Rob Milton on Music, Identity, and the Journey to Being Seen
In this episode of Odejuma, Harry chats with singer-songwriter Rob Milton about music, identity, and the transformative power of finding oneself through art. Rob reflects on his journey from discovering his voice in college to consistently releasing music since 2012. He shares important lessons he has learned as a Black queer artist and storyteller dedicated to joy.
He also discusses the origins of his latest single, "Chains," the significance of R&B in his life, and how collaborations with icons like B. Slade have validated his creative path. The episode interweaves themes of resilience, joy, representation, and self-expression, inviting listeners to explore the importance of being fully seen and using that truth as a source of strength.
For more information on Rob Milton, visit: https://linktr.ee/therobmilton
You can follow Rob on all social media platforms - therobmilton
For more information on Harry Itie, visit: https://www.harryitie.com/
Follow Harry on all social media platforms - harryitie
Transcript
Hi, my name is Harry and welcome to Odejuma.
Speaker A:Odejuma recognizes the magic of storytelling.
Speaker A:From personal experiences to stories of adventure, from tales of resilience to finding joy in the simple things, this story seeks to inspire, entertain, and educate.
Speaker A:Because there is power in the stories of everyday people.
Speaker A:And these stories are worth telling.
Speaker A:Hi, folks, welcome to another episode of Odejuma.
Speaker A:I'm super excited about this one because I have someone who is super talented, very creative, rather multi hyphenated artist, and also a friend of mine, I have Rob Milton.
Speaker A:Hi, Rob, how you doing?
Speaker B:I'm good.
Speaker B:How are you, Harry?
Speaker A:I'm doing really awesome.
Speaker A:Really excited to have you to dive into our conversation, to talk through your work and your journey and your creativity and your career and everything in between.
Speaker A:So we're just going to go ahead and start right now.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:How did the journey start for you?
Speaker A:When did you realize that music was your passion and something you wanted to explore?
Speaker B:You know what's funny?
Speaker B:I have literally always been a creative person.
Speaker B:I just did not realize that there was value to it because the way that my brain worked, I believe that, that everyone was expressing themselves the same way that I was.
Speaker B:So I didn't, it, it didn't, it didn't really hit me until I got to college and I started getting asked to like, you know, lead solos in the choir, like, stuff like that.
Speaker B:And I'm like, me, like I.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like my sister, I grew up with a sister who was like, really, really into sports and she played basketball and she was a cheerleader and she ran track.
Speaker B:And so like, I'm just at home, you know, reading liner notes and like learning like the words to songs that just came out on the radio for the first time.
Speaker B:I was that kid, like my friend, like my, my family members would be like, how do you know that song?
Speaker B:It literally has only been on the radio once.
Speaker B:But it's.
Speaker B:I just thought that that's how we all were.
Speaker B:And then, like I said, I went to college and other people started seeing it in me before I saw it.
Speaker B:And I'm like, okay, wait, there's something happening.
Speaker B:And I just went with it.
Speaker B:And so my last, last semester in college, a friend of mine, Jackie Hammond, invited me to the studio to record a song.
Speaker B:She was working on her first solo project and she asked me to come record the song with her.
Speaker B:And again I was like, me.
Speaker B:And she was like, yeah.
Speaker B:And so we went and we wrote the song, which I believe she wrote the song and I helped a Little bit.
Speaker B:But we kind of, like, went through the vocal arrangements and practiced them a bunch of times before we recorded.
Speaker B:When we went to record, she was like, hey, have you ever done this before?
Speaker B:And I had a little bit, but not, like, at this level of, like, fully getting an idea out in this way.
Speaker B:And so I was like, not really.
Speaker B:And she was like, I just want you to know that once we do this, you're never going to stop.
Speaker B:Like, you're going to be addicted.
Speaker B:And I was like, okay.
Speaker B:And I literally have not stopped recording since that day.
Speaker B:Like, I have not stopped recording and releasing stuff since that day.
Speaker B:You know, rewind surprised in that.
Speaker B:I grew up in, like, my church choir.
Speaker B:I always say I was.
Speaker B:I think you had to be six to be in the choir.
Speaker B:And I was in the.
Speaker B:I was in at 5 and, like, on the, like, board, like, the president of the choir or something crazy, like, at 5.
Speaker B:So I've always, like, literally always been this person, but I just didn't realize that.
Speaker B:That it was a unique thing.
Speaker B:Like, I literally just thought, everybody's like this.
Speaker B:And it's funny because, you know, I didn't spend a lot of time with my father as a young person, but I rekindled a relationship with my brother on my father's side as I got older.
Speaker B:And the first time we hung out, he was like, hey, what do you like to do?
Speaker B:I'm like, I like to sing and, like, write music.
Speaker B:And he was like, yeah, we all do.
Speaker B:But, like, what do you like to do?
Speaker B:Like, who is.
Speaker B:We all come to find out?
Speaker B:Like, my father's whole family sings in quartets and all of this stuff.
Speaker B:So, like, in my.
Speaker B:Somehow, I want to say in my spirit, I knew that because, like, I was the only person on my mother's side of the family that was this way.
Speaker B:But I just thought it was natural.
Speaker B:Like, I really just thought, like, everybody, like, even before I knew I was writing songs, I was writing poetry.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, I've just always been a person who expressed themselves through creativity.
Speaker B:And so it took some time, but once I.
Speaker B:Once I realized that.
Speaker B:What it really was and, like, who I really am, that was it.
Speaker B: I dropped my first project in: Speaker B: wice a year, every year since: Speaker A:That is amazing.
Speaker A:And, yeah, it seems like music is in your genes, you know, from what you described.
Speaker A:So that's pretty cool.
Speaker A:You talked about releasing music every year since you.
Speaker A:Since you had that first experience with your friend when you worked on her project.
Speaker A: And since then, in: Speaker A: Since: Speaker A:What was the inspiration behind that?
Speaker A:Because I feel like a lot of folks, and even for like back in the day, when coming up in.
Speaker A:Well, I wasn't coming up in the music industry, but, like, you know, listen to music, you know, I think an artist will put out.
Speaker A:I think Brandi Brandy, for example.
Speaker A:Brandi put out self titled in 94, I think.
Speaker A:And then her next album, Never said never came out in 98 or 99.
Speaker A:Then full like, basically all these breaks between, like, albums and stuff.
Speaker A:What was your intention for, you know, being like, I want to keep on putting out music, whether it's his collaborative work or personal solo project?
Speaker B:Well, first of all, that is true that when we were coming up, there was a time there was a gap.
Speaker B:People would work an album.
Speaker B:They could work an album for three years back then.
Speaker B:But if you go back, there also was, when you look at the 60s and the 70s, there was a time where people were putting albums out.
Speaker B:Like Aretha, before her big.
