Réel Carter

About Reel Carter

Reel Carter is a hip hop artist (MC and producer) who provides a refreshing alternative to the stereotypical, materialistic, cookie-cutter image put out by many rappers today. Hailing from the 19th district of Paris, Carter is an MC on a hip hop mission with a message of tolerance, knowledge, and political awareness which is expressed through his music. With roots in the Antilles, Carter was heavily influenced as a youth by a musical universe ranging from soul to funk to jazz to the family zouk. Carter first arrived on the hip hop scene with the group Zone of Being in 1997, who delivered a memorable performance at the Blue Banlieue Jazz Festival with well-known American saxophonist Steve Coleman. However, the need for more artistic freedom and his ability as both an MC and producer led Carter to pursue a solo career. His soulful, jazz-influenced production work, along the lines of Pete Rock, DJ Premier, The Ummah, or No I.D., has come to support a rap style full of red-hot energy, yet characterized by conscious, positive lyrics touching on themes such as human relations and the state of hip hop. He calls himself an urban philosopher and has been compared by many to Gil Scott Heron and Common. In 2002, Carters career began to truly blossom; through the record label Mama Blues Melodies, the album A Breath of Life was released, featuring such artists as Donkishot, October Rouge, Red and Hanna M. Also currently available is his album Essence Du Coeur (essence of the heart) an instant classic of an album which can truly be considered to be timeless."