"Turn it up to Eleven"...Eleven is also a character in Strangest Things. You got a Sub click for the sit down, it's refreshing to see someone not only breakdown Ren's music, but also show the impact it's having on them emotionally in a unfiltered visual manner.
some reactors that don't know his history thought he was calling himself the best (illest) of his time without recognizing the double of illest with all of his health issues. So many doubles in this video. I appreciate reactors like you that have a music / lyric background that can catch those bars.
Actually I Believe "Banished from the heavens but I'm knocking on the sky" He's talking about when he was 16 and Sony signed him (His dream coming true) only to be dropped 8 months later at age 17 because of his health problems. Feeling like he's (Banished) but he's overcoming with his hard work, (tattered wings) he's knocking at the sky (his dream at making it in this biz is starting to come true) . That there is my 2 cents, if it's even worth that much lol 🤔🤔😂
@@mcflyjp this being Ren, it can't stop at just one meaning...the tattered wings/banished from the heavens is also a reference to Lucifer being cast out of heaven.
@@mcflyjp this might be a stretch, but I also keep thinking of the Jeff Bridges line in Tron Legacy about knocking on the sky and listening for the sound, a reference from Zen Buddhism to seeking insight.
Great reaction to Illest of Our Time by Ren. Interesting breakdown. This was the first time for me wearing ear buds while listening and the difference is so dramatic I can't believe it. The backing beats are so beyond "a new sound" it's like a new level. I think the best collab with Ren is if he and NF got together myself.
"I can't do it guys, we have to talk about the bars. Now." - I belly-laughed at my screen xD I vastly prefer "in-song" analysis like this to just watching someone listen to a song and reacting afterwards. And you do a great job of it!
The siren in the background is a police siren he slowed down and sampled. They filmed this in an old Argos store in Brighton and sketchy 😄 homeless people trying to steal props or camera equipment. His videos with little money and massive impact are so good. Samuel Perry-Falvey is 🔥 Ren's just messing with us. He can hold his breath for 3 minutes. Iron lung for sure. Thesaurus for a brain 😄 Have you done What You Want yet? Beastie Boys vibe. Great reaction brother 😁👍👍👍
This is spinal tap! Turn it up to 11! I was probably a little too happy to hear you say that. Because that was the first thing I thought of before I caught the stranger things reference and only one other reactor has brought it up at all. I think we need to start making people watch that mockumentary again. Clearly there are some people that are missing out. Aside from that, I really like the song and I really enjoyed your reaction. That was good. The only thing that bugs me about this song, and I know it's just me and Ren knows what he's doing more than me, but I'm Mary like Poppins doesn't make any sense to me however like Mary I'm poppin would have made more sense. I don't know why that bothers me. Otherwise I think the song is fire and I love the beat. The reactors that I've seen, and I've watched the majority of them but not all of them, seem to be mostly in favor of this song although there are a handful that aren't impressed or take it as too big of a flex. Not everybody's going to like everything. And some of the reactors that say they like it are probably just saying they like it for the views. I appreciate somebody like you that I feel is actually being honest and I don't really have to question that. Anyway, another great break down from you. I like that I learned something when I watch these. Cheers!
I think he's saying his 666 (beast) flow would kill a Catholic. Metaphorically. It's just a rap brag. And I agree with others that say the killng a pacifist line is referring to Screeh killing Jenny.
His lyrical use of double entendres is amazing, "I'm ready I'm heavy, I’m Mercury, I am Freddy,..." Mercury being a HEAVY metal, Freddy Mercury....😵💫 C'MON! Even the title is a double entendre - "Illest of our Time". He's spent 10 years severely ill with Lyme's disease and autoimmunity. He's receiving treatment in Canada right now. He's firing warning shots in this one and making sure everyone takes notice. Nice to see him showing some attitude and confidence, being a little braggadocious. I Love it. "I, want to spread these tattered wings, hold 'em high, banished from the heavens but I'm knocking on the sky"......FIRE!!!! He did a live stream right after the video dropped (on Twitch), and to see his genuine, emotional reaction to how many reaction channels had already posted videos within an hour of the songs release, was truly heartwarming. He shares his soul. This young man deserves every bit of love , support, and success he's finally getting. I couldn't be happier for him, especially for someone so talented, so driven, and without question, someone who has been forged through fire. Love this kid! Fan for life.
Yeah after Hi Ren I did some research on the guy and everything he has been through is crazy and to still have a positive outlook on life is close to a miracle but here he is. I saw that twitch reaction after I recorded mine. Was great to see the reception he got and him be emotional about it.
Ok. I’ve watched quite a few reactions and I don’t think anyone’s mentioned the Lucky Dog reference yet. Maybe I’m showing my age and too many hours listening to tv jingles. Lol. Lucky Dog is a brand of dog food/treats (Purina brand) with jingles in the late 80s and 90s (Google that shite :) A period in time Ren refers to in ‘The Hunger’ as his scene. Also someone gets lucky when he speaks is an idiom (a saying) for someone with astounding good luck. Love your reactions. Keep coming with the Ren rabbitverse. I’m addicted. He’s refreshing, extremely well read and a fantastic poet and artist. No one since Bowie has held my attention like this. That is no hyperbole. His rhyme schemes are lyrically and culturally dense and I’m here for it all day. P.s. I grew up in Portsmouth 50 miles west of Brighton and went to Brighton Pier and boardwalk as an 8 year old before moving to Australia. Fond memories of Brighton. Today it’s considered the musical/art/cultural/lgbtq capital of the UK and many famous people musicians etc live there including Fat Boy Slim who saw Ren busking in Brighton doing a cover of ‘Praise You’ filmed it and uploaded it to his IG. Cheers and thanks again for raising the awareness of this great artist. The Big Push (feat. Ren) did upload an acoustic performance of Praise You which is fecking fire. Check it out fr.