Speaker B:Before she really had a big break, she had like 30 albums, like, legit.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:But honestly, you know, Jackie put out Lazy Love.
Speaker B:I think that came out.
Speaker B:No, actually, I think I ended up putting out my EP first because I had, like, I was so excited, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, and I was graduating, I graduated college, and it was just kind of like, I remember, I think after.
Speaker B:Right after graduation, I posted like, oh, I have a secret or a surprise or something to share or whatever.
Speaker B:You know, very dramatic.
Speaker B:But I put out my first project.
Speaker B:It was an EP called Love Today on Bandcamp.
Speaker B:And it's like, pretty much within a week.
Speaker B:Within.
Speaker B:I posted it pretty much within a.
Speaker B:Within a week after I posted it, it was.
Speaker B:It was on a blog in Japan.
Speaker B:And then shortly after that, it was music.
Speaker B:Soul Child posted the COVID of it on his Instagram.
Speaker B:And again, it was moment.
Speaker B:It was a moment where I was realizing, like, oh, because I wasn't.
Speaker B:Like, I didn't have at this point, how Rob Nilsen today has connections and like, all of these things.
Speaker B:But at that point, I was just a kid who just got out of college who was like, I want to put out some music.
Speaker B:Let's see what this gives.
Speaker B:And when it was.
Speaker B:When that was the response, I was like, oh, no, you actually can do this.
Speaker B:Like, straight out the gate.
Speaker B:Someone in Japan, like, not only is listening but, like, feels the need to share.
Speaker B:Like, that's crazy to me.
Speaker B:And so I just kept going.
Speaker B:And the reason why I released so much was because, for one, the more I released, the more I was figuring out how everything works.
Speaker B:And that's the thing about growing up with the Internet is like, wow, technology is progressing.
Speaker B:You.
Speaker B:It was kind of.
Speaker B:It was kind of easy for me to grow with the times to a certain extent, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:With social media and with, like, even being able to upload music where we used to use Bandcamp and then SoundCloud and then, like, you know, I mean, all of these things.
Speaker B:Like, I grew with that.
Speaker B:So I was just processing.
Speaker B:And, like, you know, like Tisha Campbell says, it's the journey.
Speaker B:Granted, there have been very many no's.
Speaker B:Very, very many no's along the way, but every yes was like a connecting dot to make me want to keep getting to the next one.
Speaker B:And so something would happen, and I would be like, okay, I got to do X, Y, and Z to try to get this, and then it will happen.
Speaker B:And then insecure.
Speaker B:And, like, all these things that I have been, like, believing that I. I believe that I belonged in the world to do these things, but truthfully, the way that I show up in the world, I'm not supposed to be able to do that.
Speaker B:Like, I'm not supposed to be able to be successful.
Speaker B:You know what I mean, because of my size, because of my race, because of my sexuality, because.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, there are very many bullet points that say, you're not supposed to be here.
Speaker B:But, like, none of that was mattering.
Speaker B:Like, things were continuing to happen, and so I just believe that I could keep going.
Speaker B:And so kept going because I kept believing that I could keep going.
Speaker B:And then it just came to a point where I just.
Speaker B:It just was who I am.
Speaker B:Like, even if.
Speaker B:Even if I never release another thing, I'm gonna be at home with, like, I'm gonna be at home with a vault full of, like, songs and albums and movies and whatever, because it is just literally who I am as a person.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And, you know, you said, Tisha Campbell, it's the journey.
Speaker A:It really is the journey.
Speaker A:And this journey has been good to you.
Speaker A:You had placements, like you said, on Insecure.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You've had the Insecure moment happen.
Speaker A:You have your co writer on Friends by Monica.
Speaker A:You've had all these occurrences and all these performances.
Speaker A:What has this journey taught you?
Speaker A:Looking back at this past, over this past decade of you been in this Industry.
Speaker A:What has this journey thought you so far?
Speaker B:Honestly, this journey has taught me.
Speaker B:Like, I think I went from not understanding that there was value in the way that I expressed myself to then knowing what the value really was and wanting everybody else to see it and like, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:Wanting everybody else to validate, like, oh, and it wasn't happening.
Speaker B:And so I feel like I started like just trying so hard to get people to see it.
Speaker B:And I think what it has taught me is that regardless of, at the end of the day, regardless of who sees it, regardless of if I.
Speaker B:My album is number one in the.
Speaker B:In the country or number one in my apartment, it's who I am.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, it's who.
Speaker B:Who I am.
Speaker B:Like what.
Speaker B:I think we've kind of lost track of the fact that especially when it comes to music and film and you know, like, these are the, this is the way that people express themselves.
Speaker B:Like, this is their, like people are telling their story.
Speaker B:So to tell someone like the way you're telling your story, I don't like the way you're telling your story.
Speaker B:Like, how could you?
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:So I think my biggest lesson has really just been understanding that at the heart of it, it's who I am.
Speaker B:And so like people finally seeing it and understanding the value is great, but I'm not chasing that anymore, even if you know what I mean.
Speaker B:Because it's also an up and down thing.
Speaker B:And one day people see you for you, the next day they don't.
Speaker B:And so you really do have to get to that space where you understand, you understand who you are for yourself.
Speaker B:And that's all that matters.
Speaker B:Because that's also where, when, how I've been able to do my best work is just being myself, just 100% being me.
Speaker A:So that's real.
Speaker A:That's real.
Speaker A:Thank you for sharing that piece.
Speaker A:How would you describe your sound to someone who is trying to figure out who Rob Milton is?
Speaker A:I know it's very, like, there's the.
Speaker A:It's very R and B, it's very soulful.
Speaker A:But what would you, how would you describe your sound from an artistic perspective?
Speaker B:You know, a lot of people shy away from saying R and B and I'm never going to do that, never going to shy away from saying R and B.
Speaker B:Because for me it's black music.
Speaker B:Black music over everything.
Speaker B:Like, that's always going to be that for me.
Speaker B:I grew up in church, so gospel is absolutely going to be the core of what I do.
Speaker B:But Gospel and R and B are okay.
Speaker B:They were sisters, like, like they belong together, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:And so at the core of what I do is gospel.
Speaker B:It is R and B, but it's black music.
Speaker B:And black music is also pop music.
Speaker B:The other day I made a rock song.
Speaker B:Like it really is just whatever.
Speaker B:However I'm choosing to express myself that day.
Speaker B:But absolutely at the core of it is R and B.
Speaker B:And I think that's important to say because we're at the space where people enjoy having the conversation about what R and B is missing versus actually supporting R and B.
Speaker B:And so one thing that I'm always going to do is be.
Speaker B:A lot of times, like when the conversation happens on Twitter, I jokingly say, like, I have to now be like a Power Ranger for R and B, because I'm always like, for fighting in those conversations.
