It’s a fun time when Robbie Z uploads to social media. His propensity for colourful clothing and scenic backgrounds paints a playful joie de vivre that is represented also in him music.
He hails from the Bulgarian capital Sofia but resides in London, quietly honing his hip-Hop-inspired songwriting. And his progression has been promising.
His latest release, ‘5 Dollars & A Dream’ is his best to date. While songs like ‘ADULT BABY’ Were well produced, they lacked the strong choruses of much of the American trap that evidently influences his music.
Months later and ‘5 Dollars & A Dream’ does the opposite. Sung choruses to juxtapose rapped verses allow the 21-year-old to deliver something catchier, and in the process, heartfelt.
It’s the simplest of subjects. He has a dream and five dollars to help him get there. The trope is well established but with lyrics like ‘I either kill it or make it, no in between’ – Robbie Z makes the intensity of the situation all the more realistic.
He dives deeper into his surroundings during verses too, discussing the dissolution of family and other heavier topics. He rarely elaborates a great deal, but he does well to pack so much into a relatively short song.
Stylistically, Robbie Z is somewhere between Tyler, the Creator’s oddball hip-hop energy and the staccato flows of Eminem’s recent output, which results in a peculiar aesthetic, one that will be a touch hit-or-miss with some audiences.
But if anything, that may be his greatest strength. Within a landscape of over-exposed and diluted trap and hip-hop, Robbie Z has crafted a definitive sound of his own.
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