For some musicians’ music is in their blood. That’s the case for Ro Ransom, the first of many artists to be picked for Sony Music and SamePlate Records’ collaboration. “I didn’t really have a choice. My parents both made music and they just brought me around it so early and I fell in love with it,” he shared during our interview.
The Mystery Boy hails from Harlem, New York, and is set to drop an upcoming EP titled Possessed. When asked what we can expect from this project he replied with, “You can look forward to a lot. The story you see is the different stages of a breakup. The different emotions you go through, the denial, the guilt, that point of moving on.”
These themes are evident in his latest release, “Wraith”, a track discussing carrying pain. While it’s written so that anyone can relate to the lyrics, Ro Ransom wrote the song on his prior experiences, “It was like you know me carrying a bunch of pain for a month and being drunk and high off everything for a month. That feeling of having to dig deep and find the ambition to you know fuck that chapter and move on.”
His sound mixes the modern with 90s/early 2000s hip-hop/R&B. It’s a fascinating pairing fresh hits with a throwback vibe, perfect for any party playlist. This all makes sense when taking into account that one of Ro’s biggest musical inspirations is Justin Timberlake himself.
From his current success, it’s clear music listeners around the world already love him. He’s been named one of Soundcloud’s Artists to Watch in 2018 and his single Prettiest was included in Time Magazine’s 5 Songs You Need To Listen To. Feats like these don’t come to just anyone and these achievements are exactly why Ro was deemed to be the perfect artist to start Sony Music and SamePlate Record’s partnership. “It feels amazing. I’m just grateful and flattered my name even came up in the conversation,” he mentioned when asked about the joint venture.
As far as his personality is concerned it’s clear from our conversation he’s got to be pretty fun to hang around. One of our favorite questions to ask during an interview is “If you were to describe yourself as a mixed drink what would it be?” Oftentimes, it takes several seconds to a minute for artists to pick their poison. Ro wasted no time exclaiming, “definitely a margarita. One thousand per cent. I’ve never had a question I knew the answer to immediately. I’m sweet, light and tasty, but I can still get you fucked up.”
He’s also got a pretty amazing hidden talent. Ro’s a great writer. “That’s just a piece of me that never gets exposed because it’s not really part of my job, but I definitely have super interesting takes on music, culture and art. Maybe one day I’ll write a book,” he shared during our phone call.
At the end of the day, Ro Ransom is an intelligent, hilarious, and multitalented artist ready to take the world by storm with his music. With so many trends from the past coming back into style, his old school sound and new school lyrics might just be what everyone’s been waiting for.