Rubi Rose Exemplifies Female Empowerment

July 16, 2021

Just two years into song-making, the Cardi B and Rico Nasty-cosigned rapper, Rubi Rose, has exemplified an eccentric blend of dexterity, drawing in critical praise from the masses. With her unmatched charisma and explicit, unrestrained lyrical skills, Rubi has captured the attention of the internet.

Rubi continues to gain momentum with a diverse tribe of followers. Her music resonates with listeners who are looking for fresh music. Armed with a fluency in French, raw authenticity, and skill, Rose breaks the mold of what it means to be a female rap artist.

Citing inspirations like Prince and Nicki Minaj, both noted for their ability to embody sex and sensuality in their work, Rubi Rose exudes passion, power, and confidence in her music.

Text and Interview by Ronald Kahihikolo
Photos by Kaiya D. Lawrence

Following her Twitter-approved XXL Freshman 2021 Cypher, Rubi Rose has released a new Rodriguez Bros-directed video for her recent single, "TWORK" as well as a new track called, "Poke." "Poke" features a catchy chorus, seductive lyrics, and a prodding beat from D.A. Got That Dope. Meanwhile, in her captivating new visual for, "TWORK," Rubi flaunts her charms for the camera as a sultry “Cruella De Vil” character with a delighted dalmatian in the seat of her bespotted Chevy Corvette.

The treatment then shifts to a blazing firehouse sequence alongside Rubi’s troop of talented dancers. The suggestive video to the song produced by Grammy-winning Bongo ByTheWay is a summer scorcher, complete with a $25,000 TWORK Dance Contest in conjunction with the Compete App – details here.

With over 150 million streams, Rubi Rose thrives at creating experiences for the ears as well as the eyes.

Check out our exclusive interview with the certified fresh artist below.

Walk me through the moment when your first single blew up, where was your head at? What were you thinking? Like how did you react in that moment?

So it was my song called big mouth. At first I was just like putting snippets of it on Instagram and girls would always be like, what song is this? Drop, this, that, or that and then I put up a full snippet on my actual page and then a lot of people listened to it and it started getting a lot of attention. A week later I shot the cover and put it up and it just went crazy. A lot of labels hit me and I got signed a week after, so it was all, it all happened pretty fast.

Nice. Yeah, and then, correct me if I'm wrong, but the all encompassing themes of your music seems to explore the embracement of power, sexuality, desire, and identity. Why are these elements important for you to explore and what other themes do you plan to explore in your upcoming singles?

Those are all really nice, how you labeled all those characteristics is really nice about my music. Just being a woman, I make music that I know girls want to hear. I say stuff that I know girls want to say or might be scared to say. So It's just like women empowerment makes you feel like a bad bitch when you listen to my music or at least I feel like one. These are important elements to me because they’re important elements to everyone – American culture and media try to make sex and sexuality taboo while at the same time profiting off of sex in film, tv, and advertisements. I just want people to be comfortable with their sexuality. I want them to be empowered by it. because if the media and corporations can use sexuality to make money, then there’s no reason why we all as individuals can’t find a sense of empowerment in our own sexuality as well.

I love that and I also love that your music and videos have this very “f*ck you I’m gonna do me” attitude and your music in general exudes a hypnotic combination of passion, power, and confidence. Where does that stem from?

Thank you. It's honestly just my Sasha Fierce. In person, like, the regular me I'm not really that, but like I want to be that. I see other people being that and I want to be that. So I be that, like, it's just your Sasha Fierce, the other side of you. It's just a persona, more so like a crazier, more version of what I already am.

So it's like an amplification of what you already are, that's amazing. Um, and then women in general too, are dominating the rap game right now. And your voice is very powerful and very bold. What kind of obstacles have you run into as a woman in this industry?

Too many to count or too many to name, but a few just like, not being taken seriously, having people judge me based on my looks. Just having presumptions and going along with what people might see of me in the media. So, and just, yeah, just those kinds of things, but it's nothing that I can't overpass or overcome.

