Rapper Moe June performs his unreleased song “Keep Ya Head Up Remix.” Credit: André White | Lantern File Photo
Columbus hip-hop artist Maurice Reed Jr., also known by his rapper name, Moe June, said he isn’t one to shy away from hard-hitting topics in his music, such as police violence and systemic racism.
Instead, the self-proclaimed lyricist said he prefers to use his frustrations about recent events to bring purpose and intensity to his music, which can be found on Spotify, Soundcloud and Apple Music. He often features subjects that he said make his music meaningful and allow him to tell stories.
“I’m able to put words together and make songs that people like, so it’s like, why not talk about something that bothers me?” Reed said. “In my normal life, I have a hard time sometimes expressing my feelings or how I’m feeling. But so I’ll go to the studio, and I’ll put them headphones on and I’m hearing that beat –– the words flow easier.”
Reed’s unreleased song, “Keep Ya Head Up Remix,” heavily references the death of Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl who was shot and killed by a Columbus Police officer in April. Reed said police shootings happen all over and often, but Bryant’s death specifically hit close to home.
“In a sense, sometimes I feel hopeless, you know, like, what can we do?” Reed said. “I mean, we can protest. We can march. I mean, is that really helping?”
As a Columbus native, Reed said he has a lot of love for his city and his community despite its flaws. He said he hopes one day he can become a rap artist that Columbus can be proud of — that the city can claim as its own.
Growing up, Reed said he faced family issues and struggled with poverty at several points during his life. Music became his outlet for releasing his feelings and dealing with the circumstances around him, he said, and artists such as Tupac inspired him to use his music to inspire others during their own hard times.
“One of my big influences and part of my all-time favorite is [Tupac’s ‘Keep Your Head Up,’]” Reed said. “When I was actually going through things and I listened to that, it changed how I was feeling and kind of changed my life.”
Maurche Reed, Maurice Reed’s sister, said her brother started rapping at a very young age and was writing his own lyrics by the time he was 12 years old. Maurche Reed said she has watched her brother grow his musical talents over the years and seen significant growth from him.
“When he had put up one of these old songs, it was like, it was good, but it was really funny,” Maurche Reed said. “He has really grown as a human being and as an artist.”
Before Maurice Reed became a full-time rapper, he said he enjoyed playing basketball but traded it out for music in high school. His sister said music was always his calling.
“He definitely loves basketball,” Maurche Reed said. “That was one of his passions too. But I feel like rapping is more of his passion because I always told him your dream is something that you can wake up and do every day for free, and Moe used to wake up every day working on his music.”
Maurche Reed said she has no doubt that her brother will change the world with his music.
“He’s going to be legendary to the world,” Maurche Reed said. “And he’s going to be an impact. He’s looking to change and he’s going to help people grow or help people move into the right direction.”
Maurice Reed said money and fame are secondary and don’t particularly excite him. Instead, he said he aims to uplift his audience and stay true to himself.
“There’s waves, there’s trends, and they just say whatever sounds hot, you know, but I feel like mine is authentic,” Maurice Reed said. “I feel like I put my everything in it.”
