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New York City has long been considered the Mecca of Hiphop, but in recent years Dre Robinson has done more than enough to put his name and Boston on the Hiphop map. With the combination of impassioned delivery and hard-hitting lyrics, Dre Robinson has done his part to turn heads to the talent that this city has to offer. With three hits already under his belt (‘Get Right’ featuring Mobb Deep, ‘Oh Yeah’ featuring Dakari, and ‘This Is That’) and a growing national profile, Mass Appeal recording artist Dre Robinson is proving that he is a force within the industry and here to stay.
Music came naturally to Dre as a youth in Dorchester. Writing was an outlet for him to express himself and all of the struggles that he had gone through. “Growing up in the hood and without a father forced me to see and experience things that most people don’t, so music became my weapon. I was able to express who I was through the pen.” It wasn’t until he heard Nas’ Illmatic, however, that he was inspired to start rapping. The grittiness and realness of his rhymes were unmatched at that time, and had a familiarity that Dre related to. “I would play Illmatic over and over again and just absorb what Nas was saying. His words were so powerful and I loved his raw street swagger. It was at that moment I knew I wanted to enter the game and show the world what I had to offer.” Hiphop became a refuge for Dre, a channel for him to portray the everyday struggles of the street life that he witnessed. Dre was able to draw from his experiences on the street and turn it into something positive through his music. This authenticity is a characteristic that few can match and has set him apart from most cats in the game.
What started as a hobby soon became a desire for Dre, and eventually the music industry became a reality. With a crew of his friends Dre formed the Mic Commandos who caught the attention of Joey Fergus Jr. better known as Joey Politics, who was doing A&R work for a local label. But when the label decided to focus on other projects Joey formed Pollymore Music in order to ensure that the world heard Dre’s flow. It was then that Dre teamed with DJ J-Saki and started the 3 part Starvin’ series and flooded the streets with freestyles and mixtapes to help build the buzz. That buzz reached Mass Appeal label head Marcus “DL” Siskind and his head of A&R, DJ Gee Spin. In Gee Spin’s eyes it was simple, “I knew from the first verse, I wanted to work with Dre, the passion in his flow and the fact that he did 50 bars straight (without a curse), made me excited about Hiphop again. He just has ‘it’. Whatever ‘it’ is, he has ‘it’.”
Nowadays with bubble gum rap taking over the airways, the hip-hop game as become more about gimmicks than substance and lyrics. Dre Robinson however, is a breath of fresh air. Dre’s attention to content and his raw lyrics bring hip-hop back to a place of originality and time when true lyricism and street hip-hop reigned. “I am Hiphop. It’s what I live every day of my life. Hiphop isn’t a gimmick for me, I want people to hear my music and relate. It’s not about how much money is made off of hits, it’s about how the music effects its listeners; if it reaches them on a personal level.” And that is exactly what Dre has been doing. The Jamaican-born, Boston-based lyricist has kept the clubs and radio burning. Powered by a remix featuring Mobb Deep (no strangers to thuggish club bangers themselves) ‘Get Right’ jumped into the club set lists and mixes of some of the nation’s biggest DJ’s. Jam’n 94.5’s Gee Spin, Hot 97 Boston’s Chubby Chubb and Statik Selektah all have it as a part of their mixes and Hot 97 New York’s Cipha Sounds and DJ Enuff as well as Power 105’s Spinbad have given the song play.
To further demonstrate his versatility within this industry, Dre has also made a name for himself in the print, television, and online worlds. He has been the subject of a Boston Globe Calendar section cover story on the Boston hip-hop scene. The Boston Phoenix spotlighted him in their New England Product column. Along with being the subject of the column Dre has been getting spins on the NEP show on alternative rock station WFNX, getting played on the New England Product show on WFNX. Recent fame does not seem to faze Dre, though, “I am still amazed when I hear people responding to my work. It just feels good to have that support. Believe me I appreciate it because I know it’s not promised.” This is one of many accolades Dre has received as he readies his debut. In the May 2005 issue of the Source Magazine he was spotlighted in the Off The Radar column as an MC on the verge of making a national impact. In addition he was picked as one of the Boston Globe's Top Ten Local Artists To Watch 2005 and was the subject of a Boston Globe Calendar section cover story on Boston Hiphop.
With the debut of his first album, This Is Me, looming in the near future Dre has been busy in the studio writing and recording tracks. “I don’t want my fans to think I’ve forgotten about them. I’ve just been trying to stay focused, but the album is coming and it is something I’m very proud of.” Without a doubt Dre has proved that he is a staying power within the Hiphop industry and with the release of his first album, the possibilities are endless as to what he will do in the future.