Speaker B:Because the thing that we don't talk about is the reason why R and B has like some sort of been shrunken is because of the chase of money and the chase of.
Speaker B:It's like you can.
Speaker B:It's like we're.
Speaker B:We're trying to do what other.
Speaker B:I'll say all the other cultures.
Speaker B:We're trying to do what other cultures are doing in order to make money, and they're doing what we do and making money off of it.
Speaker B:I don't.
Speaker B:That's not.
Speaker B:It's not for me.
Speaker B:So I'm always.
Speaker B:It's always going to be R and B.
Speaker B:When you, when you think Rob Milton, think R and B for the rest of my life.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:And I was going to, because even ask.
Speaker A:Because you talk about how, you know, the car is very, very R and B.
Speaker A:It's very gospel.
Speaker A:But I also know you've done other genres too.
Speaker A:You've played with other genres too, and your work is very evident that it's not just like a lot of influences in there.
Speaker A:There's R and B, there's soul as funk, you know, there's gospel, there's some electronic, there's new soul.
Speaker A:All of this is very much infused in the work that you do and that you put out.
Speaker A:I'm just curious about what is your creative process like, from idea to execution?
Speaker A:How does that work for you?
Speaker A:How are you?
Speaker A:Where.
Speaker A:Where are you getting your inspirations from?
Speaker A:All the tea.
Speaker B:So first of all, at this point in my life, I work a lot in collaboration with Dana Johnson, who is Avery's the husband and co producer and co writer to every Sunshine.
Speaker B:And so he co produces a lot of pretty much most of my stuff, my solo stuff, as well as the group that I was in.
Speaker B:Cousin.
Speaker B:And so it varies.
Speaker B:First of all, my writing, for the most part, is, like, straight.
Speaker B:Just diary.
Speaker B:Like, it's straight.
Speaker B:Not to sound like Jay Z, but, like, I don't write down anything.
Speaker B:I will hear the music and just begin to catch something, and I'll record it.
Speaker B:Whether I record it in a voice memo or whatever the case, or whether I just play in the mic and just automatically start recording, but it's honestly pretty much, like, straight from the heart to the microphone.
Speaker B:And granted, like, sometimes I write, like, you know, some.
Speaker B:If it's like a prompt, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, I can write a. I can write based off you saying, like, I need a song that's like X, Y and Z or whatever.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:But for the most part, solo Rob Milton stuff is, this is how I felt today, or, like, this is a thing that I wasn't able to communicate verbally.
Speaker B:And so I'm communicating in a song.
Speaker B:And that has gotten a bit tricky over the years, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:Because eventually people start asking, like, are you talking about me?
Speaker B:That gets awkward.
Speaker B:But, you know, it's real.
Speaker B:I write straight.
Speaker B:My.
Speaker B:I write my life.
Speaker B:I write my life.
Speaker A:That is.
Speaker A:That is really good to know.
Speaker A:And speaking of your writing, the new single is Chains.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:This is with Kristen Lowe.
Speaker A:Did I get that right?
Speaker B:Kristen Lowe, Sisters.
Speaker B:Yeah, she's super incredible.
Speaker B:She sung background for Ari Lennox, Anita Wilson, and, like, quite a few really incredible people.
Speaker B:But she, in her own right, is incredible.
Speaker B:And this actually.
Speaker B:So Dana Johnson has a thing he does on Instagram called, I think, Jam of the.
Speaker B:Something like Jam of the Day or.
Speaker B:Or Vibe of the Day or something, where he just, like, goes, cuts his camera, starts, like, producing.
Speaker B:Producing a track.
Speaker B:And so those are just tracks that he has, like, laying around on his computer.
Speaker B:And so I was scrolling through Instagram and I saw him.
Speaker B:I saw it was like an older one of these.
Speaker B:And so I text him, like, where's this?
Speaker B:He went in and sent me the track, and I wrote the first verse and the hook, and I hit Kristen, like, yo, I've been watching Ray Charles videos, and I'm, like, really, really obsessed with Ray Charles and his background singers, the Raylettes.
Speaker B:And I want you on this record, but I want it to feel like that.
Speaker B:Like, I wanted to feel like Ray Charles and his background singers, and then one steps up to the mic to do a solo.
Speaker B:And that's really exactly, absolutely, positively what it Sounds like.
Speaker B:Like, we really hit my inspiration 100% on the head.
Speaker B:And so it feels like Ray Charles.
Speaker B:It feels like Aretha.
Speaker B:It feels like all of those people who taught me what music really is.
Speaker B:And that is so, like, it feels really good to me to have something like this in my catalog.
Speaker A:That is pretty.
Speaker A:That is pretty cool.
Speaker A:And how would you describe the reception to the track?
Speaker A:How folks responding to chains?
Speaker A:Have you got any, like, cool feedback from folks who are, like, your peers or in the industry?
Speaker A:What has that been like for you?
Speaker B:So, you know, I released it on my birthday, and so I haven't really been able to, like, really get into what people are saying about the song because it was my birthday, so it was, you know, mass hysteria.
Speaker B:It's Rob Milton day.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:But honestly and truly, again, like, I hate to say it like this, but it is my truth that the song is the song, like, regardless of what.
Speaker B:Regardless of feedback.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, I absolutely want everyone to hear it and to love it and to love it as much as I do.
Speaker B:But it's kind of like your kid.
Speaker B:Like, you can't tell me about my kid.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:You can't.
Speaker B:I already know.
Speaker B:I already know how good my kid is.
Speaker B:Like, if you come tell me, like, oh, your kid was so good today.
Speaker B:Like, it's like a.
Speaker B:It's like, oh, thank you.
Speaker B:But, like, I know.
Speaker B:I know, because my kid is good.
Speaker B:And that's how I feel about my songs.
Speaker B:I hope everybody feels like that about their.
Speaker B:About what.
Speaker B:How they express themselves, but.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, that.
Speaker A:But I felt like you have to have got into a place of knowing to be able to have that confidence.
Speaker A:And, like, you know, it is my song.
Speaker A:You know, I really don't care what you think about it.
Speaker A:Like, it's a good song.
Speaker A:You know, it's artistic.
Speaker A:How did you get to that space?
Speaker A:I'm curious about that because I feel like there are folks who are going to be listening who are like, you know, I really want.
Speaker A:Certainly when you're, like, you know, emerging in this industry where, you know, you really want to be liked and desired, how do you navigate that?
Speaker B:Well, the truth is, the music industry is a place where you really have to walk in the room knowing what you bring into the room.
Speaker B:Because when you walk in the room and you're unaware of what you bring, it's so easy for you to get taken advantage of.
Speaker B:And so, truthfully, I was walking into rooms and realizing, like, no, no, no, no.
Speaker B:So I Know who I am.
Speaker B:I know what I'm bringing here.
Speaker B:I know what you'll get out of me being here.
