Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rob: Earth-One. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Rob: Earth-One, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue this path professionally, I was 18 or 19. I was recording full mixtapes in my bedroom and dropping mixtapes, mostly for my classmates in high school. I saw how some of them liked it and thought about taking it further with music videos, shows, etc. I was pretty much still a dumb kid at the time and didn’t understand the industry as well as I do now. In the last 10 years or so, I’ve been fortunate enough to build a fanbase and make connections over the years. I co-own a label/collective called The Social Contract. We have been doing shows across NC since 2016. We’ve been doing mini-tours up and down the East Coast since Summer 2021. Right now, at this point, I feel like I’ve reached the point of being able to confidently say that I do what I do professionally. It’s a great feeling!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I got into this industry by hanging out with a few friends that I had back in high school. During the Summer, they’d set up their studio equipment one of their bedrooms and just write and record raps all day. For hours and hours. One of the guys was my friend from high school, Darryl, also known as Niko Da Don. The other was his cousin, Kevin, also known by his stage name, Kaj Kadence. Like me, these guys are from New York, so my first time meeting Kev in the “studio”, we clicked. The three of us grew up on boom bap and were listening to a lot of the same stuff at the time. Charles Hamilton, Kid Cudi, Curren$y, Big Sean, Drake, etc. Kev is actually the person who put me onto Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick ended up being one of my biggest influences as an adult in this industry. Anyway…the first day I went there, I was just chilling, watching them write and record their raps. After about an hour, Niko went “Rob, you trynna get on this track?” And I was like “yeah, sure why not.” This wasn’t my first time rapping. I’d been writing raps since 5th Grade and my friends knew about it. I cannot remember the first song we made together for the life of me, but it was a slapper! If not for them, I don’t know if I’d even have a music career right now. Niko gave me my first mic. I still use that mic today. I’ve recorded about 90% of my music with it. Kev and Niko- if y’all read this, just want y’all to know I appreciate y’all!

I am most proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish as an independent with The Social Contract. We’ve done so many shows that I’ve honestly lost count. We also have some of the most devoted fans, which always makes everything we do worthwhile.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect about being an artist is the fact that my fans connect with my music on an emotional level. I’ve had a lot of people approach me to tell me that they really, really like a song of mine and that it helped them through a tough time in their life. I’m always just really blown aback by it all, but also really happy to know that my music is doing that for people. I love when other artists’ music does that for me, so it’s great to contribute to the world in that way.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Something non-creatives will struggle to understand the creative journey is the fact that it really is a grind. A lot of hard work and dedication is involved in this. Of course, talent is great to have, but the footwork must also be done. I don’t think a lot of people understand that being a creative is multi-dimensional and doesn’t just involve presenting an art piece. For a lot of us, there a lot of mental and emotional hurdles that we have to overcome, while simultaneously navigating the creative world. Some people just don’t understand it because they’re not actually the ones doing it. The only time they begin to acknowledge you as an artist is when you start making money from it. Trust me, it happens to me…

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bio.site/RobEarthOne
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rob_earth_one/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/RobEarthOne/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobEarthOne
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtixbigNdPFVXNtl3TTjJiQ
• Other: The Social Contract Official Website: https://www.thesocialcontractmusic.com/ The Social Contract Official EPK: https://thesocialcontract.bandzoogle.com/

Image Credits
All Photography by FULTON BRAND