Rob Smokes Funk Disaster- love was made for these times

"It 100% comes down to the collaborative effort.  That's the status quo here."

Rob Smokes Funk Disaster: (left to right: Joe Wilson, Sam Catherman, Rob Stokes, and Jack Delamater)

On May 6, Rob Smokes Funk Disaster released their album love was made for these times.  Rob Stokes, one of the band's members, took to his mediumrare.dc Instagram account to thank artists like Cautious Clay, Milf Mitch, Sir E.U., St. Clair Castro, Nappy Nappa, and Jamal Gray, for without them he "probably would've quit altogether." 

Originally from Uniontown, Pa., about 45 miles away from Pittsburgh, Stokes has been a contributor to the creative community of the District of Columbia for the last six years. What initially started as house shows at his fraternity at George Washington University so that he and his friends could jam, has evolved into helping to cultivate a sustainable community of musicians in D.C.

"My journey in the District started slow," Stokes said.  "I was putting on house shows and meeting people that way.  At the end of the day, it's a lot of listening--like boots on the ground, going to shows, and meeting artists."

The musician, producer, and curator is a member of the CMPVTR CLVB collective and owner of Dead Art, LLC, which is now referred to as Medium Rare.  Both entities are responsible for throwing events highlighting the District's cultural influencers such as the Nike Boy Secret Shows, Phunk.Gif, Ski Club, and the more current Glow End Theory and CTRL Space CMD programs.  It is these outlets that allowed Stokes to foster relationships and collaborate with other DC artists.  InTheRough readers know of his audio production on songs with rappers MILF Mitch and the rest of the lineformation and Goth Money Records crew, but he's also worked with friends Sir E.U and Cautious Clay.

"I've just been putting out beat tapes, so I don't really have a following, honestly.  It was just like, 'I'm gonna try hip hop now or I'm gonna try making music via electronic instruments and stuff.'  So, I haven't put out much in the past four years," he said.

A jazz drummer in high school, Stokes is a percussionist at heart.  His hiatus from playing live instruments ended when he moved to his current home in Ledroit Park.

"Maybe five or six months ago I really started recording live stuff.  I moved from Virginia, which was not an environment conducive to recording drums.  Now, I have a big space where I can record a lot of drums and that's been the most fun; just being able to play to a click and then put the headphones on, go to the drums, lay down the drum track, and lay down the bass track...I definitely wanna see more jamming.  That's really what I'm feeling," he said.

ITR: Is that what we can expect on love was made for these times?

RS: Yea, all instrumental stuff.  There's a lot of Steely Dan, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Bobby Caldwell, and Curtis Mayfield influences.  I didn't try to croon or anything, but the grooves are just classic--like the chord progressions and how things work in terms of composition.  I tried to put my own flip on them in the 21st century, but more specifically 2017 in D.C. being in love in this time and what that's like.

An aspect of eccentricity is evident from the deep-red cover of the album to some of the synthesizer sounds in "old friends" and "lush greens."  According to the multi-hyphenate artist, this was intentional.  A big fan of David Lynch and the '90s cult classic series Twin Peaks, Stokes wanted to incorporate leitmotif, which is a recurrent theme throughout musical composition associated with a particular person, idea, or situation.  The show's composer, Angelo Badalamenti, was particularly adept at this technique because his sounds drew from emotional associations that heightened the drama.

"I'm not trying to rip his style, but I'm trying to make something that is exactly the same representation of the record in terms of the lyrical content," he said. 

Rob Smokes Funk Disaster is comprised of Joe Wilson on keys, Sam Catherman on bass, Jack Delamater on guitar, and Stokes both singing and playing the drum kit.  During their set at Night 1 of Ctrl Space CMD, Delamater flexed his saxophone skills too, in the band's rendition of Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't Do For Love."  The seven-track album is abundant with psychedelic tones, while Stokes' Bob Dylan-like inflections can be heard on "old friends" and "love."  The former is a song Stokes had worked on with one of his best friends Themba Searles since they were 17.

love was made for these times is available for purchase and download on Bandcamp here.