Speaker B:Honestly, what brought me here is the journey.
Speaker B:Like, if that's the only.
Speaker B:That's the only way I can put it.
Speaker B:What brought me to this space of confidence in my music, in myself, and in my dreams.
Speaker B:It's just the journey.
Speaker B:It's the journey.
Speaker B:And I know that might not be, like, it's not.
Speaker B:I can't give you a tutorial of, like, how other people can do it, but I can tell you.
Speaker B:And this is going to sound so old, but, like, keep living.
Speaker B:I swear to God, you'll get it.
Speaker B:Like, you'll get it.
Speaker B:You'll get it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, they say.
Speaker A:They say experience is the best teacher.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:And I feel like that is what you're saying.
Speaker A:It's like, I've been in.
Speaker A:I've been in the space for a while.
Speaker A:I've had all these experiences.
Speaker A:I've seen people come and go.
Speaker A:I'm still here.
Speaker A:And so heck with time.
Speaker A:You also will learn and you see how to, you know, stand on business when it comes to, like, your work and your art.
Speaker A:Earlier on, you talked about how there's, like, a checklist of four of things you have to navigate, you know, being in this industry, talk about your sexuality and all these other things.
Speaker A:How does that come into play in your work?
Speaker A:Because I feel like a lot of times when we're creating work, the personal always influences the artistic process.
Speaker A:So how.
Speaker A:How.
Speaker A:How does that work for you and how you.
Speaker A:How do you navigate that when it comes to your art making?
Speaker B:You know, I grew up in the church, and so sexuality in general, sex in general, is just a conversation that's, like, taboo and that you don't have at all.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:And so growing out of that, I initially was at a space where I felt like I want my art and my sexuality to be completely separate.
Speaker B:I think this part of my life deserves to be private, and I don't want it to.
Speaker B:I felt like I don't want it to overshadow.
Speaker B:I don't want it.
Speaker B:I didn't want it.
Speaker B:I didn't want to be a gay artist.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:And if I.
Speaker B:Again, I think it was the confidence and the understanding and the finding strength in myself and strength in who I am and not being ashamed of it helped me just, like, naturally, the things just naturally merged.
Speaker B:Like, I can't think of a moment where I was intentional.
Speaker B:Like, I'mma be gay.
Speaker B:As hell with my music today.
Speaker B:But eventually it just, like, happened because it's just who I am.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:It's just who I am as a person.
Speaker B:And what I've 100% done my best at doing is with whatever I'm creating being 100% me.
Speaker B:And so after a while, it was just.
Speaker B:Just kind of like to try to continue to keep this over here is almost beginning to feel like hiding.
Speaker B:And I never really also was interested in hiding either.
Speaker B:I just also am a very private person.
Speaker B:And so it really was the.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker B:The battle of finding a balance, of maintaining my privacy, but also just being who I am.
Speaker B:And I think I've done a good job at it.
Speaker B:I mean, if I have it, I will get better, but I think I've done a good job at it.
Speaker B:Do still.
Speaker B:I enjoy the idea of.
Speaker B:Of my music being universal, like, anyone, anywhere, being able to pick up one of my songs and send the.
Speaker B:Sing the words and not feel isolated.
Speaker B:But I do have moments where I feel like this is for the little boy that needs that representation.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:So I do have moments where I just, like, completely give it.
Speaker B:Like, I do have some songs where it's like, no, this is specifically for a young, black, queer, possibly fat boy who needs to hear Rob Milton so that he knows, oh, shit, I can do that too.
Speaker B:Can you?
Speaker B:Do we blink me out if you need me to.
Speaker B:I cussed, but I just.
Speaker A:You get cursed.
Speaker B:You can curse.
Speaker B:Feel free.
Speaker A:Feel free.
Speaker B:Sometimes when I'm writing, I realize, like, no, this is important for him to know.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:And so I really am still working on keeping a balance of.
Speaker B:I want everyone to be able to feel it, but I also want some stuff is really, really for him.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:And so, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And by writing and creating music that can connect to that boy, you're also helping a bunch of other kids who are navigating that.
Speaker A:Also curious, what song, like, what do you think is for young Rob, who's figuring out life and sexuality and existing in a fat body?
Speaker A:What song would you think, you know, folks who are having that experience as young Rob can go listen to in this moment.
Speaker B:I have a song on my album called All Boys Cry, which is called Waiting.
Speaker B:First of all, I was intentional about the name of All Boys Cry because for a few reasons with that album, because, for one, I'm a cancer.
Speaker B:And the first song I wrote for that album was called Cry.
Speaker B:And this, like, the story that people tell is that, like, Cancers cry all the time, and they're so.
Speaker B:They're, like, overly emotional or whatever the case may be.
Speaker B:And so part of it for me was, like, not just Cancers, but, like, we all cry.
Speaker B:Like.
Speaker B:Cause we're kind of all human, and everybody cries.
Speaker B:So that's, like, kind of the silliest thing.
Speaker B:But then it was.
Speaker B:I was also intentional about the boy of it all, because I had an experience as a kid where I was at my grandmother's funeral.
Speaker B:I come from a family of mostly women.
Speaker B:Like, I.
Speaker B:Like my grandfather and then me.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Um, and.
Speaker B:But anyway, my grandmother had passed away, and I was at the casket, and this is so dramatic to.
Speaker B:This is so dramatic, but my grandmother passed away, and I was at the casket, and someone that I love dearly told me to stop crying because I'm the only boy in the family.
Speaker B:And they meant well.
Speaker B:But again, it was just kind of a recurring thing for me to acknowledge the fact that boys, men, whatever, where, like, we're.
Speaker B:Everyone is human and everyone has emotions.
Speaker B:Everyone cries.
Speaker B:And I think people are scared.
Speaker B:Like, people were scared to.
Speaker B:Even when I.
Speaker B:When I was naming the album All Boys Cry, I remember one person I was working with, I told them that it was.
Speaker B:That was the name of the album, and they were like, that's actually really cool.
Speaker B:But I don't want to be on that one.
Speaker B:I want to be on it.
Speaker B:And so, like, people got.
Speaker B:I feel like people were a little bit scared, and I don't think I had ever been brave in that way with my art.
Speaker B:As little as.
Speaker B:To me, small as that is, it was almost a way of being rebellious.
Speaker B:But anyway, waiting is really, again, kind of a moment where I was saying, you already know who you are and what you bring to the table, so what are you waiting for?
Speaker B:For, like, why are you waiting for everyone else to acknowledge it or validate it or whatever?
Speaker B:Why would you be waiting for that?
Speaker B:Like, you were.
Speaker B:You and I, me and you looking in the mirror here.
Speaker B:We're eye to eye, and we're 100% aware of what it is.
Speaker B:So stop waiting and just go be and go do.
Speaker B:And I would absolutely say that's for him for sure.
