Four
months after nailing his X Factor audition with a show-stopping
performance of the self-penned “Young Homie,” Chris Rene released
his fiercely personal anthem as a single. Signed to Epic Records the
rapper/singer/songwriter/musician came in third place on The X Factor
and enamored audiences with his talent and then-recent triumph in
overcoming addiction.
Masterfully
capturing Rene’s struggles with substance abuse and journey to
recovery, the song that put him on the map “Young Homie” now
boasts a fatter beat and smoother groove perfectly suited to Rene’s
inspired fusion of hip-hop and soul-pop.
With
his upcoming album “I'm Right Here” and his current hit single
“Trouble” and legions of fans, Chris is in a good place and happy
to be there...time to check in with Chris Rene.
MS:
Congratualtions Chris I did a post about your latest single “Trouble”
on my blog and it became the number one post this week.
CR:
Oh, Fuck yeah!
MS:
That blog is a testament to your popularity, since all it was was me
posting a photo of you, the lyric video for “Trouble” and
alerting people to it's release date and wishing them a nice weekend.
CR:
That's so funny!
MS:
You're popular! How was being on “The X-Factor”?
CR:
Man, that was the experience of a lifetime! I was like, yes! My pals
are going to see this! All the couches I slept on, all the things I
did, which you will hear later because I am writing a book...all the
people I've met are going to see me. I've been in jail two times
because I made some wrong decisions and all those people are going to
see me on fucking TV doing something positive and representing. That
was all I needed, I didn't need to make it far, for me it was people
seeing me do what I'm good at.
MS:
You were sober for a three year period, then you slipped back, now
you have been sober again for a year, what made it stick this time?
CR:
A spiritual awakening. Having been in a car crash and realizing I
could have left the Earth, and leave my Son without a Father. It made
me realize how selfish I was, my reality was nothing matters it was
all about what I wanted. All I wanted to do was get high and mess up
my life, for me to realize that woke me spiritually. I decided I
don't want to be selfish anymore, I want to be a good Father, Son,
Brother and go with the gift that God gave me.
MS:
You do need something like that, sometimes.
CR:
Yeah, we all do, right?
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| Photo: Epic Records |
MS:
How much has LA Reid's support meant to your career?
CR:
Everyone always asks me about him, having his support is
invaluable. It's a trip to have someone like him who is in the music
business and knows what he is doing and has worked with a lot of
major talent. He saw a spark in me, the potential and I plan to blow
him away the end of next year. I have so much more that I can do,
that I can't wait to show the world.
MS:
From what I've seen, he seems like a really cool person.
CR:
He's a great guy.
MS: Anything else you think your fans should know
about?
CR:
Yeah, watch out for me on Ricki Lake coming up in October. Also look
out for me on Nickelodeon.
MS:
Oh, what are you doing on Nickelodeon?
CR:
I'll be on the show, what's the name of it? “Figure It Out” the
show is called “Figure It Out”. I'm looking forward to people
seeing that, I had a blast and it's going to be awesome!
MS:
Wouldn't it be so cool to get slimed on the “Teen Choice Awards”?
I would love it!
CR:
Oh man, that would be so great!
