Ramon ‘Absoloot’ Robinson is an independent recording artist and community figure from North Lauderdale, Florida who has something to share with everyone.
Dedicated to making music with a message, Absoloot lives what he raps while using his performances as a platform for positive change. Since founding his own record label, As I Am Records, Absoloot has partnered with many different nonprofit and community organizations to support the local youth.
Below is a Q&A with Absoloot about his mission to inform and support.
How did you get into making music?
Well I started writing songs when I was in the 10th grade.
I was way too shy to play them for anyone, so it took me a few years before I could build up the courage to let someone hear them. After letting my brother Carl (The Captain) hear some of my songs, he ended up showing them to my parents.
With their support, the rest is history.
Who are some of your major inspirations?
There are many people and artists that inspire me.
My biggest inspirations are definitely my parents and grandparents because of their involvement in the community. For as long as I can remember I’ve always admired the work they’ve done in the community.
As far as artist my biggest inspirations are Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, James Brown, Nas, Twista, and Outkast. As you can see, I pretty much listen to a bit of everything.
In songs like ‘99%’, you rap about economic inequality and corruption. What motivates you to inform your listeners about these kinds of issues and how do you maintain a hopeful and empowering tone?
My work in my community keeps me grounded enough to understand what’s going on with the world around me.
As an artist I feel it’s my job to write about what is going on. I know the power of music and having a message, so I always try to combine the two. With songs like 99% at first it can sound dark, but I always try to find hope in knowing things can always change for the better as long as we work together. And for me, that’s always the overall message.
I feel teaching these principles to our youth is very important, and that’s why I partnered with Life Sports Fitness – a dynamic community-based nonprofit youth development program with a wide variety of active enrichment programs for all abilities such as athletics, arts, and academics. They base there one-of-a-kind sports curriculum on a 12 core value platform, with core values like leadership, integrity, honesty. It is a perfect fit and gives me consistent access to over 190 participants during the school year and summer camp(s).
What sets you and “As I Am Records” apart from the rest of the industry?
I believe we stand out because of our sense of community and the way we do business.
As an artist, I understand how important it is to believe the message you’re trying to convey in the music. At times labels can be a bit controlling and try and dictate the message for the artist.
I like to think we are willing to give artist a chance to be themselves.
You spend a lot of time promoting positivity in your local community. Can you tell us more about the work you do outside of music?
I’ve truly been blessed when it comes to working in my community.
I have some of the most amazing partners and sponsors. For example, my partnership with PMD Ministries and Pastor Marcus Davidson not only help keep me involved with programs to help those less fortunate, but also help to spread a much needed positive message through the community.
Our most recent project is an anti-bullying comic book entitled “Leron’s Song” based off a song I wrote called “Keep Dreaming”. With the last election there has been a lot of division. With Life Sports Fitness and PMD Ministries we have developed this anti-bullying comic book as well as a stage show to make our message more interactive.
We want to reach children and young adults who have been the victims of bullying and let them know they’re not alone. We also want to make sure and help those kids who may play the role of the bully as well, because as the saying goes “hurt people, hurt people”.
You have achieved a lot and you have done it all on your own terms. What advice can you give someone who wants to be independent while making an impact on their community?
Honestly the best advice I feel I can give is to be consistent and know that if you can perceive, you can achieve it.
It’s always difficult doing things outside the box, but it’s definitely worth it. I’m truly blessed because I’ve found a calling doing the things I’m passionate about.
My love for my community inspires me as an artist to create music for the people I love and gives me an endless amount of inspiration.
