Reco Price (born April 23, 1970), better known by his stage name Supernatural (aka Super Nat or MC Supernatural) is an American rapper best known for his "on-the-spot" freestyle and battle rap abilities[1][2] He has been a regular performer and host of the Rock the Bells Music Festival since its beginning in 2004.[3]
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Born in Marion, Indiana, Supernatural began rhyming at the age of 10.[4] Moving to New York City at the age of 19, Supernatural began to make a name for himself on the hip hop scene rhyming in local night clubs. By 1993, he had landed a radio-show on 98.7 Kiss-FM where he met KRS-One from the group Boogie Down Productions who became not only a friend but his business manager.[5] Supernatural signed with Elektra Records in 1995 and recorded an album titled "Natural Disasters". He reportedly had a dispute with Elektra and was subsequently dropped from the label, leaving the album unreleased until 2000.
His freestyle rapping battles with MC Juice and Craig G are highly regarded. Using a line that simultaneously revealed Supernatural's origin and referenced pop culture ("When you go back home to Indiana, get Mike Tyson out the slammer"), Craig G. delivered Supernatural the first major loss of his career as a freestyle battle rapper at the New Music Seminar in 1994.
Supernatural later arranged a rematch with Craig G. The outcome of this competition was inconclusive though decisively in Supernatural's favor, due to emotional distress on the part of Craig G, who ended the battle. Supernatural's story and performances are reported in the documentary film Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme, which contains clips of his and Craig G's battle. The film also contains clips of a notable battle between Supernatural and MC Juice, another popular freestyle rapper who was featured on the Wake Up Show. In this competition, Supernatural defeated MC Juice in two of three freestyle rounds, although, reportedly, there were disputes over the legitimacy of this conclusion.
Supernatural released several singles prior to 1997. He has also released 2 full-length albums, including "Natural Disasters" and "S.P.I.T. (Spiritual Poetry Ignites Thought)" (2005, Up Above Records), which features Raekwon (of the Wu Tang Clan), B-Real (of Cypress Hill), and Chali 2na (of Jurassic 5). A compilation of previously-recorded tracks entitled "The Lost Freestyle Files" was released in 2003.[6]
On August 5, 2006, Supernatural successfully set a new world record for the longest continuous freestyle rap while hosting the Rock The Bells festival in San Bernardino, CA. The nine-hour and fifteen minute session earned him a place in the Guinness World Records.,[7] breaking Canadian rapper D. O.'s record of 8 hours and 45 minutes. On September 12, 2009, Supernatural's record was broken by the Brooklyn-based rapper DJ Green Arrow, whose record of 9 Hours and 57 minutes was set at St. Mark's Church. DJ Green Arrow reported, on the True School Radio show, that Supernatural inspired him to take freestyle rapping seriously.[8][9]
| Year | Song | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Revelation 331⁄3 Revolutions" | Public Enemy | He Got Game OST |
| 2000 | "Big Dreams" | DJ Honda | 2000 |
| 2003 | "B Boyz" "Bomb Bomb" "I'm Ready (Y'all Ain't Ready For This)" |
will.i.am | Must B 21 |
| 2009 | "Tribute To The Breakdancer" | Grandmaster Flash | The Bridge - Concept of a Culture |