Yeah, for sure. And then, do you ever find it challenging to divert your listeners' understanding of what you choose to portray or how you choose to portray yourself online? Like, is it challenging for you to divert the way in which you're perceived by the mass audience on social media?

It is sometimes challenging, but I mean, it's honestly how I'm perceived as mostly how I represent myself. Like I know what I'm doing to an extent. So it's up to me to change the narrative and just, I'm going to be putting out a lot more music. So they're going to have to get the message and what's going on. Like, there's a reason I'm a double XL freshman. There's a reason LA Reid signed me and is supporting me. There's a reason why I'm booked every weekend. Like eventually they're going to catch on. It just takes time, I guess.

Yeah, definitely. Talk to me about your upcoming single, POKE, which came out today.

Yes. Today. Poke. It's just a turn up anthem for my girls. I just put out a song called, TWORK, and girls just love to shake ass to it. But poke is just, really catchy, I'm really not talking about anything too crazy. It's just a catchy song to dance to and go out to.

That's amazing. And then, like, how was your writing process? Like, do you sit, do you go to the studio and sit and write or does it kind of just happen as part of your day or?

Typically I'll either have the producer send me a pack of beats and like I'll pick which ones I like the best or I'll go to the studio and they'll cook up for me and I'll just be whatever I’m fond of. I'll just stick with it. Probably take a few hours, put some melodies and just mumble on it and then put words to it.

Nice. So most of the time, is it freestyle or?

Definitely no freestyling, not a freestyler or I wish I was, but no, definitely write on my notes, write on a piece of paper, I write that shit down. I'm dyslexic.

Yeah. And then what kind of feeling dominates when you listen to your own music and like, what do you want your listeners to feel?

When I listen to my own music, like, I feel like that bitch. Like, whenever I'm sad or have pimples on my face, I feel ugly, and If I don’t feel what I need to be feeling like, I put on my music, watch my music video and I feel motivated and reminded that I'm a real, raw, bad bitch. When other girls listen to my music, they always tell me that they feel confident and feel, you know, just lit, like, it's strong, it's powerful. You girls feel it and resonate with it.

Yeah. My last question to you would be, what are the next steps for you for the rest of the year? And can you tell us about any of the central themes for any of your upcoming projects?

Yes. I'm going to be working on an EP, some type of project. I'm really just putting out singles like all throughout the summer and really the fall. They're going to be with an amazing visual, so it's just, I'm really excited, but yeah, I have an EP coming at the end of the year. There's no overarching theme yet, but it's all in the works. It's just going with the flow. So, just the new singles that are coming out. Rolling loud. I have a lot of festival shows.

Music

Jesse Jo Stark Is in a Genre of Her Own

April 19, 2024

In the midst of a total solar eclipse, I got the chance to talk about music and style with Jesse Jo Stark.

As I’m on the phone with her from New York, Stark is on a tour bus with The Veronicas, driving through the Colorado mountains to enjoy some time off in between shows. The Veronicas have just started their Gothic Summer North American Tour, and Stark is opening the show. What’s special about this tour for the lifelong music obsessive is the sense of powerful feminine energy encapsulating the tour. “We just started [tour], but it’s been really lovely. I’m obsessed with the fact that we’re all women — it feels like a very powerful crew. The Veronicas are lovely, the crowds have been so fun, and the venues are beautiful. It’s gonna be a good month.”

Photography Sophia-Liv Maguire
Styling Marc Eram
Interview Angelina Hazzouri
Talent Jesse Jo Stark
Hair Antoine Martinez with PARADIS using Roz Hair
Makeup Sydney Szramowski
Photo Assistants Mia O’Neal, Rashaun Richardson
BTS Ms Josephine
Creative Producer Olivia Roper-Caldbeck

This is Stark’s second time touring since the release of her full-length debut album DOOMED in late 2022, which was very well received and led to Stark’s first sold-out international headlining tour on behalf of the album. Previous to her solo tour, she’s opened for various notable acts, such as Guns N’ Roses and Jane’s Addiction. I asked Stark, who’s been writing and playing music since age 11, what it was like to prepare for her first sold-out headlining tour. Unsurprisingly, before any tour, Stark goes into what she describes as “bootcamp mode” — dancing every day, vocal training, rehearsing with her band, and of course, working on her outfits. “That’s the sort of homework I love,” she says, smiling. (Even though we’re on the phone, I can tell she’s smiling when she talks about the outfit part. I’d smile too if I had her tour closet.)

