Reese La Flare, whose real name is Maurice Williams, was born on September 8, 1987 in Birmingham, Alabama and grew up in East Atlanta. He is known as a pioneer in modern Atlanta music and influenced SoundCloud rappers, such as Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti. Check out other Atlanta artists on our blog!
Reese La Flare had no aspirations to be a rapper, originally. He was inspired by Pharrell and Kanye West growing up. Reese was heavily inspired by Prince and originally began listening to him because they resembled each other.
He received a skateboard at the age of 8 years old and was able to easily do tricks on his first attempt at skating. After years of skating, he got good enough to become sponsored by Nike SB and Diamond Supply. During his time skating, he meant a lot of individuals in the music industry that liked his skating and his style.
He connected with Ibn Jasper, a fellow skater, and part of Kanye West’s creative team. This also led to him meeting Kanye West himself, in addition to other stars such as Chris Brown, Rihanna, and Dom Kennedy, who he says taught him how to rap.
In 2009, he formed the collective Two-9 with fellow Atlanta rappers Key! and Curtis Williams. The group would go on to be signed by Mike-Will Made It several years later. However, Reese La Flare decided not to pursue working with the group and instead decided to pursue solo music.
He released his first mixtape, Reese vs. The World, in 2011. The mixtape was hosted by legendary producer Don Cannon who he met at a skate shop in Atlanta. After meeting him, he went to a studio session with Justin Bieber and The Cool Kids. He would release Reese vs. The World 2 next year.
The mixtape featured Metro Boomin, Trinidad James, and Buddy. Around this, he discovered Lil Uzi Vert, who directly messaged him on Instagram when he was about to graduate high school. Lil Uzi Vert praised his music and asked him to check him out. Reese La Flare took him on tour with Two-9 and introduced him to Wiz Khalifa, DJ Drama, and Don Cannon, who would end up signing him.
In 2013, he released his DSNRTRAPN mixtape, which would go on to be a fan favorite. The mixtape featured Buddy, Jay 305, and OJ da Juiceman.
After releasing several mixtapes and EPs throughout the years, he released his debut album in 2018 entitled Reese La Flare. The album featured artists such as Gunna, Young Thug, Ty Dolla Sign, and Pusha T.
In 2019, he got on his first platinum single “Costa Rica” on Dreamville’s Revenge of the Dreamers, which now has over 166 million streams on Spotify.
The kid who was once a hypeman for Dom Kennedy has established himself as a force of culture. He has collaborated with brands such as Louis Vuitton, Karl Kani, and Burberry. He launched a clothing line entitled DIVA, which has been seen on the likes of Young Thug, Metro Boomin, and Lil Yachty. Check out the trap pioneer’s catalog on Spotify!