Reese LaFlare, born Maurice Williams, emerged as a trailblazer in Atlanta’s fast-expanding trap circuit while hip-hop’s prevailing currents kept shifting across the 2010s. An early sequence of influential mixtapes established his presence during the decade’s opening years and led directly to the arrival of his first proper album, the self-titled Reese LaFlare, in 2018.
His entry into recording stemmed from a $200 wager placed by a friend who doubted he could deliver a credible mixtape; LaFlare completed the project Reese vs. the World in three days during 2011. Don Cannon quickly offered support by releasing both that tape and its sequel, Reese vs. the World 2. Soon afterward, LaFlare joined KEY! and Curtis Williams to establish the collective Two-9.
Together the members advanced the earliest textures of Atlanta trap by fusing fresh rap techniques with nods to earlier figures such as UGK, Three 6 Mafia, and Jeezy. The same approach produced standout results on Reese vs. the World 2 in 2012 and DSNRTRAPN the next year, yet creative disagreements prompted LaFlare’s exit from the group in 2014.
After stepping away from music that year, he returned with renewed focus in 2015 and 2016, releasing DSNRTRAPN2 and Before the Universe along with the EPs Jump Off the Building and The TRL EP. Those projects reflected adjustments to the aggressive textures favored by peers such as Future, incorporating Auto-Tune and broadening his range of flows. Following another stretch away from the studio, LaFlare updated his sound once more on the 2018 debut album. Guests ranging from Young Thug to Pusha T joined him as he navigated current trap production; “No Cap” captured the buoyant, looping style then in vogue, while “Escalators” and “Mood Ring” opened space for wider experimentation. A comparable direction shaped the 2019 follow-up Final Fantasy, which introduced his first ventures into R&B on “Masquerade” and “Creep.” Early 2020 brought the EP Diva Vol. 1 alongside the debut of his clothing line.