VibeRotation 25

Here is a playlist dedicated to InTheRough staff's experiences that we've had and the songs that we've heard over the last few weeks. The kids' energy has been crazy at parties like Bounce 4 at Spirit Lodge in Pittsburgh or the 4.20 theme banger we threw in D.C. The time we've spent with young rappers like Blackboi and Zolo of the 'Burgh's Sanguine team put us in touch with new music. The communities' consistent creative outputs inspires us to find new artists to enjoy.

In VibeRotation 25, the music reflects ITR's D.C., Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh locations. The scene in D.C. is diverse with different moods that still hit on contemporary hip-hop. The genre-bending nature of the city influences the music. Pay attention to rappers SIR E.U in his song "Navy Blue coupe," as well as lineformation (M.I.L.F.). Across the coast, kids in L.A. and elsewhere listen to Chicago native WARHOL.SS who gains national attention as a parallel to Chief Keef. JR also wants people to be aware of guitarist Steve Lacy who has credits on Kendrick Lamar's new "DAMN." album. Pittsburgh remains relevant with the help of rapper Slicky Williams and his pleasant tune "Me You Us." Slick always comes through with something catchy. Also, become familiar with more Sanguine members, like Ant Windu.

Listen to the playlist below and click on the artists' SoundCloud profiles. Explore new music more.

Know the Wave: blackboi, Zolo, and Sanguine Team

Zolo and Blackboi - photograph by Alex Young

Blackboi owned the steps in front of the Andy Warhol Museum. His navy colored dreads matched his navy sweatshirt, and his ensemble was complete and casual as Vans covered his feet. Zolo sat on the Warhol steps. He wrote lyrics in a wire bound notebook.

The two 17-year-old hip-hop artists were the attraction and not the museum as they gain attention for their rise through Pittsburgh’s underground hip-hop scene.

Walking past the Artists Image Resource and Boom Concepts Activist Print street-art installation on a building next to the Warhol, Blackboi and Zolo stopped in front of two composite photographs. In one, a seated, theater crowd wore 3D glasses, engaged with what they watched. In the other, a young black girl highlighted in yellow stood on stage looking back at them. The boys looked at the artwork, they too the object of people’s attention.

Ahead of his forthcoming “Astro O2” album, Blackboi has released a mixtape and a handful of single tracks in the promotion of his album which carries the premise that the world ends without creativity. His six-song tape called "some shit i made in my room" isn't the most recent thing he's dropped. Newly minted "tsukyomi flow," featuring rapper Ant Windu, hit Blackboi’s SoundCloud account over the weekend.

"I want to be the most versatile rapper to ever do it," Blackboi said. Production credits from producers abroad, like eestbound of Toronto, genre experimentation, and using his friends as inspiration play into his artistry.

Zolo sat in the back of a car with a notebook on his lap. Now, his earbuds were in. Writing to the beat “helps me find my flow,” Zolo said. Blackboi, officially Byron Stevens, and Zolo, Alonzo Cotton, rode around the North Side. Blackboi lives there and Zolo is a Garfield native. The rappers handled the aux chord. They listened to new music by St. Louis, Mo. crooner Smino and District of Columbia rapper GoldLink.

Blackboi and Zolo are friends, and they make music as members of the Sanguine team. Sanguine is comprised of 20 young musicians and artists. All of them are talented. They met through schools like Perry and Allderdice, as well as KRUNK Movement, a micro-enterprise located in Hazelwood that supports youth and hip-hop through media production.

KRUNK made their musical acts “refined. We couldn’t cuss,” Blackboi said. The organization guided the artists in the studio, and they received platforms to perform. Blackboi, Zolo, and other Sanguine members debuted their “fist in the Air like the ‘60s” song, a message about activism, last summer. The track featured as part of the Center of Life non-profit’s Rap4Reform project.

