Robbie and I used to work together at an outdoor apparel store (guess which one). When we weren’t selling parkas, we’d talk music, style, sports, you name it. I knew he could sing, and I knew he could rap, but I was not remotely prepared for “Revolver,” his debut track as Rob Owens. I immediately threw the song on my FAVS 2021 playlist. I’ve listened to it over and over for about a month, and let me tell you, it’s a contender for Song of the Year.
You know I love talking music, and so I simply had to get Robbie on the line. He answered all my questions about “Revolver” – and then some. Stick around for his thoughts on Gwen Stefani, denim, and Jimi Hendrix. Alright, let’s go!
When you began writing “Revolver,” did you set out to make the song of the summer, or did that happen on accident?
When I first sat down to write this song, I was all kinds of upset, and I wanted to channel those emotions into something tangible that just about everyone has dealt with – or will eventually deal with (spoilers). As time went on, of course I no longer felt the same, and I wanted this song to hold a space that feels really good to know what it’s like to feel, well, bad! Owning all of your emotions makes it possible to be more of yourself than you ever were before. In short, it was an absolute accident because most of the writing and recording was done in the winter, but listening to it only sounded like summer so I just WAITED! It was the worst but it gave me time to tweak and tweak and tweak, haha.
The track has a bit of everything. Did you start with the raps, singing, music? Does one come more naturally than the other?
It’s a new thing every time, I’m always being told to write as much as possible which can be frustrating because it’s hard to hit a goal you can’t see! What speaks to me now is to hear something, and then write to whatever the beat brings out of me. For this one in particular, I started with the hook, and it came to me as soon as I heard the first iteration of the instrumental. It sounded painfully poppy, and it wasn’t my goal at all. It was just exciting to have something to actually work on for once! Eventually the raps came in after, even some rewrites, and then when I got the final version of the instrumental, I made sense of the million bridges I added towards the second half of the song. Madness, that’s my process.
Toward the end of “Revolver,” you name drop one of my favorite songs, Gwen Stefani’s “Cool.” I really admire Gwen’s perspective on that track. She’s clearly been through hell with this guy, but she takes the high road. It’s a surprisingly mature lyric.
What lyricists have inspired you as of late, especially during the making of your song? And what’s it like putting vulnerable lyrics out into the world?
First, I gotta say I really really love her and No Doubt as well. That song is so good because of exactly what you’re saying! It’s a song about heartbreak but with a healthy serving of “I’m healing too.” Throughout the song, I’m going through the stages of grief and that part of the song is the point of clarity, like yes, it isn’t going to work, but I know my worth and I know that sometimes you gotta love people from a distance.
When it comes to lyricists, I really love the playful marriage of wordplay and the “conversational.” Of course I have to say Kanye, I actually play on a few of his lines over the years in this song too. Another I was for sure channeling was Andre. He’s the best in my eyes. The way he can maneuver through a verse always gives you that feeling that he’s not captive to the beat, it’s actually captive to him! That’s the goal for this one and hopefully I can continue to do that moving forward.
Switching gears, tell me about the “Reaver” jeans you recently unveiled.
Aw man, those are the future, really. It all started in 2016 when I was gifted this beautiful pair of patched up pants. You’ve seen em. Basically I always ripped them doing dumb things so I kept asking friends to fix them and after a while they were unwearable (I’ll get em fixed again lol). One night i was looking at them to see if i can replicate the pair and then that took me to thrift stores since i knew they’d have something at least similar to that style. I did my best to replicate what I liked but it just didn’t seem right. Got frustrated, and then threw em in bleach bc why not haha. That was august of 2019! From there I started to make them for friends and it just kept picking up! The name didn’t come until about a month or two ago. Came from a PS1 game that I loved as a kid. What spoke to me was the story and just his look all around. So dope even now. Need the reboot!
While we’re on the subject of music and clothing: top 3 most stylish musicians (past or present)?
You just asked one of the toughest questions possible, and I’m here to say that there’s no right answer. BUT!!! For me, there are a special few people that I really resonate with for inspiration.
Firstly, I’ll go with Jimi. There’s nothing like that man, before or after him. The ‘60s and ‘70s were full of colors and form fitting clothing, natural hair, and a ton of individuality; especially from the man himself. Everyone I mention understands that style isn’t something that you just pick up one day, it’s more of who you are on a daily basis, and how you approach just about every aspect of life. After hearing Jimi’s music, you just know without even looking at a picture of him that he has to be somebody that really understands himself on a high level, which naturally translates to a good sense of personal style. Need some good boots now that you got me goin lol.
Quick example on style being not just clothes/music: As a kid and to this day, I am SURGICAL with how I make my PB&Js. Why? Because it feels right to hit every single piece of the bread leaving no room for anything but what’s intended. I used to get ragged on by my mom for taking so long making it, but every time I did, it felt right, and it was done how I saw fit. Aka, style my friend.
Moving on… Andre 3000.
Now I know I just said no one is like Jimi yeah yeah yeah, well if there’s one person that is just as much of an alien as Hendrix, it’s Andre. I feel like he picked up right where Jimi left off and really pushed the boundaries on what a black man (especially from the south) can and should look like. From wearing cropped tees, tall ass boots with the heel, and even turbans, Andre did only what felt like what was right to him, and because of that, it was to no surprise that he is an absolute menace when it comes to delivery and lyricism in his music.
Lastly, it’s a 2-way tie between Pharrell and Kanye. I’M SORRY! Both are so so important to me. They both have really paved the way for all of the left-of-center kids that didn’t really care to be put in a box of any kind. It’s not exciting and it takes away from your sense of true individuality. Challenging the status quo consistently, wearing the skinny jeans, the pink polo, going to PARIS, these guys were some of the first examples that I really paid attention to at a very young age. If you think about how influential these two are on not only style via archive pages, their runs with various brands, and of course their music, there really aren’t too many artists (especially those who come from rap backgrounds) who haven’t taken inspiration from these legendary individuals. I can write forever about my love for the two of them.
Great answers. I need to dig a little deeper into the Jimi Hendrix style archive... Before I let you go, what's on the horizon? You got any new music in the works?
The horizon? Well, I got plans for another release for the Reavers coming this summer, very crazy stuff. I might have told you about it in person but for now it’s a secret otherwise.
As for music, we’re gonna do a video for “Revolver” very soon, I got plans for an album later this year too. That’ll be the focus from now on.
It’s summer time in Chicago! Not a better place and time on the planet. I gotta hit the beach, keep myself in shape looking good, all that. Looking forward to seeing shows more than anything. Nothing like a good sweat.
Any last words?
Thank you for having me! It’s been great getting to know you and what you’re about.
Life is great right now, stream “Revolver,” show your friends, show grandparents, anyone with ears. But yeah this is fun. By this time next year I’m sure we’ll have so much more to talk about, too!
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