Literally looking up Fat Boy Slims IG as we speak to look for that. I've said it before he's a once in a generation, maybe lifetime, talent. He's all about the art of music and its fantastic
@@mcflyjp I don’t use social media at all anymore so I couldn’t independently verify the comment from a UK local I saw. But I did Google The Brighton and Hove website which mentions that FBS lives there. Hope it’s fr fr. Please verify. I’d hate to have steered you wrong because someone was misinformed. Yes, indeed he is a massive talent. I’ll keep listening regardless of whether he attains the musical golden chalice blah blah. Lol. Cheers from Tasmania, Australia 🇦🇺
I get a Prodigy vibe from this reminds me of their track Breathe. Ren's writing is so clever!! and that's an understatement. Thanks for yet another insightful reaction and really pleased how things are taking off for you😊
Great idea! Would recommend 'Firestarter' caused a right stir back in the day. 'Smack my bitch up' even moreso because of the video. Their live shows are an experience/mental...in a good way!
Ren said when this was launched that hed been working with a tune that sounded a like some old school game like streets of rage, which developed into this.
Hey brother! Nothing wrong sounding like Knox. You guys are two of my favorite reactors! Its a good balance between teaching and being fun to vibe with. Also you're legit the first one who caught the Spinal Tap reference. The guy who played Nigel Tufnel was a hereditary Lord. I think his constituency was abolished. UK government is hard for my American mind. ANYWAY great work here! I was also confused by the 666 bit. What i take from the whole song is "I'm so fucked up in the head, look at all the sick shit I'll do: murder, heresy, theft, etc." Sufis believe that their sacred text has 2 levels: the taw'il and batin. These are like surface level and deeper subtexts. Ren is like that. It's a trip!
His double entendre in still searching for artists I can’t find, I guess I’m still the illest of our time... he is searching for answers he still can’t find, still makes him the illest of our time. I think that is the best
@@mcflyjp He def. is. He is such a fresh wind into the chaos that is mainstream music. I just love that Hi Ren went viral so now people see his older stuff that only gained traction from a smaller amount people. What is happening to Ren right now, would never happen in the same space of being on a record label, this is why independent artists are so damn important to the world. This makes Ren able to make what he wants to make and not being tied down to some contract where he has to do this and that. He is his own king in this situation. I just love that so many people has fallen into this rabbit hole that is Ren cuz boy does he deserve every ounce of it.
It's funny you mentioned Childish Gambino, because my first thought, when I saw Hi Ren (my first Ren video/song experience), was that it had the same intense emotional effect on me as This Is America. And yes, I get a similar feeling from this video as well. In his description of how and where it was filmed (in an abandoned and dangerous "crack house" type of place), you get a great picture of how Ren's creative mind works, taking scary risks that push his work to a deeper level.
Bino was the first thing I thought of when I heard the beat. I feel it's more authentic filming in an actual abandoned warehouse then renting out a space like one.
'kill a pacifist' line i think is referring to his own killing of the Jenny and Violet characters from his tales trilogy as it comes on the back of the Screech ref line...great breakdown as usual, reckon you got a fair bit in one listen...I found it took a few listens and got better each time
I also interpret the 666 flow to be “beast flow”, as the number 666 in the book of Revelation is the number of the beast. IDK, I’m no Knox Hill either, but the word flow in that verse is not a mistake. Great reaction! You caught a ton of those bars, as many as Knox! 😏
I’ve watched so many reactions to this, at least 25. Another reaction channel finally caught the “123” at the beginning, the “I'm Freddy Krueger, I'm chopping” in the flow switch and the “456 spit a crucifix” and connected it to the Freddy Krueger nursery rhyme, finally, ! Then it’s “six six six flow” which makes sense as…”sick sick sick flow” and “crucify a catholic” because Catholics are the most widely known religion to display the crucifix. BUT, either of the other ideas could work too or some combo. It’s basically a clever way to put certain critics on edge. Then it continues; “Maverick, anti-hero, villain, not protagonist.” This could be either what the critics speculations are on who Ren is, or even him trying to decide, does he want to be the center of the story people are putting him in? could be both. Especially since there’s usually more than one meaning. Then the rest is a huge middle finger... “Words are kind of muffled when you're sucking on my massive…$&@$” Because he doesn’t care what the critics are saying. The more I listen to this song the more I find. It’s wild. Sorry this got so long.
@@Beckaj5446 This is why he is a genius! He layers everything so intricately. His double, treble an quadruple meanings just make everything interpretable on so many levels, I believe the 666 Nero line is just a hidden meaning, as the obvious is the number of the beast. But he layers a Roman theme in this too. 'Im Heavy, Im Mercury, I am Freddy' The obvious being a reference to Freddy Mercury, and also a call back to Freddy Kruger ( therefor, the Nero 666 line) . layered with that is the next obvious. mercury is a heavy metal. Deeper still, Mercury is the only metal to be fluid at room temp. It doesn't fit the norm or be 'set' in one form, Just like his music doesn't fit into one genre and he is unique amongst current artists. He is fluid! But the Roman aspect comes into play here too. I'm Heavy, can also mean I'm deep! and Mercury is the Roman god of clever speaking, interpretation and translation. He is also the God of commerce and thieves ( rich get richer and Robbin Hood) AND the god who is the messenger between the realm of the living and the dead. He also says the line 'Top of the streets that I roam/ROME? So this line along with Mercury and 666 being the number for Nero makes sense. He's used Roman emperors before in past songs. (Julius like Caesar - in what you want) everything just layers up, calls back and interlinks. Mind Blown! and they say his lyricism isn't on a par with Eminem 🤔
@@janegill-pl5kz Holy crap, that’s freaking insane. That is so….what the hell do you even say to that? That is so….Ren! Did you figure all that out or compile from multiple people?? The Mercury correlation 🤯 Now I feel like it’s time to hit the books. Thank you for sharing, I swear I love that song more every day.
