Maurice Hicks Jr. (born February 14, 1984), who goes by the stage name Uncle Reece, is an American Christian hip hop musician. He released his first album, 2014's Bold, with Obed Music Group. This was a Billboard chart breakthrough release.
Uncle Reece | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Maurice Hicks Jr. |
| Also known as | Uncle Reece |
| Born | February 14, 1984 Savannah, Georgia |
| Origin | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Genres | Christian hip hop, Christian R&B, urban contemporary gospel, Soul,[1] Reggae[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | vocals, singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Obed |
| Website | unclereece |
Early life
editUncle Reece was born Maurice Hicks Jr. on February 14, 1984, in Savannah, Georgia,[2] to a father who served in the military, Maurice Hicks Sr. and his mother Cecilia Anita Hicks. He loves music.[2] He graduated from Florida State University with an Associate degree in Mathematics.[3]
Music career
editHis music career started in 2012, with the release of "Until I Pass Out" single on March 1 of that year,[4] and it charted at No. 15 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart by Billboard.[5] His second single, "I Cant' Help Myself", would chart at No. 19 on that chart and at No. 48 on the Hot Christian Songs. His first album, Bold, came out on June 3, 2014 on his own label Obed Music.[6] This would chart on two Billboard charts, on the Christian Albums at No. 30 and on the Top Gospel Albums at No. 9.[5] The album received a three and a half star out of five review by Dwayne Lacy of New Release Tuesday,[7] and it comes "highly recommend[ed]" from Daniel Cody at Wade-O Radio.[8] Rea Melissa Davis, writes for AllHipHop, how "Uncle Reece is quite the musical melting pot. With BOLD, Uncle Reece is not confined to the church, and there are no limits or boundaries to the way he can express his praise."[1] He is nominated at the 30th Stellar Awards for the Rap Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year and New Artist of the Year.[9]
Discography
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions[5] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Chr[10] |
US Gos[11] | ||
| Bold |
|
30 | 9 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Davis, Rea Melissa (May 19, 2014). "Uncle Reece Chooses to Be BOLD". AllHipHop. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ a b Martins-Olowo, Kayode (June 19, 2012). "Introducing: Uncle Reece". PraizHouse. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ Lundy, Kadeem (June 10, 2014). "The Future: Uncle Reece". The Shadow League. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ New Release Tuesday (March 1, 2012). "Until I Pass Out – Single by Uncle Reece". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ a b c Billboard. "Uncle Reece: Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ New Release Tuesday (June 3, 2014). "Bold by Uncle Reece". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ Lacy, Dwayne (June 11, 2014). "An". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ Cody, Daniel (May 29, 2014). "Album Review: Uncle Reece – 'Bold'". Wade-O Radio. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ Stellar Awards. "2015 N0MINEES: 30th Stellar Awards". Central City Productions. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ "Uncle Reece – Chart History : Christian Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ "Uncle Reece – Chart History : Gospel Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 8, 2015.