Speaker A:Speaking of always cry, I realized that you had the iconic B. Slade on the project be slayed for folks who know all the way back has been making music for the longest time.
Speaker A:I was great at it.
Speaker A:So how did that come about?
Speaker A:How did that connection happen?
Speaker A:Talk about that for a bit.
Speaker B:So I grew up a huge, huge fan of B Slade, formerly Tone, when as a kid, it was Tone.
Speaker B:But him as well as Georgia and Mel Joe were two artists that I really.
Speaker B:When I started making music, I mean, I had already been a fan of his, but when I started making music, I began.
Speaker B:They gave me the freedom to just release as often as I did.
Speaker B:Let me say that because there were two artists that I loved, and they were, like, constantly releasing full bodies to work at this era of my life.
Speaker B:And it was like back to back, like banger albums, like, top to bottom.
Speaker B:I'm like, my God, this is what I want to do also.
Speaker B:I want to know these people.
Speaker B:I want to work with these people.
Speaker B:But, like, you know, growing up in the church, we all knew that God is not forgotten and all of that.
Speaker B:But that truthfully, the era from the era in which he transitioned brands, I should say I began to have a level of respect for him in a way, because having seen all that he went through and still releasing music at this level and at this quality made me believe, like, you can do it, like you can.
Speaker B:Because the other part of being an artist that is often not talked about, especially in this era, is that life be life, and to us, the way that it happens to y', all.
Speaker B:But it's even worse because we are investing all of our time and money and energy into.
Speaker B:Into being a creative right.
Speaker B:And that costs so much more than people really understand.
Speaker B:But I say all that to say I just have always been a fan of not only his voice, but his songwriting, his production, just the way he pieces things together.
Speaker B:In some ways, I believe that we are kindred spirits.
Speaker B:And through time, on the Internet, of me supporting and just listening.
Speaker B:I mean, you know me, like, you know, I'm really big on, like, posting the music that I'm listening to and letting the artist know that somebody's listening.
Speaker B:And so he kind of has just always respected that about me.
Speaker B:And we've always, through the Internet, talked here and there.
Speaker B:And during the pandemic, I just got bold, and I was like, I really want to do a song with you.
Speaker B:And he was like, let's do it.
Speaker B:And I was really shocked.
Speaker B:And so we did it, and I sent him.
Speaker B:There was a song initially that I asked him to get on, but it didn't work out.
Speaker B:And then I sent him in with again with my verse and with the hook.
Speaker B:He loved it so much.
Speaker B:Which the part about that, that is crazy is the sound is very, like, 80s inspired sound.
Speaker B:But he has an album called DeLorean, which is 80s inspired.
Speaker B:And while I'm absolutely inspired by the original sounds that happened in the 80s.
Speaker B:That song specifically, honestly, was inspired by that album.
Speaker B:And so I think that that is what even more so helped was that whether he knew it or not, I was writing as if I was.
Speaker B:As if it was a part of his old outing.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:And so he got it and was like, it's like, you understand me?
Speaker B:Like, it was just.
Speaker B:It was just very much like sensei meets student and like, wow.
Speaker B:But also, as a young church kid, to know that I was having this moment with him and that we saw each other, as Dee would say, really is something that even to this day, I don't think that I have gotten over because the song is so beautiful and the way our voices blend together is so beautiful.
Speaker B:And it's just.
Speaker B:It's honestly one of my favorite songs in my catalog, for sure.
Speaker B:And I often think if I was to meet.
Speaker B:If I was to meet Beyonce and I had one song to play for her of mine, it would be that one.
Speaker B:It would.
Speaker A:That is.
Speaker A:That is pretty.
Speaker A:That is pretty cool.
Speaker A:You've had.
Speaker A:You have.
Speaker A:My curiosity peaked again.
Speaker A:So I'm going to ask.
Speaker A:I'm going to ask, what are some of your favorite songs?
Speaker A:We've talked about waiting.
Speaker A:We've talked about the song with Be Slayed, but what are some songs of you that you really, really like?
Speaker A:That you're like, damn, I really put my foot in this.
Speaker A:This is such a dope song.
Speaker A:If you're like five, to name off the top of your head of songs that you say these are, like, the iconic Rob Milton classics that everybody needs to listen to.
Speaker B:I'm not going to say these are the iconic Rob Milton classics because I feel like that's a different five of my favorite kids.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:It's gonna be NB Slaved Without a Question.
Speaker B:It's going to be my song.
Speaker B:Comfortable.
Speaker B:The solo version.
Speaker B:While I love, love, love the cousin version, the solo version is, to me, one of my best vocal performances recorded to date, in my personal opinion.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:And comfortable.
Speaker B:And then I'm gonna say Roller Coaster.
Speaker B:I think that Roller Coaster is.
Speaker B:Is absolutely slept on.
Speaker B:And I think that it is a, like, timeless song, if I can say so myself.
Speaker B:So that is.
Speaker B:And comfortable.
Speaker B:Rollercoaster.
Speaker B:And then I'm going to go.
Speaker B:The very first song that I recorded with my friend Jackie Hammond, I'm gonna say Lazy to this day, that is one of the best things that I've ever been a part of.
Speaker B:And her and I have recorded very Many songs together, but that one is just something that is undeniable.
Speaker B:Undeniable.
Speaker B:And then I'm actually gonna Sons of the James album, which is an album between myself and a producer, D.J.
Speaker B:harrison.
Speaker B:It was released on Fresh Select's label and the song with Georgia Imadaro was on Insecure all of the things.
Speaker B:But the song that I'm gonna go with is called can't believe you love me.
Speaker B:That is one of the most beautiful things I've ever done in my life.
Speaker B:But it's very interesting because at that point in my life so you know I talked about how a lot of my writing is very personal from the heart.
Speaker B:Very much what I'm dealing with at the time.
Speaker B:Well, at that point in my life I was not dating anyone, was not involved in that way at all.
Speaker B:I was just really like working.
Speaker B:So I really don't know who I was talking about.
Speaker B:Like I have no idea what I was writing about.
Speaker B:But it is absolutely one of the most beautiful songs I've ever written.
Speaker B:And if I could give a bonus I would do Asterisk I wonder by Avery Sunshine which is a song that I can co wrote during the pandemic that fast forward is a part of her now Grammy award winning album.
Speaker B:So glad to know you.
Speaker A:So yeah, a round of applause for that.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:That's a nice.
Speaker A:That's a nice girl but a nice way to end it.
Speaker A:Yeah, shout out to that.
Speaker A:You know, I'm super excited for folks to be able to get into your music.
Speaker A:I think your music is really good.
Speaker A:I think you're really talented.
Speaker A:I have my own personal favorite.
Speaker A:I like Over a lot.
Speaker B:Oh wow.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, I like Over a lot.
Speaker B:Fun fact.
