Hello everyone and welcome back to the latest installment in my Artist of the Week series, apologies for taking so long with another installment. I took a bit of a break so I wouldn’t be burned out and also so that when I did come back I had a strategy of who I wanted on the series and what I wanted to do.
Without further ado let’s get to it, joining me this installment is none other than producer Robo2k, marking the first time a producer only has been featured on this series and may I say the first of many to come.
Robo is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned gathering the infinity stones of CHH, from producing two albums for Fern of Social Club Misfits to producing some songs for Marty from Social Club Misfits as well including producing credits for other artists upcoming music.
Rob is proving himself to be a great producer from the samples he acquires to the beats he makes, his production flows so well with the artist rapping over it, having teamed up with CHH vet Fern to drop not just one but two albums in the span of three months, THE PROPER TAPE and ALL MY FANS BECAME RAPPERS are proof of how well these two work together.
Fern’s unique and effortless flows over Rob’s intricate production represents some of the best top tier music coming out of CHH, owing his friendship with Fern to fellow CHH vet and member of Social Club Misfits; Marty, Fern and Robo connected almost immediately.
I asked Robo some questions including who or what inspired him to get into making music and here’s what he said:
“Various things in my life got me into music. My old youth pastor’s intern showing me Marty for President when I was 11, hearing Language by Porter Robinson in Forza Horizon, stuff like that. I was always drawn to the instrumental side of things once I became conscious of music, which led to me begin experimenting in Garageband as a kid. I got FL Studio in 2019 as a birthday gift, and I was very much into Monstercat, Disciple, etc when I started out making electronic stuff. Hip-hop has a way of pulling you back in, though, so now I do this.”
When asked about influences Robo said this:
“I’d say that my biggest influences are Madlib and The Alchemist, but specifically Continuance by Curren$y and The Alchemist. That album is my blueprint for how I sample; it’s a soundscape that reflects my state, Louisiana, perfectly with its hazy guitars and spacey rhodes. It’s like if a foggy morning had a sound, which inspires me to capture cool feelings like that in my own way, pulling my own samples. I will say that Nujabes is the one that inspired me to start producing hip-hop, though. Metaphorical Music is one incredible album, and once I heard the track “Kumomi”, it’s like something in my brain just switched.”
And lastly I asked Robo if making music was something he wanted to do full time or on the sidelines, to which he said:
“As it stands right now, I think that making this a fully fledged career might suck the life out of me. Music is a very fun creative outlet for me, so to rely on it for putting food on the table would kind of kill the casualness of sitting down with an old record and my sampler just to see what happens. I’d be too stressed about output and placements to have fun. I think that God has equipped me with a good temperament to teach and be a light to kids in the school system, so that’s what I’ll mainly be focusing on for now. I also recognize, though, that God has blessed me and has allowed me to use my musical ear in conjunction with a lot of great people, so of course I won’t blow off music like it’s just some hobby for myself anymore. I’ll have one foot in each world, but teaching is what gives me the good dental plan.”
With such a broad direction of music tastes, influences that reflects in the beats he makes it’s clear that Robo isn’t just your ordinary producer, he’s very informed about the genre and is very intentional about wielding what he’s learned throughout his producing.
Robo is on par to become one of the best producers in the space and I’m very excited to see how far God will take him and continue to use his talents, with much more in store with other artists, it’s only the beginning for Robo2k and he shows no signs of slowing down.