You didn't miss much! The Hunger... yes... but Losing It & What You Want will give you a peak into his creative abilities. But that's just barely the tip of the iceberg. Enjoyed your reaction!
the 4-5-6 grab a crucifix, is also a play on Freddy Kreuger, it is part of his nursery rhyme. Also in the movies Freddy Kreuger is killed by the parents. Freddy lives on the fear and nightmares and kills within them. Mind Killer, just like the drug industry, keep pushing the pills and make money, while innocent people get bad side effects from them
@12:35 Catwoman was looking kinda cute 😁. I can see Ren writing a Batman movie. Dark and tragic of course. Ren would be Batman and Sam would be the evil vilan called 'Falsetto'. Catwoman could be the pregnant love interest that they both fight over. 🤣
@@mcflyjp Ren had me fall in the rabbit hole so deep, it's starting to rub off on me.😁 I picked up Animal Farm from the used bookstore earlier today. Ren has made references to it in his previous Twitch streams and was part of his inspiration for the 'pig' which he calls 'Sick Boi' on his merch store.
I love that you've done a total 360 on Ren. Very talented young man that likes to surprise his audience. His catalogue is pretty big so I look forward to your next reaction. Much love and respect from The UK.
For “ not knowing a lot about rhyme schemes” U did an absolutely awesome job at breaking this down!! I hope to see more REN… Got a sub here… (also secretly hoping u will check out some Tom Macdonald on ur channel as well #HOG)…love em both, also a new fan of ur channel!
Tom has a massive catalog. I can tell u when I got hip to him…. His back and forth diss with Mac Lethal. #1 )Lethal Injection (Tom), #2) Single White Female (Mac Lethal), #3) Lethal Injection (Tom)….then I realized that all stemmed from Tom dropping the song “Straight Whit Male” (full of lyrical satire)…. Then down the rabbit hole I went… “Whiteboy”……then “This House”(which is a response for all the 💩 he got from the Whiteboy song)…….more favs are “Castles”, “No Response”, “Don’t Look Down”, “I’m Sorry”, “Cancelled”, “Fire Emojis”….. just for a start…. Toms background … he’s originally from Canada… moved to South Central LA…w girlfriend Nova, who he’s still with (she shoots all his vids and also raps)….while in SouthCentral he was trying to jump start his music career independently, while battling alcohol addiction… his song “Dear Rappers” popped off…he got clean and the rest is history………he rides hard for his fans….his fan base is called “ The Hangover Gang” thus #HOG….also referred to as the #HOGARMY… and we roll deep!!
just one little thing...MORE REN PLEASE. Your perspective is so interesting - you really bring something new every time and believe me i know - I've seen several hundreds of Ren reactions :D
@@mcflyjp It's so exciting that one mind can create such nuanced and not obvious stories and images that 20 people can go and pick his work apart and everyone can see something different or find something that others missed
Great reaction, I also love the iron lung reference as most people probably relate it to smoking but it's also a medical device (negative pressure ventilator), then the bronchitis reference. But also iron lung to do with smoking and the coughing also link up.
Great reaction bruvva. The “666 flow, crucify a catholic” isn’t political at all buddy. It’s a 666 or devilish flow that could crucify a catholic. He’s saying how deadly and hard his flow is.
@@mcflyjp yeah man, I wasn’t being a dick or critical. Just didn’t want you to get the wrong impression. My American buddy freaked out at that part until we spoke about it. I totally get why it could touch a nerve. Peace and stay funky! 👍🏻
@@endlessrage4062 oh no you're good. St the time I interpreted it as the devilish side of him or whatever. But it also provoked thoughts of catholicism and stuff. Just not a road I'm ready to go down yet. I'm sure in other reactions it'll be warranted to go over.
My first reaction to "crucify a Catholic" was revulsion. But then I thought about the faithful who may be crucifying themselves with guilt, day after day, and how *that* doesn't have to happen either...
You must do his older stuff too!!! His Fatboy Slim one shot retake Right Here, Right Now, and many more... are Must Do's! Ocean, Crucify your Culture, Humble etc...
I believe that these "123" and later on "456" refers to the judgements he got from reviewers and those who had thoughts on his works; He's an alien, it's given to him, his parents laid it out for him, he's dancing with the devil He's got nothing over for these hypocraties.
Freddy Krueger sang that while he was entering the dreams of the kids in his movies....4...5...6..666, Freddy's mother was a catholic nun and was raped while working at the nut house, the nut job raping her was Freddy's daddy.
This also refers back to Freddy Krueger. There is a nursery rhyme in the movie 1 ...2... freddies coming for you 3 ...4... better lock your door 5...6 ....get your crucifix.....(and now we are at the part about religion and where he actually mentions the word crucifix
(nothing inflammatory or controversial, I promise!) The crucify a Catholic line is definitely the one nobody wants to touch. And although I get why, I don't take that literally like a lot of people seem to. He makes a lot of references to Christianity and questions it in his music. Which is very common with people who suffer from chronic mental and physical illness to question their religion - to feel abandoned or like they are being punished. In Heretic he says he is tortured by gods, in Hi Ren, Depression and Everbody Drops makes reference to being punished for various things, in Insomnia wonders how there can be so much suffering if god exists and talks about himself being crucified in Ready for You. There are way too many examples to list them all, but Dear God is literally a letter questioning religion. Just based on his other work, I assume that line is probably a reference to himself, but who knows?
Maybe. And I resonate with feeling abandoned from my God or religion. Its part of why I cried in my "How to Be Me" reaction where I talked about that a lot, which is actually why I didn't want to talk about it, because I already had. But in the songs I have seen there have been a lot of subtle references to him having been religious in the past.