Speaker B:Over was written had gotten approached about being signed for a publishing deal for I redacted person's publishing company and they sent me to some sessions to write with people who were already working with that company and that was a song that I created in that space and I a lot of times with those spaces, nothing happens with those songs and then they just exist like in someone's hard drive.
Speaker B: remember that song we did in: Speaker B:Go on and send me that.
Speaker B:Because I felt like it needed like it really was so beautiful and so well written and I felt like it deserved and I'm glad that I was able to give it life and I outside of someone's computer.
Speaker A:It is a really beautiful song.
Speaker A:I like it.
Speaker A:I know it's short and everything, but it's the way you're singing on the song.
Speaker A:It's the goodbye of it all.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think.
Speaker A:I really like that.
Speaker A:I really like that one.
Speaker A:I like wish you well.
Speaker A:I like to fun.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it's a really.
Speaker A:It has a nice groove to it.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Like you said, you celebrated your birthday.
Speaker A:You were in this new iteration of your journey.
Speaker A:What is this new chapter looking like for you musically?
Speaker A:I know you've put out chains, but what should we expect from this new chapter from Rob Milton?
Speaker B:So you know what's funny?
Speaker B:I put out chains, and before chains, I put out honey.
Speaker B:And it was actually.
Speaker B:I was actually working on an ep, so there are a couple more songs from that space that I'm still figuring out.
Speaker B:Like, am I gonna make it an EP or just drop those separately and go ahead?
Speaker B:Because I am really interested in doing an album again.
Speaker B:I mean, it's been a while.
Speaker B:I put out All Boys Cry the same.
Speaker B:It was it the same year or like a year or so in between with the Sons of the James album.
Speaker B:And since then, I have been given a full.
Speaker B:Like, haven't really given the full shebang.
Speaker B:So I would love to do that.
Speaker B:But right now it's just, you know, going with the flow of life and you know what I mean, trying to.
Speaker B:To really step out more with the content of it all, you know, we gotta do so social media.
Speaker B:My girl Twinkie said computers rule the world, but God is still in control.
Speaker B:And I'm just trying to hold on, but I'm really just trying to get out there more, have my face out there more, my energy out there more, so that these songs can be heard by more people.
Speaker B:Should be and should have 20 million streams, if you ask me.
Speaker B:And so whatever I have to do to get my song to get them that.
Speaker B:To get that, I'm gonna do that also.
Speaker B:You know, this year is the year that we got the Grammy for Avery's project.
Speaker B:And so I've also been turn a lot of my energy more there.
Speaker B:And so I worked.
Speaker B:It should be announced by the time this comes out, but I was a part of the Grammy next program and I was able to kind of like hang out with a couple of.
Speaker B:With other songwriters and other creatives and talk about our journeys and listen to them talk about their journeys and offer us advice and all types of cool things.
Speaker B:So that is.
Speaker B:That's been really cool.
Speaker B:At the end of the day with this, with Avery's project, I receive a certificate that will say winner, but my goal is to have a trophy.
Speaker B:So I'VE really been turning my attention to continuing to understand that system and how that works and how I could conquer that.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But as far as sound wise, I don't know.
Speaker B:I'm still figuring it out.
Speaker B:Like, stuff is just.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Honey sounds nothing like chains.
Speaker B:I have another song in the chamber called Cake.
Speaker B:Cake sounds nothing like chains, and it sounds nothing like honey.
Speaker B:And so who knows?
Speaker B:But just know it's gonna be black as hell always.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:I'm here for.
Speaker A:I'm here for it to be black as hell.
Speaker A:I was gonna.
Speaker A:I was gonna ask, what is Cake about?
Speaker A:Because I was like, cake.
Speaker A:Is it like a.
Speaker A:Is it like.
Speaker A:Is it about, like, actual cake?
Speaker B:It's just.
Speaker B:It's one of those moments where it's definitely for.
Speaker B:It's definitely for my.
Speaker B:For.
Speaker B:For us.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's a little hot and heavy a little bit.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:I have my homegirl, Aria Lanell, I believe is how you pronounce her name.
Speaker B:She's on it.
Speaker B:She actually just dropped this fire record called Meow.
Speaker B:Yeah, but she's on Cake.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And, yeah, you'll see.
Speaker B:You'll see.
Speaker B:It's definitely.
Speaker B:It might be a little surprising.
Speaker B:It might be a little like you.
Speaker B:It might.
Speaker B:You might choke on your water a little bit, but you're also gonna love it.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:I am.
Speaker A:I am excited about it.
Speaker A:I'm excited about it.
Speaker A:Okay, cool.
Speaker A:Thank you for sharing.
Speaker A:Before we.
Speaker A:We start to wind down, I do this trivia section where I just, you know, it's like rapid fire questions that people can get to know about you.
Speaker A:Like, some, like, really, really fun things to know.
Speaker A:So I think the first one is, what are the current top three songs on your playlist as of now?
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:My top three songs right now.
Speaker B:Meow by Aria Linnell.
Speaker B:I hope I'm pronouncing her name right, because, you know, we talk to people on the Internet, but we don't say it out loud.
Speaker B:So then when you say it out loud, you're like, is that.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:Okay, yeah, but it's this record called Meow.
Speaker B:And then I'm actually loving the SZA and Lizzo record IRL.
Speaker B:So that.
Speaker B:And also Lakeley 47.
Speaker B:Honestly, her whole project.
Speaker B:But I love Starstruck and Sandhills.
Speaker B:Sandhills is like.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, I'm the type of person that, like, when I like a song, I literally can listen to it on repeat for hours at a time.
Speaker B:And all of these songs, I have been doing that for the past couple of weeks.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But also number four, Chains by Rob Milton featuring Kristen Lowe.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Get into Chains.
Speaker A:Get Into Chains by Rob Milton.
Speaker A:Okay, cool.
Speaker A:So we have those ones.
Speaker A:What are three albums to get to know you.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Knowing by B. Slade.
Speaker B:The Breakthrough by Mary J. Blige.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And Full Moon by Brandy.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Everybody loves Full Moon and I love Full Moon.
Speaker A:I think Full Moon is a great album.
Speaker A:I love Full Moon, but I'm like, y' all don't never say Never any love.
Speaker A:I like, I love.
Speaker A:I think it's a great album.
Speaker A:Full Moon is definitely in her top three.
Speaker A:Like, Never Said ever is right there, y'.
Speaker B:All.
Speaker A:I need y' all to get into everything.
Speaker B:And hell.
Speaker B:211, B7.
Speaker B:But full moon for me, like, literally when I travel, I listen to Full Moon because it's a comfort album for me.
Speaker B:Like, when I'm walking through the airport, I'm listening to Full Moon.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, it's.
Speaker B:It's Full Moon for me is like Living Single.
Speaker B:Like, Living Single is my favorite show of all time.
