Donovan Roby
1) What's something about yourself that your fans may not know?
A: Fans might not know that I pride myself on creating my own work. From the mixing to the mastering stand points, I try to master all the components myself that come into creating a great record. I still have a long way to go, but I been mixing and mastering a lot of my own music for years now. I just started getting assistance from other talented engineers/producers recently.
2) How has growing up in Rockford, Illinois had an impact on your music style, if at all?
A: To be honest, I was born in Rockford but grew up in a small small town called Mt. Morris about 40 min from Rockford. So the small town big dream aspect has a major impact on my music style. You can probably tell from the rawness and passion behind certain words/phrases, as well as the videos I’ve released. They all have to do with bigger cities and growth.
3) Who are some music artists that have influenced you?
A: Man come on! How can Drake, J. Cole, Kanye West just to name 3 not influence a younger aspiring rap artist???! From the words they put together, the productions styles, the mixing components I feel as though I have gained lots of influence from these 3.
4) How do you think your sound has developed since you started making music?
A: Bro I started recording with a pair of headphones on my phone using GarageBand. I came a long fucking way. Of course I still don’t have the studio set up I want just yet but I feel more comfortable recording in the crib. Get a couple drinks, maybe smoke you know a little something for creativity. It also makes me more comfortable to talk about shit that matters deeply to me. But I definitely grew from where I was, check my SoundCloud for a comparison.
5) What made you want to start making music in the first place?
A: Growing up I always listened to rap music, my dad would play lots of west coast style 90s rap. Specifically Tupac and DJ Quik. So I always had a sense for it. But also growing up I always was acting out, like I had something to prove and get off my chest. What better way to do that than to tell your story. So then I thought this might be something to explain myself and my experiences.
6) Who do you look to for advice when making new music?
A: Closest friends, family, people I care about. Don’t get me wrong, I love those people that reach out to me that I don’t know that say they love my music….but I do this shit for me and mine. I just hope to inspire those that I may not know to also do some dope creative ass shit and reach the next person. And so on after that.
7) What's next for you as an artist as 2021 is coming to a close?
A: To be honest I got like 30-40 unreleased songs that I was thinking about just unloading as we get ready for 2022. I get all my newer sounds/songs from experience. So this year that’s exactly what I did. Just live and learn to grow my words and my sounds to create even better music. 2022 I hope to expand on my sound and get more and more people to listen. Plus when this Covid shit is over I wanna get back to performing live again. I miss the interaction.
Follow Donovan Roby:
Instagram - @droby4
Twitter - @droby4
