“I guess my biggest influence is just being weird and different.”

This is how Denton-based rapper Character. describes himself, and the music on his debut album, Greatest Hits, highlights his self-proclaimed qualities perfectly. Character. is relentlessly amped and in-your-face with his delivery. His beats paint a vivid picture for the listener that comes to life through his intense lyrics and charming, yet mildly sinister personality.  

Greatest Hits presents itself as a concept album, and opens with an intro in which Character. demands his listeners silence their cell phones before listening to his record. From there we are transported into his world through the song “Once Upon a Time,” a track that establishes Character.’s sharp wit and often-cynical mindset. The musical accompaniment fleshes out his environment more, pulling the listener into Character.’s psyche and illustrating his riotous surroundings. The track “Chex” is a heavy-hitter that shows off Character.’s eclectic musical style, as it utilizes horns and manifests a groove that subtly calls back to ‘70s funk. “Why Not” is a track that harkens back to ‘90s-era hip hop and channels the sound of both Cypress Hill and Wu-Tang Clan, all the while commanding a personality reminiscent of Eminem circa 1999.

Character. is an introspective artist. With a unique style unlike most modern hip hop artists, his sense of humor is dark yet quirky, and each track is punctuated by off-the-wall samples from TV shows and movies (including a familiar sound bite from the film Home Alone). But his music isn’t all shocking, over-the-top humor; in the track “Kill the Fear,” Character. sets off a rousing anthem that calls for listeners to extinguish personal doubt and believe in themselves. This theme continues into the album’s last full song, “Precision,” a track that cleverly samples System of a Down while Character. touts himself and his music as the key to realizing this potential. This track is one of the album’s strongest highlights, as it fully rounds out the record’s theme both lyrically and musically before transitioning into an outro that works to wake the listener up from the wild fever dream of Character.’s entire album.

Character.’s impassioned delivery and heavy, nightmarish beats are what set him apart from most other rappers of his time. While his musical style pulls from other genres, and even some older hip hop artists, he skillfully blends these sounds to fit his personal brand of crazy and spontaneity.

Character. (aka Gerardo Reyes) is an artist with local record label GitMo Music. He has been working on Greatest Hits since 2012, and signed with GitMo in 2014. His album releases on Saturday, October 15, and GitMo will be celebrating the launch with a party at Andy’s Bar on the Square at 9 PM.

Header image design by Jason Lee