Speaker B:I watch it every single day.
Speaker B:That's what, like, Full Moon is like.
Speaker B:It's like my blanket.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, that's real.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, I'll take that.
Speaker A:I'll take that.
Speaker A:You know, I'll take that.
Speaker A:Totally.
Speaker A:Who are the top three artists you want to collaborate with?
Speaker A:Aspirational that you be like, before I leave this earth, I want to work with these three artists today.
Speaker B:So first of all, I would have said B. Slade and thank God.
Speaker B:I would have said Georgia Ammo Joe.
Speaker B:And thank God.
Speaker B:I will say Beyonce.
Speaker B:I will say Brandy.
Speaker B:And he's not an artist, but I want to work with Questlove in some capacity.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:I can see that.
Speaker A:I can see that.
Speaker A:I think that.
Speaker A:I think that y' all will make really great music together.
Speaker B:Actually, I would love to have him involved in the Rob Milton universe.
Speaker B:That would be.
Speaker B:That would be really cool.
Speaker B:Okay, cool.
Speaker A:I'm excited about that.
Speaker A:Are there any non music hobbies that you think that you have currently that is taking your time apart from, you know, being a full on musical creative?
Speaker B:You know, that's funny because coming to LA kind of makes you really get into like all of all of the pieces of who you are.
Speaker B:And so, you know, I've always had an interest in acting, in comedy and all the things.
Speaker B:You know, in college, I played the lead character in Fences.
Speaker B:People may not have known that, but like, like, so it's crazy because for the last month, I've been going to improv class, and it has been the most amazing thing.
Speaker B:I go with this troupe called Bernie Mac and Cheese, and it's been so much fun.
Speaker B:It's really been a.
Speaker B:It's been, like.
Speaker B:I hate to make everything, like, dramatic, but it's really been not dramatic, but.
Speaker B:What's the word I'm trying to say?
Speaker B:Deep.
Speaker B:I hate to make, like, everything, like, super deep, but it's been.
Speaker B:It's been transformational for me because while I'm very unserious, like, you know, I'm silly, and I play, like, you know, everybody that follows me on Twitter and all those places, they know, but I'm also very serious.
Speaker B:And, like, I'm not normally the person that's gonna be the first person to, like, jump in the middle of the floor, like, do an eight count.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, I'm kind of in real life.
Speaker B:I'm a bit reserved, and I often, like, play my part of the room, and you know what I mean?
Speaker B:But with this class, it's been pushing me to be more willing to step out and to be more willing to say something without having thought about it for an hour, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:It's been pushing me to believe in my first thought and really be willing to just, like, step out and not let anxiety or whatever it is hold me back from just the smallest things.
Speaker B:And so it's really been.
Speaker B:It's been fun.
Speaker B:You know, I'm silly.
Speaker B:Everybody knows I'm silly.
Speaker B:So, like, that it's been fun also being able to, you know, often, like, have tweets that go viral and, like, People magazine and, like, all this stuff, like, writing about my funny tweets.
Speaker B:But it's different to stand in a room full of people and to say something funny that you just, like, made up off the top of your head in that moment and to receive the energy in that way, honestly, 10 out of 10, far better than the Internet interaction.
Speaker B:Honestly.
Speaker B:It really is.
Speaker B:It really is.
Speaker B:And so that's been fun.
Speaker B:And so that's the thing I would say I've been.
Speaker B:I've been doing improv.
Speaker A:That is pretty cool.
Speaker A:So we're gonna see you guest starring on a show or even maybe being a main star.
Speaker A:You're gonna be in your acting bar really soon.
Speaker B:So with Avery.
Speaker B:With Avery Sunshine's album.
Speaker B:So glad to know you.
Speaker B:Last year, we turned every song into an episode of a show, and so we had a pretty much, like, a Limited series called so Glad to know you named after the album.
Speaker B:And initially I came in as sort of like a creative director, creative manager, but she ended up asking me to be in the show.
Speaker B:And so that was kind of the reigniting of that flame that I had, because, you know, when it comes to music, it's like, it's something that you have to very much tunnel vision on.
Speaker B:And, like, I feel like I needed to solidify myself in this space before branching out to other things, but now I'm getting back there, and that was kind of like the kickoff of it, because with that, I got to really, like, play with Avery on camera.
Speaker B:And she is honestly, her and her husband as well as her children, like, they're like family to me.
Speaker B:So being able to do it there was really cool because we know each other really well, and, like, we already have, like, you know, inside jokes and stuff like that.
Speaker B:So, like, to be able to turn that on camera, that chemistry is something that I don't know if you can create on the set.
Speaker B:And so that kind of being my first thing back into that space made it easy.
Speaker B:And now just, you know, I'm open to whatever.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'm down for whatever.
Speaker B:Well, it's Hollywood, so maybe not whatever, but I'm down.
Speaker A:From your lips to God's ear.
Speaker A:To relieve the God's ears, definitely.
Speaker A:Final question in this section is, what is your guilty pleasure?
Speaker B:My guilty pleasure?
Speaker B:I mean, I live in la, so, like, I smoke a lot of weed.
Speaker B:Does that help?
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:I mean, you know, I would say also, like, my guilty pleasure is, like, watching stuff that I know is terrible, but everybody's talking about it.
Speaker B:And so I want to watch it.
Speaker A:Like, hit watching a show that, you know, is bad.
Speaker A:But, yeah, like, I'm just gonna watch this.
Speaker B:This, and I give my commentary as I do director.
Speaker B:We won't say his name, but you know what I mean?
Speaker B:But, you know, you know, I hear.
Speaker A:You loud and clear.
Speaker A:There's a. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I would say that as well, too.
Speaker B:My friends hate it.
Speaker B:They're like, rob, you literally don't have to have FOMO over stuff that, you know, is not bad.
Speaker B:But I, as a.
Speaker B:As a media, like, person, I know what it is like.
Speaker B:But also that's, to me, is how you stay relevant.
Speaker B:Like, that's how I'm able to even continue to making jokes on Twitter that go viral because I. I'm.
Speaker B:I'm keeping up to date now.
Speaker B:Some stuff at this point in the world has gone too far where it's Like, I can't anymore.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:But some stuff.
Speaker B:I can still dabble a little bit and get a laugh here or there.
Speaker A:We deserve a laugh.
Speaker A:We deserve a laugh.
Speaker A:I love.
Speaker A:I love where you guys are on Twitter.
Speaker A:We've seen your.
Speaker A:I can see your sweet sound like Rob.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:But it's.
Speaker A:It's good.
Speaker B:It's great.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:I'm here for it all the way.
Speaker B:My favorite notification is when I get a notification from Twitter, when it's someone telling me to put my phone down.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I want you to know that every time they're gonna.
Speaker A:They're gonna pull up on you real soon, bro.
