St. Maarten-born hip hop artist Ishmael “Reus” Vanterpool.
TERNEUZEN–The work of St. Maarten-born hip hop artist Ishmael “Reus” Vanterpool (27) is not going unnoticed: he was proclaimed artiste of the week by Funx, one of the largest radio stations in the Netherlands, early June 2019.
Reus, as he is called by his friends and the artistic name he uses, was thrilled when he learned that he was Funx’s artiste of the week. “It felt great, a crowning of my work. I worked hard for it,” he told The Daily Herald. It was the first time that Reus’ work resulted in being artiste of the week.
His latest production “Traplife” is about living on the streets, something in which he has first-hand experience, and growing up. Reus wants to relay a positive message to the youth through his work, encouraging them to stay out of trouble. Traplife, put online in January 2019, was well-received in the Netherlands.
Reus moved to the Netherlands when he was seven. Until that time he had lived with his grandmother in St. Maarten. He moved to the Netherlands to live with his mother, in hope of a better future. Those were not always easy times and at some point he ended up living on the streets, he said.
In good and bad times, music was Reus’ passion. He started writing rap texts at the age of 12 and at 16 he had his first studio recording. After the age of 20, on completion of his hospitality studies in Tilburg, he went into music full-time. He started his own company, producing music.
His artistic name is the same as his nickname, which he got from a friend in the Netherlands. Measuring 1.64 metres in height, he certainly did not get his nickname “Reus”, meaning “Giant” in Dutch, for his height. “One day they decided to call me ‘Reus’ and it stuck.”
Asked about his roots in St. Maarten, Reus said he loves to be a role model, to set a good example for others and to contribute something to his island. “I have a large family in St. Maarten and it makes me happy to make them proud. I am investing in myself and that feels very good.”
Reus said he was looking forward to performing at the Summer Vibe festival in Terneuzen, the town in the province Zeeland where he currently lives. And, he added, “something big” is coming up next year, but he could not divulge yet what that is.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/88482-rapper-reus-vanterpool-making-his-way-to-the-top
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