I think those animals surrounding Ren in the lift at the beginning may be demons. There is something in the Testament of Solomon about demons that took the form of animals. Solomon was able to control them with a ring. I don’t know if this is right but it fits…I think lol
Do you think when he says I am Freddy he could also be referencing Freddie Gray....or why would Ren say to "Call a medic for myself"? Because Freddie Gray and police officers will not be calling a medic for Ren anytime soon? "breeding ground" = place where animals reproduce, "get rich in style", stile = "an arrangement of steps that allows people but not animals to climb over a fence or wall."-Google
i dont think hes making any judgements on the catholic church or religion. The whole song from the title thru all the lyrics is all double meanings, and opposites. I think crucify a catholic is just the visual representation of jesus on his cross. That whole "verse" is just listing the opposites. 666 flow (devil) crucify a catholic (jesus) maverick - an unorthodox or independent-minded person orthodox - of a person or their views, especially religious or political ones, or other beliefs or practices) conforming to what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true Edit-....Id like to add, he seems to believe quite a bit in religion, he has a song called Genesis, and it aint about the band. All his songs contain religious references. He spent years in bed praying to god for help. I know when I had my lyme disease outbreak...I did too, and I am not religious. I bet he read the bible often, Searching for release. ! think he's well studied on it. But also sees it for what it is...a belief created by man. It can help and it can hurt. Its no better than everything else. Thats not religions fault tho...only the human beings following it..
Considering how many kids Catholic priests have molested I personally hope he meant it as a judgement against catholicism and religion. They certainly deserve any judgement that's thrown their way.
Hey just joined up! You have great reactions and breakdowns plus you're a 49ers fan! 😁👍 I'm first reaction suggestions is Colter Wall ua-cam.com/video/4l4gdhPqh3E/v-deo.html hope it's new to you, fingers crossed 🤞
@@mcflyjp Oh jeepers! Another unoriginal answer, just like everybody else. Let me ask ya something? Are your lips stitched to the next reactors as*hole? lmao
@@deborahcarson8310 There is a difference between a deep dive and just saying the lines back to me. You add nothing. Just listen to the entire song, and give a thumbs up or down. That’s it. All you need to do. I don’t need the lines of the song explained to me. You miss shit anyways, so why would I want a breakdown from someone who’s brain doesn’t work as good as mine?? Lmao.
"Turn it up to Eleven"...Eleven is also a character in Strangest Things. You got a Sub click for the sit down, it's refreshing to see someone not only breakdown Ren's music, but also show the impact it's having on them emotionally in a unfiltered visual manner.
I mentioned that.
@@mcflyjp My bad, I missed it. Sorry about that. 😕
some reactors that don't know his history thought he was calling himself the best (illest) of his time without recognizing the double of illest with all of his health issues. So many doubles in this video. I appreciate reactors like you that have a music / lyric background that can catch those bars.
Years of listening to hip hop and appreciating all the intricacies of it
Actually I Believe "Banished from the heavens but I'm knocking on the sky" He's talking about when he was 16 and Sony signed him (His dream coming true) only to be dropped 8 months later at age 17 because of his health problems. Feeling like he's (Banished) but he's overcoming with his hard work, (tattered wings) he's knocking at the sky (his dream at making it in this biz is starting to come true) . That there is my 2 cents, if it's even worth that much lol 🤔🤔😂
Ohhhh I like this interpretation as a musician and former aspiring artist. The poetry 🗣️
Love this. Well put.
@@mcflyjp this being Ren, it can't stop at just one meaning...the tattered wings/banished from the heavens is also a reference to Lucifer being cast out of heaven.
@@salishseamermaid that's where I was going with it
@@mcflyjp this might be a stretch, but I also keep thinking of the Jeff Bridges line in Tron Legacy about knocking on the sky and listening for the sound, a reference from Zen Buddhism to seeking insight.
Great reaction to Illest of Our Time by Ren. Interesting breakdown. This was the first time for me wearing ear buds while listening and the difference is so dramatic I can't believe it. The backing beats are so beyond "a new sound" it's like a new level. I think the best collab with Ren is if he and NF got together myself.
I've heard this one many times but unfortunately I haven't heard enough NF yet. But from what I've seen I think it would be an awesome Collab.
"I can't do it guys, we have to talk about the bars. Now." - I belly-laughed at my screen xD
I vastly prefer "in-song" analysis like this to just watching someone listen to a song and reacting afterwards. And you do a great job of it!
Glad to hear it. Some people don't like it but I'm here to analyze what I see.
The siren in the background is a police siren he slowed down and sampled.
They filmed this in an old Argos store in Brighton and sketchy 😄 homeless people trying to steal props or camera equipment. His videos with little money and massive impact are so good. Samuel Perry-Falvey is 🔥
Ren's just messing with us. He can hold his breath for 3 minutes. Iron lung for sure. Thesaurus for a brain 😄
Have you done What You Want yet? Beastie Boys vibe.
Great reaction brother 😁👍👍👍
Thanks. Sam definitely deserves credit in these videos!
This is spinal tap! Turn it up to 11! I was probably a little too happy to hear you say that. Because that was the first thing I thought of before I caught the stranger things reference and only one other reactor has brought it up at all. I think we need to start making people watch that mockumentary again. Clearly there are some people that are missing out.
Aside from that, I really like the song and I really enjoyed your reaction. That was good. The only thing that bugs me about this song, and I know it's just me and Ren knows what he's doing more than me, but I'm Mary like Poppins doesn't make any sense to me however like Mary I'm poppin would have made more sense. I don't know why that bothers me. Otherwise I think the song is fire and I love the beat. The reactors that I've seen, and I've watched the majority of them but not all of them, seem to be mostly in favor of this song although there are a handful that aren't impressed or take it as too big of a flex. Not everybody's going to like everything. And some of the reactors that say they like it are probably just saying they like it for the views. I appreciate somebody like you that I feel is actually being honest and I don't really have to question that. Anyway, another great break down from you. I like that I learned something when I watch these. Cheers!
I think he was going for Merry on that line. But maybe you're right that would've been cooler.
I think he's saying his 666 (beast) flow would kill a Catholic. Metaphorically. It's just a rap brag.
And I agree with others that say the killng a pacifist line is referring to Screeh killing Jenny.
666 is also the number for Nero the roman emperer. who llitrtally crucified Catholics.
The screech thing totally flew over my head.
His lyrical use of double entendres is amazing, "I'm ready I'm heavy, I’m Mercury, I am Freddy,..." Mercury being a HEAVY metal, Freddy Mercury....😵💫 C'MON! Even the title is a double entendre - "Illest of our Time". He's spent 10 years severely ill with Lyme's disease and autoimmunity. He's receiving treatment in Canada right now. He's firing warning shots in this one and making sure everyone takes notice. Nice to see him showing some attitude and confidence, being a little braggadocious. I Love it. "I, want to spread these tattered wings, hold 'em high, banished from the heavens but I'm knocking on the sky"......FIRE!!!!
