Mississippi native, Jordan Lamb, also known as Robby La-Ro is a multifaceted artist, rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer exploring a path less travelled by today’s underground music scene. Combining energetically delivered ad-libs, thought provoking lyrics, and angelic melodies, Robby’s distinctive sound leaves an indelible mark from the first listen, setting him apart from his contemporaries. He skillfully creates tension through creative changes in cadence and delivery, resolving each bar with clever rhymes, ensuring a captivating and unpredictable experience for the listener with every track.
Teaming up with super-producer Jarrod Fisher, better known as Prod. Fish, the duo offers a diverse range of production styles. From dirty south influenced trap beats to fast paced dance rhythms driven by 4 on the floor drums, and synth heavy compositions reminiscent of a modern take on 80s synth-pop, Robby and Fish deliver a limitless array of vibes that defy space and time.
I have been a fan of Robby’s since 2022 and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to learn more about him. Keep reading to hear more about Robby’s latest single, influences, creative process, and more! You can stream Robby’s music on Spotify and follow him on Instagram @robbylo30 for updates. Enjoy the interview!
FTV:
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I’m super excited. First, how are you doing personally and creatively? Also, what have you been listening to in your free time? Any artists we have been sleeping on?
Robby:
“Of course man, anytime fr. It’s cool getting the chance to break down things like this with someone who’s always supported the music, so just to start off i appreciate you, seriously. But man I’m doing great right now! Meeting a lot of my personal goals and gearing myself up to release plenty of new music at the moment. I’ve got 2 projects I’m working on right now so majority of my creative free time has been going towards that since I want to write, record and produce it all.
I just think all around I’m at an interesting crossroads in my life and career (that I’m enjoying), but i do feel like it’s time to go hard. It’s exciting really. As for my playlist man, I got some of everything in rotation but I’ve mainly been heavy into RnB recently, old school and newer artists. Jon B, Brandy, Guy, Hi-Five, Justin Timberlake and more are some of my go-tos, but as for newer artists 4Batz, October London, and Jordan Ward are too crazy. Those are just 3 among many others who I hope have a crazy 2024.”
FTV:
I just heard your newest release “Astral,” for the first time. Could you share the inspiration behind that track?
Robby:
“I appreciate the listen! “Astral” just comes from the idea of knowing you’re with or around the one. You’re with that person or thinking of that person and you just want to have a good moment in time with them. You feel like you’re floating up high and you don’t want to come down which is where the title comes from. I think it’s a feeling that’s happens to everyone at some point in their life so it’s dope to talk about that on a record as cool as that one. And of course Fish is just, a genius for all time when it comes to production, so he did what he did and we made an incredible vibe. Happy I dropped it the week of Valentines too it’s perfect for that.”
FTV:
What’s your musical background? When did you decide to make music, and how did you get started?
Robby:
“To be honest, looking back on it I was always involved in something musically. I was a band a choir boy so music was always a part of my everyday life in some form or way growing up. I want to say it was around middle school when I first decided that “ok I’ve got ideas and they need to be shared.” And by ideas I mean ones that were larger than what I was doing in my extracurricular activities. I just had too many song ideas that constantly kept swirling around in my head, plus I was listening to albums during and outside of school that influenced me heavy. Three of those albums off the top of my head were Good Kid, M.a.a.d City by Kendrick Lamar, The 20/20 Experience by Justin Timberlake and Aquemini by Outkast. I had a love for music that was basically unveiling itself in realtime and I had to act on it, so in middle school I used our school laptop that was issued to us, set up a blue snowball mic that my brother gifted to me and went to work. It’s funny looking back on it now because I recorded in my closet at the time and put a bunch of clothes around the blue snowball to keep the noise out. I did my first song which was a SoundCloud release called “Lake” and I’ve been growing/advancing in equipment and technique ever since. It’s been a blast too.”
FTV:
When did you first connect with Fish, and how did that relationship come about?
Robby:
“Ah man I’ll try not to go on too long cause I could discuss my boy all day, but me and Fish met at The University of Southern Mississippi through a music class we had. If I remember correctly we chopped it up on the very first day of the class and just kept it going from there. I think it was one of those connections where you meet a person and you both have that mindset of “man, i want to think outside the box.” We both were already talented in our own rights before we connected, but once we did it was like a super team, not to mention we’re actually boys. So you’re basically making songs with one of your best friends 24/7, while doing and trying different things sonically just because you want to and it’s coming out like magic. You do that 365 days a year for 2-3 years and you have the type of friendship that me and Fish have. It’s one of those connections that I’m thankful for because it’s not only taught me a lot, but opened my eyes up to what a genuine bond can look like when at its full potential. He’s one reason among others why I’m happy I chose to attend USM, even though I don’t miss school at all.”
FTV:
How would you describe the production style of Fish, and do you co-produce tracks with him?
Robby:
“Fish production is just the future. I don’t even know if I can go into greater detail than that. His beats and how he crafts them are incredible and timeless to me. Whether it’s the hard hitting shit he’ll do or the smoother, calmer material. He’s just got it man, he’s had it since the first day I heard his sound. When it comes to what we do he’s pretty much always the one on the production. I just trust him that much to make something insane. Then that’s where I’ll come in with the writing and recording and then he finishes it up with the mix. We’ve definitely discussed doing some co-production on things in the future though.”
