Rex

A trend of the summer and hopefully a trend for-long, Rex Orange County added another face to the new wave of rap this summer.

In 2016 Rex – real name Alexander O’Connor – surfaced with, Bcos U Will Never B Free. An album written and produced by himself while at the prestigious BRIT School For Performing Arts and Technology – a British performing arts and technology school located in Croydon, England. Standout alumni include, Amy Winehouse, Adele and King Krule.

Bcos U Will Never B Free caught the ear of many critics in his homeland England and won him awards. What his album did for us was shock Tyler, The Creator into procurement.

Tyler heard the album made by the teenager and flew him out to LA. In LA, Rex helped Tyler write “Boredom” and “Foreword,” standout songs on Tyler’s latest album, Flower Boy. The two also watched Alabama Shakes perform and ate a lot of Roscoe’s Chicken.

In 2017, just three months before meeting Tyler, Rex produced and released his second album – Apricot Princess.

When Rex wrote and made Bcos he was going through a breakup. When Rex wrote and made Apricot Princess he was in and still is in today, a loving relationship.

He describes Apricot Princess as “the polar opposite” of Bcos. He says that he would go back and unsay some of the things he said on his last album, if he could. He also most recently said to a lively group of teens at London’s Peckham Liberal Club, “These days, I wake up, and I’m genuinely so gassed to be alive.”

It’s deserving of the young Rex to be excited. He has had a love for music since a child, when he first picked up the drumsticks. He worked hard on an isolated instrument, which lead to a variety of roles in school bands. He wanted to be the main role of an act and did it. He lived out in the country and focused on himself. He went through heartache and documented it. He has the talent and the charisma.

Now he’s being picked up by Americas most influential figures. Not just his work with Tyler, but also with Illeagle Civ, a creative content – skate group worthy of more recognition in their own right.

Now, Rex is basking in the fruits of labor. He worked and concurred and will no doubt, work and concur more.

“The moment you start thinking about what other people and other artists think, your’re going to start writing like other people. As long as you’re being yourself, and putting out what you want to put out, it’ll be the best thing you could do. – Alexander O’Connor”