{"id":996,"date":"2023-11-16T15:15:54","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T15:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingston.popplayrooms.com\/?p=996"},"modified":"2023-11-16T15:15:55","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T15:15:55","slug":"whats-hot-ren-sick-boi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/popplayrooms.com\/kingston\/whats-hot-ren-sick-boi\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Hot: Ren – Sick Boi"},"content":{"rendered":"

This guy is a different kind of good. If you think you know hiphop, Ren is about to reset your brain. Self made, self produced, and self released with err\u2026 a track with 8 million hits on Spotify. Rare.<\/strong><\/p>

People are calling out similarities with Childish Gambino and Eminem, but we think this guy deserves to be known for his own identity. Especially as the Welshman from Anglesey is doing something not too many artists can pull off. Smashing the mainstream whilst carving out his own experimental niche.<\/p>

\u2018Sick Boi\u2019 is a heavy weight 18-track monster of an album. Tackling taboo issues such as suicide and mental health, so there are some seriously meaningful messages wrapped up in the funk, techno, and fluid rap skills.<\/p>

The PR behind pop music doesn\u2019t always ring true, but Ren\u2019s truth is as clear as a bell. Asked about his purpose as an artist, Ren recently told NME:<\/p>

This guy is smart\u2026<\/strong><\/p>

\u201cI\u2019d like to say creating threads of humanity between topics that are sometimes quite difficult to talk about. It\u2019s interesting because what I\u2019ve realised from the community of people that are resonating with my work at the moment is that [it provides] a voice for people who either have chronic illness or anxiety disorders. I\u2019m not trying to sugarcoat it. I\u2019m not trying to make it anything other than as ugly as it can sometimes be \u2013 or as beautiful as it can sometimes be.<\/p>

\u201cAnd I think by creating that window into that world, a lot of people feel seen. I think it\u2019s really important to see people because it\u2019s a very isolating place to be a lot of the time. Say if you have a chronic health problem or anxiety where you don\u2019t want to leave the house or talk to people, having a companion [in the form of music] is really important. And I think in mainstream music, it\u2019s an area that\u2019s not so much catered for. So I think being able to cater for that is my purpose.\u201d<\/p>

\u2026and a perfectionist in the studio<\/strong><\/p>

Watch any of Ren\u2019s videos and you won\u2019t be able to take your eyes off them. Not only has he created the truly arresting content any serious artist in 2023 must have, he\u2019s done it on a budget of next to nothing or less. Visceral and honest, he\u2019s transaprently sharing very real struggles, in a way that belongs to the entertainment space. That\u2019s called art.<\/p>

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