Creating in the city with talented friends, like “Keith,” the founder of Sanguine, or designer of D.R.I.P.P. and rapper Aaron Owens, encourages Blackboi to “reach my goals.” He’s “never felt like an outsider. I love Pittsburgh,” he said.

Blackboi, Zolo, and the numerous members of Sanguine expand the ‘Burgh’s hip-hop community. Their music pushes collaboration because they use each other as inspiration. “In Sanguine, my girl, Bird, influences me the most,” Owens said as they are often pictured together wearing coordinated D.R.I.P.P. outfits.  “These other cities know how to help each other out,” Zolo said. “I’m trying to get people to look at Pittsburgh like they look at Atlanta,” Blackboi continued. The way to do that is by supporting each other in any way the group can. Sanguine teammates feature on each other’s songs and in their music videos. Their Instagram pictures highlight everyday moments with each other and their creative processes.

Cool moments in Blackboi’s music attract listeners. He often references popular cultural heroes like actor Jet Li. Authenticity features in his songs about love. “This girl is the underlying topic to a lot of my songs,” he said.

Though Blackboi steadily adds to his music catalog, Zolo writes and records to perfect his work until it is ready for public ears. He will release his first ever single called “10” on April 21. “I’m real nervous,” Zolo said. “Nervous about how people will react and vibe to the song,” which he calls his last love song “for a while.”

Whatever happens, Blackboi explains that Sanguine will have “positive attitudes in bad situations” as they pursue notable music careers.

If there is a star in Pittsburgh’s hip-hop scene, “Keith believes in me,” Blackboi said, and Blackboi believes in Sanguine.

The Pi'erre Bourne Playlist

The Life of Pi'erre by Marko Visuals

Meet Pi’erre Bourne, a 23-year-old producer out of Queens, New York who has managed to cultivate a distinct sound for the likes of Atlanta rappers Playboi Carti and Young Nudy. In a short 3 weeks, the Pi’erre Bourne produced track “Woke Up Like This” by Playboi Carti featuring Lil Uzi Vert has over 11 Million plays on Soundcloud, and has received nods from the Fader and XXL Magazine. Bourne’s infectious instrumentals serve as the perfect platform for the emerging wave of today’s so-called internet rappers to effortlessly float over—and rank extremely high on our list in terms of replay value.

Hopefully we aren’t speaking to soon, but it seems as though the wait is over and Carti season is officially upon us. If the clear chemistry on the well-received “Woke Up Like This” is any indication, there’s no doubt the two will be frequent collaborators moving forward. Be prepared to hear more beats by Pi’erre Bourne on Playboi Carti’s highly anticipated forthcoming mixtape. 

As made evident by posts on his social media accounts, Pi’erre Bourne is constantly working, and that work is just beginning to pay dividends. So, take our word for it and familiarize yourself with who is sure to be one the biggest new producers in rap. As a prequel to the Carti tape and whatever else Pi’erre Bourne has been cooking up in the studio, listen to ITR’s “Pi’erre Bourne Playlist” below and watch Carti hint at Pi'erre delivering "that Carti sound" in an interview with Lil Yachty for Fader.

VibeRotation 24

ITR Tee photograph by @draie_96

+ Have a good music catalog that has a balance between classic and contemporary styles, as well as local and national artists

+ 24 of the 55 songs on this VibeRotation playlist were selected by Los Angeles staff, and the other 31 were selected by Pittsburgh staff - hear different styles of music in different regions of America/the world

+ Find Lil Traffic as a notable artist from the West coast

+ Pittsburgh artists like blackboi. light up the radar - 9 "Pixburghers" contribute to this crazy set (did y'all see Jimmy Wopo represent The 'Burgh on HYPEBEAST?) 

+ The UK been here

+ Most lit part comes between tracks 7-30 (yes, that many bangers)

+ Quality energies come from They., ALEICIA and Balance510