He did a live stream right after the video dropped (on Twitch), and to see his genuine, emotional reaction to how many reaction channels had already posted videos within an hour of the songs release, was truly heartwarming. He shares his soul. This young man deserves every bit of love , support, and success he's finally getting. I couldn't be happier for him, especially for someone so talented, so driven, and without question, someone who has been forged through fire. Love this kid! Fan for life.
Yeah after Hi Ren I did some research on the guy and everything he has been through is crazy and to still have a positive outlook on life is close to a miracle but here he is.
I saw that twitch reaction after I recorded mine. Was great to see the reception he got and him be emotional about it.
It’s also a callback to the “I’m Freddy Krueger” line in the beginning of the song
Ok. I’ve watched quite a few reactions and I don’t think anyone’s mentioned the Lucky Dog reference yet. Maybe I’m showing my age and too many hours listening to tv jingles. Lol. Lucky Dog is a brand of dog food/treats (Purina brand) with jingles in the late 80s and 90s (Google that shite :) A period in time Ren refers to in ‘The Hunger’ as his scene. Also someone gets lucky when he speaks is an idiom (a saying) for someone with astounding good luck. Love your reactions. Keep coming with the Ren rabbitverse. I’m addicted. He’s refreshing, extremely well read and a fantastic poet and artist. No one since Bowie has held my attention like this. That is no hyperbole. His rhyme schemes are lyrically and culturally dense and I’m here for it all day. P.s. I grew up in Portsmouth 50 miles west of Brighton and went to Brighton Pier and boardwalk as an 8 year old before moving to Australia. Fond memories of Brighton. Today it’s considered the musical/art/cultural/lgbtq capital of the UK and many famous people musicians etc live there including Fat Boy Slim who saw Ren busking in Brighton doing a cover of ‘Praise You’ filmed it and uploaded it to his IG. Cheers and thanks again for raising the awareness of this great artist. The Big Push (feat. Ren) did upload an acoustic performance of Praise You which is fecking fire. Check it out fr.
Literally looking up Fat Boy Slims IG as we speak to look for that.
I've said it before he's a once in a generation, maybe lifetime, talent. He's all about the art of music and its fantastic
@@mcflyjp I don’t use social media at all anymore so I couldn’t independently verify the comment from a UK local I saw. But I did Google The Brighton and Hove website which mentions that FBS lives there. Hope it’s fr fr. Please verify. I’d hate to have steered you wrong because someone was misinformed. Yes, indeed he is a massive talent. I’ll keep listening regardless of whether he attains the musical golden chalice blah blah. Lol. Cheers from Tasmania, Australia 🇦🇺
You'll love the hunger, Genius, I'm losing it, and power. And that's just the tip of the ren rabbit hole.
Shhhh Power was technically reacted to on my channel but I will be posting it again as it's own thing later this week. But don't tell anyone. 🤫
"This is Spinal Tap" ... is the movie that the "turn it up to 11" reference would be from
Literally had a brain fart trying to remember. I have seen it a couple times long ago so I should've been able to remember. 😅
✌️🫶🔥🎶💯 Ren is CRAZY GOOD! Even while he's SICK, he gives us 🔥🔥🔥🔥
He's so sick he's SICK!
Great reaction and analysis. You caught just as many bars as Knox. 👍
I went back and watched after I posted this and the validation I felt. But Knox is on another level! Hearing it all after basically one listen.
I never thought Ian Hislop was into Ren wow
@@mickmccarthy952 I’m the other one
I get a Prodigy vibe from this reminds me of their track Breathe. Ren's writing is so clever!! and that's an understatement. Thanks for yet another insightful reaction and really pleased how things are taking off for you😊
I have yet to listen to prodegy. Future reactions maybe? 🤔
Great idea! Would recommend 'Firestarter' caused a right stir back in the day. 'Smack my bitch up' even moreso because of the video. Their live shows are an experience/mental...in a good way!
@@deborahcarson8310 I'll make a note of that one.
Prodigy well worth a reaction 🙏 sadly we lost Keith Flint last year but he left a great legacy.
Tragic loss he was such a sweet lovely man and that really came out after his passing. There is talk Ren is going to collab with the Prodigy.
Really great reaction. I’ve seen many reactions to this one and there were things that you caught that no else has. Well done.
Thank you so much! I try to think of everything possible when doing these reactions.
Ren said when this was launched that hed been working with a tune that sounded a like some old school game like streets of rage, which developed into this.
I mean maybe as an avid gamer that resonates with me and that’s why I loved the beat. But great beat nonetheless
Nice reaction fella. Keep digging through the Ren Rabbit Hole!!
Thank you for the kind words and for your dono!
Hey brother! Nothing wrong sounding like Knox. You guys are two of my favorite reactors! Its a good balance between teaching and being fun to vibe with. Also you're legit the first one who caught the Spinal Tap reference. The guy who played Nigel Tufnel was a hereditary Lord. I think his constituency was abolished. UK government is hard for my American mind.
ANYWAY great work here! I was also confused by the 666 bit. What i take from the whole song is "I'm so fucked up in the head, look at all the sick shit I'll do: murder, heresy, theft, etc."
Sufis believe that their sacred text has 2 levels: the taw'il and batin. These are like surface level and deeper subtexts. Ren is like that. It's a trip!
Knox and I are your favorite? That's setting the bar high and I appreciate that so much!
I have to revisit that movie it's been too long.
agree. Knox is well respected and you have your own thoughts. We the viewing community appreciate the analysis.
His double entendre in still searching for artists I can’t find, I guess I’m still the illest of our time... he is searching for answers he still can’t find, still makes him the illest of our time. I think that is the best
He is a double meaning guru. I love that part as well.