Speaker A:They're gonna pull up.
Speaker B:Every time y' all tell me to put my phone down, I'll be in here.
Speaker B:So weak.
Speaker B:Like, it is my favorite.
Speaker B:But, like, truthfully.
Speaker B:Truthfully, even all of that for me is intentional because I genuinely believe that a part of my purpose here is to bring joy.
Speaker B:Like, I really think that we get caught up in all of the things happening in life, and we don't remember to not only seek joy, but to, like, hold onto it.
Speaker B:And so it's just really important to me to be that.
Speaker B:It's really important to me to be that.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:Thank you for sharing that.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think this last question, sometimes people are always like, oh, why are you asking this?
Speaker A:But I feel like, you know, regardless of where you are in your journey, I feel like.
Speaker A:Or who you are, I feel like we all have the power to make an impact in people's lives.
Speaker A:And I'm curious to know, what do you want your legacy to be as someone who is trying to make a name for themselves as an artist in this time where it's harder to even be an artist.
Speaker A:Now, what would you want your legacy to be?
Speaker A:If you don't mind sharing?
Speaker B:I want a few things to be remembered.
Speaker B:He was black.
Speaker B:He had joy.
Speaker B:He was talented.
Speaker B:He spread joy.
Speaker B:And I can do it.
Speaker B:I can believe that I can do it because he believed that he could do it, and he did it.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's real.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's real.
Speaker A:And I feel like you are already an inspiration.
Speaker A:People already know they can't do it because of you.
Speaker A:We see how hard you grind.
Speaker A:We see how hard you work.
Speaker A:Folks are fully on social media.
Speaker A:Like, I do know that you are very hard working, and I can.
Speaker A:And it's not easy to put out music every year.
Speaker A:It's an investment.
Speaker A:You know, it's like, you're and you're.
Speaker A:You're doing it yourselves.
Speaker A:You're pushing and you're pulling through, but you're doing it, and you make it.
Speaker A:You make it look effortless.
Speaker A:And I know it takes a lot of work to do it, but you do it so effortlessly, and the music is actually also quality.
Speaker A:It's not like you're making, you know, crappy stuff.
Speaker A:So just want to let you know that you're doing amazing.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:We are inspired.
Speaker A:You're sharing joy, and, yeah, we love you and we support you, and we're rooting for you all the way.
Speaker B:And like I was saying, also, so are you.
Speaker B:Like, I want you to know that you creating this space, not only for you to tell your story, but for other people to tell their story is important.
Speaker B:And your theater content, it's so cool.
Speaker B:And, like, I hope that you keep doing it and really continue to help change the face of what people believe.
Speaker B:A theater fan looks like we be in there, too.
Speaker A:Yeah, we are there.
Speaker A:We are there.
Speaker A:And I remember, oh, my God, this is another segue.
Speaker A:Hold on.
Speaker A:Because, you know, we love a segue.
Speaker A:But I saw the Bob the Drag Queen.
Speaker A:I was like, another reason why.
Speaker A:I was like, we need to be flawed, but to be fair.
Speaker A:To be fair.
Speaker A:I started to realize that, like, we don't talk about those black plays as theater.
Speaker A:When we talk about theater, we talk about it has to be done in a certain way.
Speaker A:It's an aesthetic.
Speaker A:But I.
Speaker A:On Broadway or off Broadway with, you know, some kind of playwriting, like, growing up, I used to watch those black plays on.
Speaker A:On DVD to Tyler Perry plays.
Speaker A:Watched a bunch of them.
Speaker A:Them with the music and all of that, like, and they used to grip.
Speaker A:They used to have me, you know, stuck on the screen.
Speaker A:So I'm like, that is also theater.
Speaker B:In some ways.
Speaker B:That's the first way that there are many black people are introduced to theater.
Speaker B:And so, like, if I started there and then I later get to go see Gypsy or whatever, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, it still was an introduction, and I hate to always turn to this, but, like, if you really look at the heart of it, the thing that makes us separate them is racism.
Speaker B:Hello.
Speaker B:So at the end of the day, it is what it is.
Speaker B:Do I think that there are differences in the storytelling and maybe even differences in the quality?
Speaker B:Yeah, because there are differences in the resources, but it's absolutely musical theater, for sure.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Cause they're.
Speaker A:And they're sinking down.
Speaker A:You're singing down.
Speaker B:You're singing in those Plays could sing circles around the girls.
Speaker B:So, like, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:So, yeah, maybe they haven't had the training, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:They might not hold their toes a certain way, but baby, when they pick that mic up, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:And they have people leaving those theaters, those often, what was called chitlin circuit theaters, people leave those theaters changed, you understand?
Speaker B:Like, they leave those theaters, their life is changed.
Speaker B:And so, again, one thing about me, if it's black, I'm screaming for it.
Speaker B:Oh.
Speaker B:And if it's black and queer, I'm shouting for it.
Speaker B:Like, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:Because often, like, it also just.
Speaker B:It's always the underdog.
Speaker B:Like, I'm always rooting for the one who is not supposed to.
Speaker B:Because what does that even mean?
Speaker B:Like, we're here.
Speaker B:We're all supposed to.
Speaker A:So, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm here for it.
Speaker A:I. I want to see.
Speaker A:Because I. I never.
Speaker A:I never.
Speaker A:I'm not going to experience those plays in person because I only watched them.
Speaker A:I only saw the.
Speaker A:At church, you know, they will sell the.
Speaker A:The bootleg copies.
Speaker A:My church back in Nigeria.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:That's all I was able to watch.
Speaker A:So those are the plays that I saw.
Speaker A:And actually, I really enjoy them.
Speaker A:I really liked them.
Speaker A:And so you talking about it now brought it up to my head that I'm not, you know, what I don't see, and I don't live in the South.
Speaker A:Maybe that's why I never get to know when those plays are airing.
Speaker A:But it's like now, when you talk about theater, there is a certain.
Speaker A:Oh, it has to be.
Speaker A:Look a certain way or sound a certain way or, you know, but like, and we have those.
Speaker A:That is also theater, and that is even a way more accessible theater.
Speaker A:And the theater that y' all are putting out, you know, in New York and in all these places, which I do love also, but I feel like there's room for everything.
Speaker A:And you brought that up in that interview.
Speaker A:So shout out to you for that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Even when I'm being silly, there's a method to my madness.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:There is a madness.
Speaker A:But, yeah.
Speaker A:Thank you, Rob.
Speaker A:Very, very appreciate you for being here, for spending time with us and talking with us and for the folks at home.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for watching on YouTube or listening, whether it's on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you stream your podcast.
Speaker A:Very appreciated.
Speaker A:Don't forget to check out Rob Bulton's new song.
Speaker A:It's called Chains and it's everywhere.
Speaker A:You can stream your music.
Speaker A:Thank you again.
