As the Denver stop on Kota the Friend’s Flight Night Music Festival approaches, it is essential to remember the true purpose of the tour, and of the fltbys brand. That mission is clearly restated in a fltbys Instagram Post:
“Ever since 2008 we’ve been giving people the opportunity to get on stage, when no one else was giving the opportunity,” said Kota. “Fltbys has always been a young company of people who just want to do something but have no platform.”
Embracing the concept of connecting up-and-coming talent to their community, we will showcase a stacked lineup of opening acts in Denver, before Kota takes the stage at Cervantes Masterpiece on September 9th. ReSrface will be one of those performers, with his tenacious flow, and multihyphenate abilities as a performer.
Just 24 years of age, ReSrface has been writing and recording hip hop music since 2016. From patented dynamic delivery and clean flows, to a superb ear for production. ReSrface’s discography reaches out to you with its obvious soul, while never sacrificing meaning for sound.
An Aurora, CO native, ReSrface spent his childhood in and around Denver. “I grew up predominantly in a neighborhood called Montbello. I definitely feel like Aurora is the city I would rep to this day but Denver is where the heart is as well,” he shared.
ReSrface’s Sound
Using the creative canvas of soulful canvas, influences of a traditional boom-bap sound are alive in ReSrface’s music. However, he pushes the envelope, with a modern take on a classic sound. “I have produced about 80% of my catalog and have shot and edited much of my own visual content over the years.”
This creative control on the production side creates an organic sonic experience. Throughout ReSrface’s catalog, the feeling is that the instrumentals have been built around the bars rather than vice versa.
After years of honing his craft, ReSrface dropped his third studio album Lost & Found this August. An exquisite body of work, the newest LP shows artistic growth as a lyricist. Lost & Found shows many of the same skill-sets that have embedded an artist like Cordae in pop-culture history: a style that resounds with the old heads, paired with storytelling and delivery of a modern rapper.
“Lost & Found represents me, not only as an artist, but also as a person. I’ve been through my fair share of struggles and tough times over the course of the last two and a half years. This project is the culmination of lots of long nights of production as well as deep storytelling. All of which is rooted in authentic truth. This is the type of project where I could look back in 5 or 10 years and be proud of the vulnerability and honesty that was the basis of the album.”
Resrface’s intimate relationship with Lost & Found adds elements of authenticity to the music, which are matched with thoughtful storytelling throughout.
Lost & Found begins right in the Denver artist’s sweet-spot with the dope sampled chops (by producer S I M),Resrface’s insane flow on I Believe. To start a project in such a classic place is a big, early win, and at the 1:30 mark, ReSrface hits another gear with his flow, similar to how Logic would rip a flow change with ease.
Track three, Prodigy, might be the crown jewel of the project. With staccato chops, and a flow to match, ReSrface shows his versatility as a rhymer. He seamlessly meshes uplifting lines with just the right touch of bravado. “I been stacking like monopoly/saving for the day that I can prolly get some property/Ain’t no talking slick you talk you talk to me it must be properly/I done set my mind to be successful ain’t no stopping me.”
This long bar format works wonders with the choppy instrumental. ReSrface’s lines flow into the natural breaks of the beat, creating a pacing that is energizing with clever lyrics.
ReSrface changes things up a bit on tracks like WhatYouWannaDo?, that explores the anguish of a failed relationship, and Vibing Loudly, which is a sonic adventure, with its unique vocal samples and more experimental delivery.
Lost & Found is a record chalk full of glimmering offerings from a young rapper with an abundance of potential. And the project came at the perfect time. ReSrface will have the opportunity to share his best work before thousands at Flight Night.
ReSrface on Independence
From a young age, ReSrface has polished his craft. His next goal is to create a sustainable business model from his craft.
“I got my start in music by learning piano and guitar at the end of my junior year of high school. I began making music as an outlet. Now, my dream is to make enough money off of performing, selling merch and branding/content to pay my bills. The hardest thing about being an independent artist is the struggle of doing everything alone essentially. While that is the biggest challenge it is also the part I love most. Everything that people see from the perspective of ReSrface is as authentic as it could be because it is from my hands and mind.”
Flight Night is a powerful promotional tool. With the right moves following his performance at Cervantes Masterpiece, ReSrface could be the next artist to use Flight Night as leverage to further his career.
Flight Night
ReSrface shared a great analogy when asked how he feels about sharing a stage with Kota the Friend.
“Having seen Kota the Friend’s content over the last 4 years has been very cool. He is the pioneer of the single shot, slow zoom, lyric video. This style actually did play a role in some of the content I created later in my career. I also am a fan of his music and specifically remember playing the album ‘Everything‘ on repeat in 2020.
Opening a show for an artist I’ve been a fan of historically is the greatest feeling. It feels like watching a basketball game and then finally getting a chance to get into the game. With a player you really respect and have always wanted to hoop with. This is also a moment of validation that makes me feel like I am on the right path. That all the work I’m doing is not going unnoticed. Flight Night means the world to me. I’m going to hit the stage with more energy than I can put into words. I am infinitely thankful.”
ReSrface will have his chance to get on the court with Kota, who is as infamous for his ability to share the rock. All signs point toward a legendary performance from ReSrface at Denver Flight Night. Limited tickets are available.
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