@@mcflyjp He def. is. He is such a fresh wind into the chaos that is mainstream music. I just love that Hi Ren went viral so now people see his older stuff that only gained traction from a smaller amount people. What is happening to Ren right now, would never happen in the same space of being on a record label, this is why independent artists are so damn important to the world. This makes Ren able to make what he wants to make and not being tied down to some contract where he has to do this and that. He is his own king in this situation. I just love that so many people has fallen into this rabbit hole that is Ren cuz boy does he deserve every ounce of it.
The first set of bars "alien psycho. Ect" are all things reactors have said reviewing Ren -Hi Ren
Not sure how you see that and say psycho but to each their own.
And that makes sense though. To be fair his talent is other worldly.
It's funny you mentioned Childish Gambino, because my first thought, when I saw Hi Ren (my first Ren video/song experience), was that it had the same intense emotional effect on me as This Is America. And yes, I get a similar feeling from this video as well. In his description of how and where it was filmed (in an abandoned and dangerous "crack house" type of place), you get a great picture of how Ren's creative mind works, taking scary risks that push his work to a deeper level.
Bino was the first thing I thought of when I heard the beat.
I feel it's more authentic filming in an actual abandoned warehouse then renting out a space like one.
@@mcflyjp Yes, and he didn't green-screen in the people wearing masks, and he doesn't use autotune, either. 🙂
Great reaction! I see the comparison to Knox Hill, nothing to be ashamed of!😃 Was a really good breakdown.
Ahhh too many people saying this and I'm humbled.
'kill a pacifist' line i think is referring to his own killing of the Jenny and Violet characters from his tales trilogy as it comes on the back of the Screech ref line...great breakdown as usual, reckon you got a fair bit in one listen...I found it took a few listens and got better each time
Definitely been listening to the song since I recorded this and there is a lot there.
Animal farm meets Prodigy! Just so dope! great reaction! I love this
Thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed it! Stay tuned as there is plenty more to come.
Just leaving a comment for the algorithm. Keep up the good work
Thank you! You are appreciated!
I also interpret the 666 flow to be “beast flow”, as the number 666 in the book of Revelation is the number of the beast. IDK, I’m no Knox Hill either, but the word flow in that verse is not a mistake.
Great reaction! You caught a ton of those bars, as many as Knox! 😏
That actually makes perfect sense. I think this is it!
666 also referes to Nero. He was the Roman emporer who litrerally crucified catholics.
I’ve watched so many reactions to this, at least 25. Another reaction channel finally caught the “123” at the beginning, the “I'm Freddy Krueger, I'm chopping” in the flow switch and the “456 spit a crucifix” and connected it to the Freddy Krueger nursery rhyme, finally, ! Then it’s “six six six flow” which makes sense as…”sick sick sick flow” and “crucify a catholic” because Catholics are the most widely known religion to display the crucifix.
BUT, either of the other ideas could work too or some combo.
It’s basically a clever way to put certain critics on edge. Then it continues;
“Maverick, anti-hero, villain, not protagonist.” This could be either what the critics speculations are on who Ren is, or even him trying to decide, does he want to be the center of the story people are putting him in? could be both. Especially since there’s usually more than one meaning.
Then the rest is a huge middle finger... “Words are kind of muffled when you're sucking on my massive…$&@$” Because he doesn’t care what the critics are saying.
The more I listen to this song the more I find. It’s wild. Sorry this got so long.
@@Beckaj5446 This is why he is a genius! He layers everything so intricately.
His double, treble an quadruple meanings just make everything interpretable on so many levels,
I believe the 666 Nero line is just a hidden meaning, as the obvious is the number of the beast. But he layers a Roman theme in this too.
'Im Heavy, Im Mercury, I am Freddy'
The obvious being a reference to Freddy Mercury, and also a call back to Freddy Kruger ( therefor, the Nero 666 line) . layered with that is the next obvious. mercury is a heavy metal. Deeper still, Mercury is the only metal to be fluid at room temp. It doesn't fit the norm or be 'set' in one form, Just like his music doesn't fit into one genre and he is unique amongst current artists. He is fluid! But the Roman aspect comes into play here too.
I'm Heavy, can also mean I'm deep! and Mercury is the Roman god of clever speaking, interpretation and translation. He is also the God of commerce and thieves ( rich get richer and Robbin Hood) AND the god who is the messenger between the realm of the living and the dead.
He also says the line 'Top of the streets that I roam/ROME?
So this line along with Mercury and 666 being the number for Nero makes sense. He's used Roman emperors before in past songs. (Julius like Caesar - in what you want)
everything just layers up, calls back and interlinks.
Mind Blown! and they say his lyricism isn't on a par with Eminem 🤔
@@janegill-pl5kz Holy crap, that’s freaking insane. That is so….what the hell do you even say to that? That is so….Ren! Did you figure all that out or compile from multiple people?? The Mercury correlation 🤯 Now I feel like it’s time to hit the books. Thank you for sharing, I swear I love that song more every day.
You didn't miss much! The Hunger... yes... but Losing It & What You Want will give you a peak into his creative abilities. But that's just barely the tip of the iceberg. Enjoyed your reaction!
Tried to catch everything. So much to go through in his catalog.
🎉🎉🎉
the 4-5-6 grab a crucifix, is also a play on Freddy Kreuger, it is part of his nursery rhyme. Also in the movies Freddy Kreuger is killed by the parents. Freddy lives on the fear and nightmares and kills within them. Mind Killer, just like the drug industry, keep pushing the pills and make money, while innocent people get bad side effects from them
Yeah I liked that he kept calling back to Freddy Krueger but then made it Freddy Mercury. Smooth.
@12:35 Catwoman was looking kinda cute 😁. I can see Ren writing a Batman movie. Dark and tragic of course. Ren would be Batman and Sam would be the evil vilan called 'Falsetto'. Catwoman could be the pregnant love interest that they both fight over. 🤣
👀
Also wherever that creative mind came from, use it to write some dope shit.
