Rob Milton is making music for the carefree Black kid in you.
Rob Milton is making music for the carefree Black kid in you. The one who could play games in the street without thinking about state-endorsed violence on their newsfeed.
The one who wasn’t weighed down by concerns over respectability politics.
Milton supports being unapologetically Black. He embraces his authentic self with intentional disregard for what society wants him to be and this attitude is reflected entirely in his music.
“A lot of times you’re told to straighten up, to act this way, or in order to get a job you have to do this, in order to not be presented as a something that is scary unconventional, you should switch things up a little bit just to make other people comfortable,” he said.
“I’ve learned as I got older that that’s just really really important to be exactly who you are without any apologies, without any question and without any fear.”
Ultimately, he makes his music for himself. “Because at the end of the day, when you look back on it regardless of who listens, who watched and who supported, inside you’re going to feel really good about it,” he said. “You’ll look back and be able to be proud of shaking the fear.”
He said he would describe his music as funk or soul, but that he has no desire to put it in a box. “I believe that, over my time creating music, I have become pretty versatile and a lot of times you’ll find me playing with different sounds,” he said. “As long as it feels good, I’m able to do my thing and use it to create something special.”
His recent album, Rebirth, experiments with acoustic and electronic sounds. There are hip hop heavy joints and soul music complemented by his smooth voice.
And his music is mad relatable, too. Milton said the track “Tragic” explores how there are people only on your team when times are good, but if you’re struggling with anything from depression to financial issues or just having a bad day, they’re gone.
“Most of the time, the people that claim they’re supporting you are nowhere to be found when you really need that support,” he said. “And that song was just me letting that out and just saying you don’t only need people in the ups, you need people in the downs too.”
Another local, Chance Fisher is on the track. Milton said he appreciates Fisher for adding the storytelling element. “He always has some type of backstory to his alliterations,” Milton said. “It turned out really well.”
Bad Habit, another single on the album is about the allure of toxic relationships. Afropunk called the single “infectious.”
Milton said the story of the song isn’t necessarily his own, but comes mostly from observing the people around him, especially his family members. “They know they’re in toxic relationships, but in the moment, they just love that person and they could care less about what anyone else thinks about it,” he said. “At the end of the day, what’s in their heart is all they care about.”
His inspiration comes from artists like D’angelo, Prince and George Clinton. He loves artists that brought funk to the mainstream.
“I admire people for being true to who they are as a musician and being fearless and sharing what they do regardless of how much they sell,” he said. “That’s really admirable. To me, that’s when you’ve made it, when you keep pushing to keep doing what you’re doing…because you can’t stop doing it.”
If you’re trying to cop the album, you can find it on iTunes, Bandcamp, and his website.
Rob Milton recently performed at Arlene’s Grocery in New York, and he’ll be releasing that set as a live album later in the year. Keep up on his Facebook for more updates.
