The Tastemakers Society

I am Rob Roy, that’s what splattered across Rob Roy’s myspace page, so who is this Rob Roy guy, well simply put a musician, one you should pay close attention too. Listen to Rob and the first thing you notice is that you don’t recognize the sound its completely something new to your ears, you’ll sit and gaze for awhile, listening before gaining an opinion.  With the production often sounding like a neptunes, swizz beats, kanye shake blended, tossed and mixed together to make for a hypnotic like beat that will keep hold of you like Pamela Anderson running down the beach on Baywatch. After the beat hits you then enters Rob bringing you over to Rob’s world an adventure like park ride that’ll have you wanting to get back in line as soon as you get off.  

Your style is very different from the lyrics to the production and I hate lables, so how would you describe your music and how did you get to the point of heading in that direction musically then down another route or a more commonly used or familiar sounding flow?

I would describe it as my myspace genre listing does, “rap/punk/blues.”

And not necessarily in the literal sense of aesthetics, but more in terms of philosophy.

As for where I’m going musically and lyrically, Emerson said it best, “Do not go where the path may lead.  Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

How do you go about choosing the songs you want to air out for the world to hear and the ones you hold back and don’t release?  How are you sure a track you don’t release isn’t going to be the one most loved by listeners?

While I create with an audience in mind, more importantly, I create for the audience of myself.  If said track is something that I personnaly am not blown away by, then I don’t consider that track release-worthy.

How did you get into music?  Do you have a musical background?

I have no musical background, other than taking voice lessons for a very brief period of one month.  I transitioned into music from visual art as a way to continue challenging myslef creatively.

You’re in Florida and your sounds is very different from what people normally hear out from that area; do you find it harder for people to accept your music because of this and it being so different?

I am from Duval County, Florida; currently living in Los Angeles, California.  Most of the love I’ve received thus far has been from the southeast, so I would say that my difference hasn’t hindered me in that aspect (Erykah Badu, Bigga Rankin, and ATL’s Comeupkids movement have been some of my biggest supporters).  Maybe in other regoins?  I don’t know if I’m exposed to enough people to know about the general public’s reception/perception of my music.

In some of your tracks you’re singing so is that just an extra or do you feel you’re a rapper and a singer combined in one?

I consider myself a rapper who sings.  Sometimes the song calls for it, so rather than bring someone else in, I’ll keep in cohesive and use my own voice.

If you could have complete control over a movie soundtrack which movie (past, present of future) would you choose, and in what direction would you take it?

It would have to be for a movie not yet filmed; in which case, I have no idea what direction I would take it in until presented with the actual concept. 

What are you loving about music right now and what are you hating?

I like the increased variety and accessibility of music today.  However, the same technology that enables those things I feel has worked against proper artist development, and led to a decrease in quality art.

What do you look for porduction wise when you’re working on a track?

The element of surprise.

 Do you write first then look for a beat or vice versa?

It always starts with a beat, regardless of whether that beat exists in recorded form or not yet.

Rob’s world