Let's talk about Labor

 

Oh you think I’m talking about manual labor? No, I’m talking about Labor Robal, or simply Labor207. A Hip-hop artist and 1/5 of Maine Hip-hop group North Creek Collective. I managed to work my way into his schedule to ask him a few questions. Like his North Creek counterpart Joey Jet, Labor had some great things to say.

Labor grew up on Mac Miller, Joey Bada$$, Felly, and Flatbush Zombies. And when you listen to music you can really hear the influence from all of them. When you go through his catalog I think the Flatbush influence really stands out, and when talking Flatbush Zombies you aren’t just talking about music, but attitude as well. Easy-going while being incredibly calculated and witty, sprinkling in wordplay that anybody my age would recognize. When I asked him more about his background, what he said really came out of left-field.

“I started making music when I was 14, my cousin started making beats for… his friends, and I started writing to them. Then my neighbor Noah Cuz started recording me and made a SoundCloud before I even knew what that [SoundCloud] was… he started producing beats… now is one of the most talented… in the industry. 

When he gave a little detail about how his music career got going he said something that goes against the usual grain of Hip-hop and the artists of the genre. Like I’ve discussed before, being braggadocious doesn’t impress me when it comes to Hip-hop; well Labor doesn’t brag. Instead he said “at first my music wasn’t amazing. But I was… happy to be able to do it”. He went on to sell mixtapes when he was in high school, and received both good and bad feedback, all of which he took in stride. 

For anybody who plays shows, gets streams, and records music, balance is always a difficult thing to manage. I asked him how he balanced everything and he said “over time my balance between shows and studio time has gone all over the place.” Staying exclusively in the studio for the first five years, he then decided a change was necessary. “I started getting into shows… I was so happy to be performing… I performed… 50 times in three months.” He started performing more than he was  making music, something many artists do, but Labor didn’t want to end up in a rut. “After years of performing, I’ve realized… I enjoy the process of creating rather than performing.” Although he has transitioned into more of a studio artist rather than somebody who plays shows, he realizes the importance, saying, “performing my music is a great way to get it out… it’s a great way to network.”

The future is something that most of us think about, and it's something I love to pick an artist's brain about. Like usual I asked him what the goal was with his music and his answer was simple. “All… I really want, is to be able to be self-sufficient through my music [and] online presence. I… want… my life [to] revolve around my craft.”

The future is bright and I think you can see why. Labor is continuing to push forward. You can catch him at Back to Bassix on July 19th in Portland Maine. If you’re a Hip-hop fan and need to find something to listen to, go check out Labor207. Below I’ve linked his Instagram and linkre.ee, go get educated on Labor.

Instagram

Linktr.ee

Copyright 2024: All Writing Owned by Justin Grevencamp (Atonal Asides Blog)

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