FTV:
Your songs seem open to interpretation by the listener. Is this intentional? Can you elaborate on your writing process?
Robby:
“My writing process is pretty simple. I get in a space where there’s not a lot of noise or distractions and I pour my heart out in different, complex ways. Whether I’m writing something angry, chill or heartfelt I just take a deep breath and go all in for however long I need. I do that everyday whether I record or not and take as long as I need on each piece until i feel like it’s finished. As for the songs being open to interpretation that’s definitely an intentional thing. Even when I do have an end goal in mind with the writing, concept or story wise, I still like to find a way to pick the right words and frame the lyrics correctly to where the audience can listen and make their own conclusions from things. I feel like that’s where I do really excel as an artist. I may create something that makes me think of one event/emotion, but then people who listen to me can hear the song and it be a completely different emotion or memory that’s unlocked. I think in that way I not only get the chance to reach more than one portion of listeners, but I also get to display the human experience through music.”
FTV:
Your sound knows no limits, with a crazy range in production decisions. Yet, you maintain a distinct sound. How do you find that balance, and who/what influenced your sound?
Robby:
“I’d say the balance just came from time and experience in recording music. You hear yourself early on and what you’re trying to do and you either tell yourself “man this is terrible” or “yeah this is great, let’s build on this.” You collect piece after piece from yourself, which is insane to think about, and before you know it you’ve recorded yourself to the point where you sound how you want to sound on the mic. Once you get to that point it’s basically just about keeping the sound you’ve developed but elevating it to new heights each time you go at it. And I have so many influences but to name a few I’ll say, Tupac, Biggie, Jon B, Brandy, Gangstarr, Justin Timberlake, Gambino, Drake, Kendrick, Aaliyah and Silk Sonic.”
FTV:
If you were stranded alone on an island with only one record, what would it be, and why?
Robby:
“Man this is crazy! I’ll take it by record you mean a full album, so I’ll say DAMN by Kendrick Lamar. The main reason why is just because that album is still crazy 7 years later. It’s been a favorite of mine for a while and will continue to be for years to come.”
FTV:
Is there a song in your discography that you feel doesn’t get enough love or has special personal meaning? Tell us about it.
Robby:
“It’s Froze for sure. I think Froze should be one of the biggest songs in the world to be honest. I wrote Froze during a time where I was silently struggling through a lot of things. Nobody knew what I was dealing with except for the woman I was dating at the time. We aren’t together anymore but one thing we’d talk about was just putting it all into the music instead of running from it when things got rough. So I sat down and wrote Froze which is like this reflective, yet triumphant song about overcoming personal struggles and being strong while doing it. Everything from the writing, to the vocal performance to the beat Fish crafted for it after I recorded is just perfect to me. That song deserves a million flowers in my book.”
FTV:
Most of your work is solo featuring production from Fish. Are there other artists or producers you want to work with in the future?
Robby:
“I don’t have anyone in particular in mind but that’s not because I don’t want to work with anyone, I’ve just been so busy focusing on the material me and fish make and the material I’m making and producing for myself. I’m down to work with anybody if they want to work with me toh, so I’m ready for any and all upcoming features.”
FTV:
Your latest project “If Only You Knew,” and its deluxe version “If Only You Knew: All Roads,” mark a big artistic step. What can you share about your next moves, and what can we expect in 2024?
Robby:
“Thank you 100x for that. “If Only You Knew” spans the course of almost 2 years worth of work that me and Fish put in when you consider the oldest track on there, which is “I Can’t Give In”, so thank you man. The future looks a lot like a moving train, full steam ahead. Once I get started dropping this new material it’s over. For this year and beyond, I’m dropping non-stop until I see a major change in traction and even afterwards. I’m just ready to get active.”
FTV:
What advice do you have for someone just getting started? What would you tell yourself if you were starting over?
Robby:
“I think the main thing I would say is to embrace the multiple talents you have early on. I’ve met plenty of artists who were excellent at writing and recoding, but were also great other aspects of music and the industry that they could’ve flown with, but just stalled out. I’d love to see more artists embrace the different dimensions that make up who they are. Even outside of music, there’s more they could explore. Like in music I do writing, recording (rapping and singing), engineering and production along with mixing now. But I also write scripts, have acted before and am into a lot of other things. I’m going to incorporate all of that into my career as I move forward. I’d love to see more artists do that and just be fearless with who they are. Don’t claim to be something you’re not or pretend, just be you and embrace you because there’s a lot of good there once you accept you can do more than one thing. Plus if you just want to look at it from a financial perspective, you can save yourself a lot of money that way too.
If i were starting over I think I’d tell myself to be careful with who all you let in, but also to enjoy those moments that came and went, because before I knew it they went by in a flash. So caution, but gratitude, because at least now I know how to treat those good times when they happen again. Lord knows they’re on the way too so it’s better to have known and be ready than to have never known at all. Life’s about to get really good.”
If you made it this far – thank you so much for taking the time to check out the Robby La-Ro interview with Follow The Voices. Stay tuned for more and let us know who we should interview next!
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