What’s unique about Stark as a musician is that she has ultimately created her own universe by embracing every aspect of her creative upbringing, her raw talent, her fascinating influences, and her unwavering beliefs in not needing to fit into a certain box when it comes to her art. She creative-directs and styles all her own looks, referencing an ever-evolving list of influences that range from Vegas showgirls to Halloween to old films to her parents in the 90s. “I think when I was younger, I had this rebellion against what I was made from,” she tells me, “but now it’s just my blood. I constantly reflect on my childhood and everything I was taught and everything I saw. My brother and sister and I are constantly pulling influences from our parents from the past. I think, more than ever, I’m heavily influenced by them.”

Stark, the daughter of founders and owners of the self-made American fashion brand Chrome Hearts, and now its creative director and designer, is someone who always knew what she liked, but as she describes it, had to ‘go through the motions’ that come with growing up and knowing one’s identity. Today, her self-efficacy is palpable — and it’s inspiring.

...when I was younger, I had this rebellion against what I was made from, but now it’s just my blood.

When she’s on tour, Stark is growing with herself and with her art — she’s not afraid to take life as it comes and learn through the process. With every show, regardless of whether it was on her DOOMED tour or this tour with The Veronicas, Stark understands the importance of human connection through music. Seeing faces of music lovers like herself, meeting those who have traveled to see her, and visiting familiar and unfamiliar cities has reminded her that she loves being on the road. “The growth that happens on tour is so important to me as an artist.” Sometimes we have to leave behind what’s familiar in order to rediscover what’s important, and Stark is a proponent of this growth mindset.

Growth doesn’t just happen on tour with Stark — this evolution of herself happens within genre as well, and for Stark there’s no such thing. Since her first release Driftwood in 2017, the artist’s sound has shifted year after year, but in a harmonious way that still feels central to her gothic Americana roots. When asked if she’ll experiment with genre in the future, Stark confidently answers, “I think I’ve only experimented with genre. I don’t think anyone knows what genre I am.” (She calls herself a “horrific hillbilly” — a perfect descriptor.) Steadfast in her belief that we as humans can constantly evolve in our work, Stark thinks it’s antiquated to fit yourself into a certain box and focus on one specific trade in order to succeed. “If you look at us as people, we’re seasoned. We change all the time. I want to experience different things.”

Since Driftwood, a two-song EP rooted in rock and country, Stark has experimented with more robust beats and 808s on DOOMED, and her most recent single “skeleton” features a softer, grungier punk sound. Without fitting into a specific genre, Stark’s music is undoubtedly and wholeheartedly her own, transcending the boundaries of what many artists struggle with when finding their sound. “I don’t think we should have to label ourselves in any way, shape, or form; so I’m not going to. I will continue to make all types of different music.” Fuck yeah.

If you look at us as people, we’re seasoned. We change all the time.

This goes beyond just music — in terms of her personal style, the same mentality applies. We discuss the idea that clothing and dressing is a sort of playground, and personal style comes from within. Stark isn’t about following trends, but rather, she thinks it’s important to tap into different stylistic elements that amplify who we are at our cores. On her DOOMED tour, Stark wore a lot of leather and stuck to a fairly dark color palette. Right now, she’s into more bourgeois satin and lace, experimenting with different textures and wearing things that feel slightly daintier and more delicate. On this current tour with the Veronicas, Stark is making it more of a point to take everything in — absorbing inspiration from every city, writing songs on the road, recording video on a friend’s super 8 camera, styling and wearing new outfits, learning and performing new covers — ultimately growing through the whole experience.

