BEHIND THE SCENES

BY: EMILY KRETZER

In a climate where hip-hop culture can sometimes seem stale and oversaturated, Ro Ransom is a breath of fresh air. While the Harlem native has enjoyed an eclectic career already, the carefully curated vision he has for his work is just taking flight.

Real and raw, Ransom’s ability to remain true to himself is not only what sets him apart from rappers today, but is what drew me to his friendship. He’s the type of person who puts the people he cares about up on a pedestal, which is reflected in both his work and in his relationships. Ro steps away from the normal hip-hop narrative to make room for one that celebrates women far beyond their looks, embedding his songs with lyrics about Rashida Jones, a woman whose work writing on projects such as Toy Story 4 is just as if not more beloved than her beauty. His song Doppelgänger, produced by Brenton Duvall, Sweater Beats, and himself, is a perfect amalgam of Ro’s honesty, talent and his way with words. “It’s really an indictment of myself”, he cooly stated about the song, which is a personal look into heartbreak and the wave of emotions that follow it. Like the song’s chord change-up halfway through, Ro’s proved that his pivot into the future just works.

I was lucky enough to sit down with Ro in between his busy touring schedule to chat about life and work and everything between, bringing you an intimate view of what goes on behind the scenes of a show and beyond the music.