A.Rob: I grew up in a really diverse city (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA) and Hip-Hop was really popular in my area. It was a staple in my town and my friends group. So I guess it found me, and thank God it did.
re-volt: Tell us about your name A.Rob?
A.Rob: I made up my rap name, A.Rob at thirteen years old, and it stands for “Always Remember Our Blessings”. I think no matter what troubles someone may face, we’re all blessed and need to count our blessings more often.
re-volt: What are some of the challenges that you face being that you rep Palestine but rap mainly in English?
A.Rob: It’s tough for Palestinians or any middle eastern people who don’t speak English. I run into a language barrier sometimes. On the other hand, one of my main goals is to make Americans understand the Palestinian story, so I’m glad I can represent my homeland and heritage in front of English speakers.
re-volt: Tell us about your latest album "42"? what inspired that?
A.Rob: Last year I did a project called “21” with 21 musicians mainly from USA. This year I challenged myself to double that number and expand internationally. It really started with the Big Hass “Lofi beats by Arab producers” video. It inspired me to connect with all these Arab producers and showcase middle eastern Hip Hop, along with musicians from all over the planet on one cohesive album.
re-volt: 2020 been busy for you, mashalla you released few singles and two albums with "42" and "Abstract Blessings" which btw i gotta tell you "Born For This" is an incredible track.. do you realize you dropping lots of music or do you think people actually will take time to dissect these songs on the album?
A.Rob: Thank you! I love that song. I definitely realize that I drop a lot of content but I don’t think it’s a bad thing for a independent artist. I record, mix and master all my own music which makes it easier to get material out fast. I think and hope that if I present it the right way and give it time, people will eventually dissect all of the songs.
re-volt: Do you follow the Arab Rap Movement? If so, who do you like listening to? and will we see you feature Arabic rap in your next releases?
A.Rob: I’m surprisingly pretty new to the Arab rap movement overall. Recently, thanks to you Hass, I’ve connected with some amazing Arab producers like Saüd, Sandhill, Big Moe, Wa3ak, B-Element and more. As far as Arab rappers I definitely look forward to finding artists I never heard about, I’d love some suggestions! Incorporating Arabic rap into my music would be amazing, it’s something I definitely want to do.
re-volt: Who are some of the MC's that inspire/Inspired you to pursue rap?
A.Rob: Lupe Fiasco was my idol growing up. His lyricism, intelligence, and the fact he spoke about Islam and Palestine really resonated with me. Eminem really helped me figure out rhyme schemes and technical skills, he’s one of my favorites. More recently, Chance the Rapper and Kendrick Lamar have been my biggest inspirations.
re-volt: What does the family think about you doing hip-hop? and are you able to live off doing only music or you have other sources of income?
A.Rob: Over the years my family has become more accepting of music as my career choice. As most families, they just want me to find success and be financially comfortable. It took a while but I’m finally able to live off of only music by recording and engineering songs for other musicians.
re-volt: You've been at it really, i mean if we go to your soundcloud, we see that you dropped an EP 8 years ago "WORD" - throughout all these years, what kept you motivated to continue?
A.Rob: Man, you really did some digging, thank you for that! One of the biggest motivations to keep making music comes from the people I lost along the way. In 2013, my best friend and fellow MC, Skyler Stewart lost his life. The very next year another great friend and producer, Zach Moore passed away. I promised their families I would keep them living through the music and made it my life’s mission to follow up on my word.
re-volt: You mad lyrical. What pushed you in that direction given that most of the hip-hop we hear now is about fun/party music, where do you stand in the debate of "Real vs Not Real Hip-Hop", whats real to A.Rob?
A.Rob: Lyrical rap just resonates with me more. I feel like it has longevity and is true to the art, unlike a lot of non-lyrical rap that is short lived and disappears in a year or less. For me, “real” Hip-Hop is powerful, emotional, vulnerable, intricate and definitely lyrical. At the same time I like to have fun and keep a balance of all types of songs, not everything needs to be a heartfelt message.
re-volt: Going back to 42 , what are some of the tracks people been vibin? And how challenging it was to get 42 musicians in one album?
A.Rob: People really been vibing with “42” so far. A lot of people like “Snapchat” which is a fun party song (I do those sometimes). “How Many” with Sandhill, Mike Nappi and Shefali has really been resonating with people. So has “Long Way To Go” with Saüd and Waheeb Nasan. There’s something on there for everyone so I’ve been getting a lot of different favorites from different people. Thanks to social media it was easier than you may think to get 42 musicians on one album but it definitely took time, persistence, organization and of course a little money.
re-volt: what’s coming up in the next few months?
A.Rob: More music videos! I’ll be working on visual art for the “42” album in the next coming months, including a video for “Long Way to Go”. I can’t wait to share them with you and the rest of the world.
re-volt: what scares you?
A.Rob: What scares me is looking back on my life years from now and regretting what I did, or didn’t do. I believe in trying your hardest to do what makes you happy every day, because no one wants to look back with that “should have could have” mindset.
re-volt: what’s your dreams?
A.Rob: My dream is to have my music help people all around the world believe in themselves, get through tough times in life and connect with each other while helping spread the Palestinian story.
re-volt: Tell re-volt something not a lot of people know about you (could be any fact you wana share).
A.Rob: Not a lot of people know I have a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. Music has always been my career choice and path, but I think even as an artist education is really important. Never stop learning and growing!
Any Last Words to re-volt:
A.Rob: Thank you so much Hass! Taking the time to ask these questions, talk to me about music and support my art means so much to me. I'm forever grateful and inspired by what you do and will always appreciate the platform you've laid out for musicians like myself. Much love.
Listen to "42" right HERE
