about me more so, it was just about the dopeness of being there and being a part of it.”
How has hip-hop changed your life?
It has changed my life tremendously. I wouldn’t be here being interviewed by you without hip-hop. It was my outlet, especially when I was younger, things going on in the house, things going on outside the house. It taught me, resilience, it taught me discipline, hard work. I’ve worked hard to get to this point and it’s all off of just writing, working in studios and stuff like that. I wouldn’t trade hip-hop for nothing.
Hip-hop turns 50 tomorrow. What does 50 years of hip-hop mean to you?
“It shows this longevity that we’ve had. Fifty years is still short, but history shows that people said hip-hop was going to be a fad. The fact that it’s standing 50 years strong and continuing to elevate is a beautiful thing.”
Aside from the “Humble Soles” mixtape, what music do you have scheduled to release this year?
“I’ve got this ‘Humble Soles’ mixtape, and then I got an EP coming out right after. I can’t give the title yet, just know it’s is something that’s going to be generational, even deeper beyond my hip-hop roots. I’m tapping into my African roots as well. My parents are from Liberia, so I’m trying to blend both worlds and make something that hasn’t been done before. That’s for the fall time. Me and my young homies, some are from Africa, we grew up in the states so we come from hip-hop culture but we grew up in African homes. Our mothers were making African food, playing all the Afrobeat stuff that everybody hears now — I’ve been hearing that since I was a kid. It’s going to take elements from that and blend it with the hip-hop culture that we come from.Nobody can do that better that a first-generation kid, you know what I’m saying? Me and my friends, we went to L.A. for a week, just locked in the studio and were mixing different stuff like, ‘What if we take these trap 808s, these trap drums and then add bongos to it?’ We hit the jackpot with a lot of these sounds.”
