Ebon Herndon is an American rapper-songwriter, actor, and model, commonly known by his stage name E Reece. He rose to fame in the mid-2000s when he signed a recording contract with Kajmere Sounds in 2005. Reece released his first studio album ''A New Breed'' in 2006, which spawned the singles "Everything" and "Life Changes". Following the release of his first album, Reece went on a promo tour in late 2006. In mid-2008, Reece went on tour with his band "Core Elements" to promote his upcoming second album. In November 2008, Reece released his second album ''L.I.S.n 2 This Live.In.Studio'', which spawned the singles "How We Do", "What U Need", "Mic Check", and "Keep It Movin'". In May 2010, Reece released the lead single "Fly Hi" from his upcoming third album. In July 2010, Reece released his third studio album ''Concrete Steppin. In August 2010, Reece shot a music video for his second single "Confessions of a Dreamer".Nu Soul Magazine
E Reece Interview
Nu Soul Magazine; retrieved on February 19, 2011

Early life

Herndon's father died when he was nine years old. His love of music began when he began to study jazz saxophone at age 12.CD Baby
E Reece at CD Baby.com
CD Baby. Retrieved on February 19, 2011.Acclaim Magazine

''Acclaim Magazine''; retrieved February 19, 2011. His early influences include Michael Jackson, Prince,

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

and James Brown,

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

, EPMD, KRS-One. He graduated a magna cum laude and B.S., Mass Communications from

Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

Musical career

1999–2004: Beginnings

He started freestyling with his friends and would perform on open mic nights at local venues, most notably with the legendary KRS-1 and BET’s ex-

Rap City ''Rap City'' is a music video television program block that originally aired on the Black Entertainment Television (BET) network from August 11, 1989, to November 8, 2008. The program was an exclusive showcase for hip hop music videos, and featu ...

host

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at the 930 Club in Washington D.C. in 1999. In 2003, he appeared in the independent film "Claims". In 2004, he released his EP "FarEye Vision". In May and June 2004, Reece was featured in issues of the Japanese hip hop magazine Woffin.

2005–2007: Next Up and A New Breed

In 2005, Reece formed his five-pierce band "Core Elements". In mid-2005, he began recording his first studio album. In 2006, Reece released his second EP, Next Up. In July 2007, Reece began his distribution company "E Reece Music Group" and released a single "Everything" and later released his album "A New Breed". In 2007, he released his second single "Life Changes" and went on a promo tour.

2007–2009: Elevated Mental Recordings and L.I.S.N. 2 This Live.In.Studio

In August 2008, Reece and his band Core Elements appeared at Temple Bar in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

to promote his upcoming second album. Reece shot two music videos for his singles "How We Do" and "What U Need". In August 2008, he began his own record label "Elevated Mental Recordings". In November 2008, Reece released his second album ''L.I.S.n 2 This Live.In.Studio'' in Japan. In January 2009, the album was released in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. In 2009, Reece released his singles "Mic Check", and "Keepin It Movin'". In 2009, Reece went on the "E Reece & Core Elements Tour" to promote his second album.

2009–2010: Concrete Steppin'

In mid-2009, Reece began the recording sessions for his third album. In late 2009, Reece signed a record deal with HiPNOTT Records. In December 2009, he released his first mixtape "Art & Commerce: The Mixtape". In May 2010, Reece released the lead single "Fly Hi" from his upcoming third album. In June 2010, Reece released his second mixtape "The RE: Introduction Mixtape" and shot a music video for "Fly Hi." In July 2010, Reece released his third studio album ''Concrete Steppin. In August 2010, Reece shot a music video for his second single "Confessions of a Dreamer". In December 2010, Reece began his European tour with MED (Stones Throw).

2011–present: T.iM.E

In 2011, E Reece formed a hip-hop duo with music producer Theimagination called "T.iM.E".The T.iM.E Is Now, T.iM.E (Theimagination & E Reece)
Bandcamp.com; retrieved on February 23, 2012. In October 2011, the duo released an extended play "The T.iM.E is Now". The EP featured the single "Breakthrough".

Modeling career

He was the first runner-up in Washington D.C.s "Mr. Metropolitan" contest in 1998. He also participated on runway for Alvin King in Washington D.C. and New York City, Travis Winkey in

Discography

;Albums * 2007: A New Breed * 2008: L.I.S.n 2 This Live.In.Studio * 2010: Concrete Steppin'

Filmography

* Winter Wonderland (Milo) * Skippy Peanut Butter (Derek Jeter) * BET On the Action Tip (Host) * Punk'd *

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Racism PSA * Seventh on Six *

VMA Promo * Claims * I Remember * Keeping Up with The Kardashians *

The Real World Real World or The Real World may also refer to: * Real life, a phrase to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds Television * ''The Real World'' (TV series), 1992–2017 * "The Real World" (''Stargate Atla ...

Tours

* 2008: E Reece & Core Elements Tour * 2010: Concrete Steppin' Tour

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reece, E. Living people African-American rappers African-American record producers American hip hop record producers American music industry executives 21st-century American rappers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American musicians