It’s endearing and inspiring how well Stark knows herself. A Los Angeles native, she proudly tells me that the tour finishes on May 5 in her hometown, a show that she’s especially excited for. While we can’t predict what thoughtfully-curated outfit she’ll wear or what songs will be performed, with new music already underway, one thing is clear: Jesse Jo Stark is just getting started.

Music

9lives' Latest Single Continues to Push Sigilkore

April 19, 2024

The versatile artist, producer, and pioneer of the sigilkore genre, 9lives, has recently unveiled his latest single "CANADA" featuring jnhygs. In less than two years since his emergence onto the music scene, 9lives has carved out an impressive niche for himself as a prominent figure within the digitally-driven sigilkore movement. "CANADA" sees him teaming up once again with experimental dance artist jnhygs, following their successful collaboration on "XTAYALIVE".

With aspirations to establish himself within the mainstream arena of experimental music production and artistry, 9lives is blending his distinct dark production style with collaborations with a diverse array of influential artists who trust him to create innovative sonic landscapes. "CANADA" marks his second release of 2024, as 9lives continues to champion the burgeoning sigilkore movement, pushing the boundaries of genre, evolving into a multifaceted artist, and solidifying his status as a rising star with an expanding audience.

Image by Connor Pritchard

Reflecting on their latest project, 9lives shares, “In early 2023 jnhygs found my music and we started chatting through TikTok, releasing our first song together called "XTAYALIVE"." He adds, We’ve been friends since this song had a viral moment, and fans have been heavily requesting for us to work together again all over our videos.” Describing their creative process, he explains, “I sent a bunch of new ideas to jnhygs via Discord and she sent back vocals to “CANADA”, which I then used to create melodic layers and extra percussion to complete the song.

Music

Eclipsed at Vampire Weekend

April 16, 2024

It had been about a week since the goosebump-inducing communal howls at the moon, as it covered the sun through a cloudy Austin, Texas sky, left me needing to take a seat—suspended in awe of the totality of the event and the synergistic break from routine. I overheard someone say, “I mean, it feels like we’re all going to die, but in a way that’s okay, you know?" under the shadow of the eclipse's peak, ceremoniously brought in as the band performed “Jonathan Low,” (in Vampire Weekend's familiar ironic hue) a track they wrote for the third movie in the Twilight series, Eclipse.

It had been five years since the band had released an album. In celebration of their latest album, "Only God Was Above Us," ticket holders wrapped the streets in blocks outside the venue for the band’s first Stateside show in about two years. Event managers searched to replenish the venue’s stock of eclipse glasses, while the band prepped a show reminiscent of 'getting the boys back together again'.

Words and photography by Rianne Akindele

In between newly released songs like “Classical” and “Capricorn”, the boys filled the almost two-hour-long show with old favorites like “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”, “Diane Young” and a genre evolved rendition of “Sunflower” as the crowd danced barefoot feeling the Earth’s energy intertwined with their own and the vibrations from the amps on stage. People stole glances at the imminently darkening sky, artists doodled, friends grabbed onto each other to scream the lyrics in each other’s faces, and onlookers from the highest level of the parking garage across the street cheered on in a symphony of nostalgia and anticipation.

Adding to the layers of the celestial afternoon, the band invited to the stage the likes of Thomas Mars from Phoenix, Dave 1 from Chromeo, and guitarist Brian Robert Jones, inducing further levels of indie revival euphoria.

As the show drew to its close, and the zydeco/country-rock “Cocaine Cowboys” medley fiddled through the air, a conversation could be picked up between two sisters in search of their Lyft driver through closed-off streets,

“I wish this happened more often.”
“Eclipses or shows like this?”
“Both.”

It’s moments like these that remind us of our shared humanity and the power of collective experiences; a gathering of souls under the same sky, sharing the joy of music and a wonder of the stars above. Perhaps it’s the rarity that allowed such transcendence, reverence, and gratitude to be felt. Either way, what a beautiful moment in time it was.

Here are a few shots from the Monday afternoon: