What Does “Light Work” Song Mean for the Future of 116 and Reach Records?

Reach Records dropped a new 116 track today (1/16), and the song leaves more questions than answers. So let’s break it down a bit.

First off, the track features Reach mainstays: Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Tedashii, and Trip Lee. Their newest signee, 1K Phew is also present. Noticeably, and surprisingly absent, is KB. GAWVI is not on the track, and did not produce the beat either. Also not on the song is Aha Gazelle, he was signed to Reach Records right before 1K Phew. The below video could have something to do about that (More on that video in another article).

Interestingly enough, included on the track are two unfamiliar to Reach, but familiar to Christian hip-hop, names – WHATUPRG and singer CASS.

WHATUPRG is from the indie.tribe collective along with nobigdyl., Mogli the Iceburg, and Jarry Manna. He teamed up with them recently, so what’s he doing here? The easy answer would be, “He is a collaboration machine.” Sure, that works, except, this is a 116 song. Also, Lecrae raps, “the whole squad here but you figured that.” Is he stating this is the new squad?

CASS, is mostly known as a singer but has rapped on a track before. Her single “Sticks & Stones” has been streamed over a million times and she is featured on a bunch of Spotify playlists. She is singing near Trip Lee’s part on “Light Work.” Is CASS part of the squad too? If so, she’d become the first female artist on Reach, and that has been a long time coming

So where’s KB? It would seem unlikely that KB didn’t want to be a part of a 116 collaboration. Maybe this is signaling a departure for KB. He has a lot going for him with Native Supply and HGA. He has established himself and could be moving on.

The last question is “Light Bearer.” On a piece of paper placed in front of the “Light Work” title is, another title, “Light Bearer.” Could this be the name of the new 116 album in the works with this single being the intro? What we know for certain is that it seems to be Reach’s manifesto for 2018 and also the name of their new clothing line. (See below).

Whatever the case, expect a lot of revelations in the next few weeks concerning Reach Records and 116. If this track is the first indication of what’s to come, Reach has the perfect mix of veterans and young talent in Christian hip-hop. “Light Work” showcases the best of different eras of music.

Purchase here.

We added the song to our “God Flow” playlist here.

Justin Sarachik
Justin Sarachik
Justin is the Editor-in-Chief of Rapzilla.com. He has been a journalist for over a decade and has written or edited for Relevant, Christian Post, BREATHEcast, CCM, Broken Records Magazine, & more. He's written over 10,000 articles, done over 1,000 interviews, and is in post-production for documentaries on Danny "D-Boy" Rodriguez & Mario "Machete" Perez. He's the project manager of the upcoming video game Run the Court and of the media brand Crimefaces. Justin likes to work with indie artists to develop their brands & marketing strategies. Catch him interviewing artists on Survival of the Artist Podcast & creating videos on his social media channels.
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