Just off a sold-out show at NYC’s S.O.B’s, I got to speak with Rotimi ,who you may know as Andre on the Starz’s hit series Power, about music and brotherly advice from 50 Cent. He’s definitely going to be on the list for MCM if he isn’t already, after getting to read more about the Jersey-bred 26-year-old actor/recording artist.
With your latest project, Summer Bangerz, you did an ode to some of the 90’s famous beats. How calculated was that?
For me, in my lifetime was just the golden era of music, where everything was just soulful and everything was about storytelling and originality. You were corny if you wanted to sound like somebody else. For me, it’s just bringing back the feeling of when I was in high school or when I was a kid just hearing Black Rob ‘Whoa” for the first time or even Mya, who I had a crush on or LL Cool J who I thought looked so cool. I wanted to pay respect to them, but do it my way!
In a generation where everything is all about the beats and about the connection to emotion, I wanted to make songs that I knew I was (and still am) connected to. It actually happened organically – I built the playlist to the songs; I heard LL Cool J’s “Doin It” in the club and was like ‘whoa, it still bangs’! When that came about, my producer brought me a sample with Mya on it and I was like ‘oh, wow’! ‘We may as well make this whole thing a theme’. It just happened organically and came together pretty cool.
I’m sure you are already thinking ahead! Are you going to start on a full-length album after all the great reception to this and your previous EP you put out? What is the next progression for you?
The next progression is an album at the end of the year. I think it’s time. I think people are really paying attention to where I am right now. It’s really interesting to see how now the respect is there and also the interest. People are like, ‘oh wow, he really does this’! I love that people are really starting to see me as a creator instead of compartmentalizing things. It’s really cool to take the slashes away, (actor/singer) and just see me as a really talented person.
Do you feel the timing is right, with R&B being underrepresented on mainstream radio and Trey Songz, who had been carrying that torch for so long, but not being in that spotlight as much lately? As well, having someone around like Mack Wilds, who has a similar lane as you, has become established in acting and has transitioned very well into music – do you feel that this could be a great time for you?
Yeah, I think it’s definitely my time. Like you said, there really isn’t anyone in my lane right now and the R&B/Pop-Soul thing is kind of open. It is the perfect time, now that I have the attention as in “oh what is he going to do next, where’s he going to go”? That’s like the perfect place to be now. I’m in the ‘discovering phase’ for people. They are seeing me on the show, hearing he does this (music), and gravitate towards it (music). Now, it is just going to take me putting out the right record and body of work, just to solidify where I’m going to be. I’m just taking my time with it, but it’s a great place to be.