@@mcflyjp Ren had me fall in the rabbit hole so deep, it's starting to rub off on me.😁 I picked up Animal Farm from the used bookstore earlier today. Ren has made references to it in his previous Twitch streams and was part of his inspiration for the 'pig' which he calls 'Sick Boi' on his merch store.
This comment killed me. She was pregnant with a baby!!! 😂
@@margaretc5679 🤣 But who's baby is it? Batman's, Falsettos's or neither ? LOL🤣
@@davideastham sick boi's. It will be a human/pig hybrid who will challenge penguin to a duel to take over Gotham, backed by his army of hooligans.
11:04 Ren has said that siren noise is a police siren slowed down 20x.
That's exactly what it sounds like too.
Excellent analysis! You caught the double meanings that so many others missed.
Ren seems to be notorious for it and I'm here for it.
His video setups are so artistic the transition and blocking are fire.
Little nuances that but a lot of people really talk about
Superb reaction!!! Take away - Ren is a demigod of rap and good vibes are contagious - I like this motto!
I love that you've done a total 360 on Ren. Very talented young man that likes to surprise his audience.
His catalogue is pretty big so I look forward to your next reaction.
Much love and respect from The UK.
We aren't done with Ren. His catalogue is vast and I'm hooked!!
@@mcflyjp got over a hundred songs of his in my playlist if you want quick access. ;)
@@dawnblaynee7983 you got a Ren Spotify playlist?
@@mcflyjp I'm old lol not savy when it comes to technology. Just got a playlist on youtube. Works just aswell tho. ;)
@@dawnblaynee7983 that's better. I use UA-cam Music anyways.
Another great Ren reaction & breakdown
Thank you Joel, I appreciate that.
Spinal Tap was the spoof movie which included turning it up to 11
Yes! I couldn't think of the name!
Thanks Brother, glad you made it, what with all your technical issues.... Great breakdown man... ✊🏽
Thanks I appreciate it! As someone who works in IT, technical issues are the bane of my existence.
For “ not knowing a lot about rhyme schemes” U did an absolutely awesome job at breaking this down!! I hope to see more REN… Got a sub here… (also secretly hoping u will check out some Tom Macdonald on ur channel as well #HOG)…love em both, also a new fan of ur channel!
Thanks for that. I have had requests. Where should I start with Tom?
Tom has a massive catalog. I can tell u when I got hip to him…. His back and forth diss with Mac Lethal. #1 )Lethal Injection (Tom), #2) Single White Female (Mac Lethal), #3) Lethal Injection (Tom)….then I realized that all stemmed from Tom dropping the song “Straight Whit Male” (full of lyrical satire)…. Then down the rabbit hole I went… “Whiteboy”……then “This House”(which is a response for all the 💩 he got from the Whiteboy song)…….more favs are “Castles”, “No Response”, “Don’t Look Down”, “I’m Sorry”, “Cancelled”, “Fire Emojis”….. just for a start…. Toms background … he’s originally from Canada… moved to South Central LA…w girlfriend Nova, who he’s still with (she shoots all his vids and also raps)….while in SouthCentral he was trying to jump start his music career independently, while battling alcohol addiction… his song “Dear Rappers” popped off…he got clean and the rest is history………he rides hard for his fans….his fan base is called “ The Hangover Gang” thus #HOG….also referred to as the #HOGARMY… and we roll deep!!
just one little thing...MORE REN PLEASE. Your perspective is so interesting - you really bring something new every time and believe me i know - I've seen several hundreds of Ren reactions :D
Thank you! Ren can be interpreted so many different ways!
@@mcflyjp It's so exciting that one mind can create such nuanced and not obvious stories and images that 20 people can go and pick his work apart and everyone can see something different or find something that others missed
Life comes first!
It's hard to put myself first for anything.
Great reaction, keep it up!
greetings from Estonia.
Thank you 🙌
Great reaction, I also love the iron lung reference as most people probably relate it to smoking but it's also a medical device (negative pressure ventilator), then the bronchitis reference. But also iron lung to do with smoking and the coughing also link up.
Quadruple meaning maybe?
Great reaction bruvva. The “666 flow, crucify a catholic” isn’t political at all buddy. It’s a 666 or devilish flow that could crucify a catholic. He’s saying how deadly and hard his flow is.
Yeah I think I missed "flow" in this part. Can't catch everything.
@@mcflyjp yeah man, I wasn’t being a dick or critical. Just didn’t want you to get the wrong impression. My American buddy freaked out at that part until we spoke about it. I totally get why it could touch a nerve. Peace and stay funky! 👍🏻
@@endlessrage4062 oh no you're good. St the time I interpreted it as the devilish side of him or whatever. But it also provoked thoughts of catholicism and stuff. Just not a road I'm ready to go down yet. I'm sure in other reactions it'll be warranted to go over.
My first reaction to "crucify a Catholic" was revulsion. But then I thought about the faithful who may be crucifying themselves with guilt, day after day, and how *that* doesn't have to happen either...
Your thinking of Spinal Tap. The turning it up to eleven...Great Reaction. Peace
Yep. The words escaped my lips. Thank you for that.
That's a good thing being like KNOX HILL THAT IS
He's one of the best out here.
Great job! You are a great reactor. Keep it up!
Thank you so much!!
Merci pour cette analyse.... vraiment complète. Super intéressante. Learning alot. Thanks.
Glad to know you enjoyed it and got something from it!
Enjoyed your insights and breakdowns. Also see you have quite the variety of Bay Area sports drip.
Born and raised in the Bay area. Always make sure to rep with the drip.
You must do his older stuff too!!! His Fatboy Slim one shot retake Right Here, Right Now, and many more... are Must Do's!
Ocean, Crucify your Culture, Humble etc...
Most of these are on the list. I will get to them at some point.
Good job with this. I'm definitely looking forward to more.
More to come! Thank you so much!
Great reaction!
Thank you!
Great breakdown! Absolutely love Ren! Great song AGAIN!
You may also want to check out UK genius artist (literally) Akala. There are 4 fire in the booth sessions which are well worth a reaction
Akala huh? I will add that to the list.
Thanks!
