Rising Stars: Meet K. ROB

Today we’d like to introduce you to K. ROB. 

Hi K., so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I was born & spent “some” time in PG County, Maryland but, I was mostly raised in Buffalo, NY. That’s where I went to school, church, the hospital, the park, the girlfriends, the fist fights, you name it. It all comes back to Buffalo. In 2007 I was entering the 5th grade & I just got accepted a performing arts school to major in visual arts. Around that time, it was so much going on, and so many changes were happening. Between growing older, watching family age, and meeting people that would soon become my closest friends, it feels like that time in life is such a blur now. But what I still vividly remember about that time is that I got deep into hip-hop and rap, its history & I became obsessed with the skill of technical rapping. Fast forward 5-6ish years later that snowballed into me doing local shows, a small tour, and releasing mixtapes, but all in all, things were becoming more serious than it already was for me. Fast forward another 5-6 years. In essence, I started releasing independent albums, curating artwork for other rap artists, self-producing and engineering, producing for other artists & directing my music videos, and curating content for the label, myself, and other collaborators. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road at all actually. I’ve had MANY OBSTACLES, none of this shit is easy. It’s all based on your work ethic & mindset. I’ve had struggles as simple as trying to get people to fuck with me and my music… and you would think that other rappers, producers & DJs from your city would do just that… but nah, unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. If you’re severe & passionate about anything you do, then you’re going to get a lot of nos, doors slammed in your face and you’ll even face backlash at some point. I even had a hard time at booking certain shows because the venues don’t respect Hip-Hop artists because they don’t get it or they’re on some weird shit & etc., so ultimately the struggles are a part of the journey. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the CEO/founder of “The LME Collective”. “The LME Collective” is a recording label and content hub for young, aspiring creatives ran by two highly intelligent young black men who met in high school that share a lot of the same interests with similar stories. I specialize in helping the general direction of the promotion, the music distribution, amongst other matters of relevance. What sets us apart from other companies and content hubs is our originality & how we chose to deliver our content. And even though we’re just getting started, I am most proud of how each goal is accomplished, how attentive we are to detail and how the foundation is being laid for all of the artists (myself included) to come out and have a lasting impact on the culture, Hip-Hop culture especially and the music industry as a whole. 

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Lastly, I would like to share that less than a month ago I just released an album titled “LIVING IN DUH MOMENT.” The album was fully produced by myself, executive produced by James Wynn, Artist/President of “The LME Collective” Kami. Tora as well as myself and narrated by Buffalo, NY’s own Schondra Aytch of the “SNEAKVIBING BLOG”. It features some amazing artists also including Buffalo, NY natives – R&B artists JoH.E of “The LME Collective”, Charlie Vocals & Hip-Hop artist Audi3k. The body of work is now available on all streaming platforms. I encourage all readers of the article to check out the project. It is my strongest body of work and I promise you’re in for a treat! 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lmegng12.wixsite.com/robdotcom
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_k.rob/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lmerob/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/_lmerob
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn-6iuAeTD2AKh6DD2xG7UQ
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/lmerob
• Other: https://linktr.ee/_robavelli

Image Credits
Eula Banks
Luqman Muhammad