Wow thank you! Just doing my best to interpret the songs.
Nice reaction!❤ I enjoyed!
It's like a reprise of a Knox react
I hope that's a good thing...
Flow crucify a Catholic. Everybody misses the Flow part. His flow will crucify
I missed the glow part 100%. The flashing lights distracted me.
@@mcflyjp lol
I believe that these "123" and later on "456" refers to the judgements he got from reviewers and those who had thoughts on his works; He's an alien, it's given to him, his parents laid it out for him, he's dancing with the devil He's got nothing over for these hypocraties.
I think 456 is from Squid Games (and was the number he wore in the Squid Games part of his Losing It video)
So many possibilities. Maybe they're all true.
Freddy Krueger sang that while he was entering the dreams of the kids in his movies....4...5...6..666, Freddy's mother was a catholic nun and was raped while working at the nut house, the nut job raping her was Freddy's daddy.
This also refers back to Freddy Krueger. There is a nursery rhyme in the movie
1 ...2... freddies coming for you
3 ...4... better lock your door
5...6 ....get your crucifix.....(and now we are at the part about religion and where he actually mentions the word crucifix
@@yarbafett came to add that also.
Did you really call animal farm on animal flow before it happened. You have some natural insight bro!!
Did I? I don't remember lol.
@@mcflyjp Go from 1 minute 21 on your Illest of our time reaction! straight up premonition haha
(nothing inflammatory or controversial, I promise!) The crucify a Catholic line is definitely the one nobody wants to touch. And although I get why, I don't take that literally like a lot of people seem to. He makes a lot of references to Christianity and questions it in his music. Which is very common with people who suffer from chronic mental and physical illness to question their religion - to feel abandoned or like they are being punished. In Heretic he says he is tortured by gods, in Hi Ren, Depression and Everbody Drops makes reference to being punished for various things, in Insomnia wonders how there can be so much suffering if god exists and talks about himself being crucified in Ready for You. There are way too many examples to list them all, but Dear God is literally a letter questioning religion. Just based on his other work, I assume that line is probably a reference to himself, but who knows?
Maybe. And I resonate with feeling abandoned from my God or religion. Its part of why I cried in my "How to Be Me" reaction where I talked about that a lot, which is actually why I didn't want to talk about it, because I already had.
But in the songs I have seen there have been a lot of subtle references to him having been religious in the past.
I think those animals surrounding Ren in the lift at the beginning may be demons. There is something in the Testament of Solomon about demons that took the form of animals. Solomon was able to control them with a ring. I don’t know if this is right but it fits…I think lol
Another obscure take that I like. He is one that has a lot of demons so that would make sense.
5:56 The Movie is 'Spinal Tap'
Why those words seized to cross my brain beats me.
Who would kill a pacifist? Screech and he did 😊
I didn't pick up on this but it makes perfect sense.
Do you think when he says I am Freddy he could also be referencing Freddie Gray....or why would Ren say to "Call a medic for myself"? Because Freddie Gray and police officers will not be calling a medic for Ren anytime soon? "breeding ground" = place where animals reproduce, "get rich in style", stile = "an arrangement of steps that allows people but not animals to climb over a fence or wall."-Google
These are deep analyses of the lyrics and I like it! Good music makes you think about it!
🔥❤
You do realise that the UK has warehouses too? ;) :)
Yes. It reminded me of the video, "This is America"
You're only the second person I've seen catch the Stranger Things bar. The first? LoL, guess.
I've gone and watched a lot of reactions after posting this. My boy Knox Hill doesn't miss.
@@mcflyjp Yup, got it in one. But I prefer yours because you react with your heart as much as your brain.
I appreciate that. Knox is the lyrical analyst connoisseur. I do my best to get the lyrics.
i dont think hes making any judgements on the catholic church or religion. The whole song from the title thru all the lyrics is all double meanings, and opposites. I think crucify a catholic is just the visual representation of jesus on his cross. That whole "verse" is just listing the opposites.
666 flow (devil)
crucify a catholic (jesus)
maverick - an unorthodox or independent-minded person
orthodox - of a person or their views, especially religious or political ones, or other beliefs or practices) conforming to what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true
Edit-....Id like to add, he seems to believe quite a bit in religion, he has a song called Genesis, and it aint about the band. All his songs contain religious references. He spent years in bed praying to god for help. I know when I had my lyme disease outbreak...I did too, and I am not religious. I bet he read the bible often, Searching for release. ! think he's well studied on it. But also sees it for what it is...a belief created by man. It can help and it can hurt. Its no better than everything else. Thats not religions fault tho...only the human beings following it..
See this is something I missed. Really good catch. This is interesting.
Considering how many kids Catholic priests have molested I personally hope he meant it as a judgement against catholicism and religion. They certainly deserve any judgement that's thrown their way.
When l first heard that line l thought he was referring to himself as a catholic. I was thinking along the lines of the illness nearly crucifying him.
@@JustInvertedFpv the extent the church has abused/damaged society requires its own song
@@deborahcarson8310 that could be another meaning as well, many of the lines can be interpreted in a third even a fourth meaning
Hey just joined up! You have great reactions and breakdowns plus you're a 49ers fan! 😁👍 I'm first reaction suggestions is Colter Wall ua-cam.com/video/4l4gdhPqh3E/v-deo.html hope it's new to you, fingers crossed 🤞
I'll see a out getting this on the list.
You don't need to explain every line to me. I have ears, and understand English...thanks.
People come here to see me break it down. The original is there to hear untouched.
@@mcflyjp Oh jeepers! Another unoriginal answer, just like everybody else. Let me ask ya something? Are your lips stitched to the next reactors as*hole? lmao
It's a deep dive which many people appreciate myself included.
@@deborahcarson8310 There is a difference between a deep dive and just saying the lines back to me. You add nothing. Just listen to the entire song, and give a thumbs up or down. That’s it. All you need to do. I don’t need the lines of the song explained to me. You miss shit anyways, so why would I want a breakdown from someone who’s brain doesn’t work as good as mine?? Lmao.