The MC and collaborators discuss the ambitious show they’re putting on Feb. 26 at the Memorial Union.
Rich Robbins. Photo by J. Scott Kunkel.
Rapper Christian Robinson, who performs under the name Rich Robbins, released his debut album Nimbus last year while finishing up his undergraduate work in UW-Madison’s First Wave program. The featured MCs on the album—including Saba, K.Raydio, and Mick Jenkins—at first glance tie the album more to Chicago than to Madison, though Nimbus does include contributions from fellow First Wavers Sean Avery and Taniesha Broadway, and from Madison-based producers Since ’93 and *hitmayng.
Robinson will attempt to recast Nimbus as a (nearly) full-on Madison affair on Friday, February 26 at the Memorial Union Play Circle. In a show dubbed “Nimbus 2.0,” Robinson will perform much of the album, but with features from Madison artists including Broadway, Trapo, Janetta Hill, 3rd Dimension, Charles Grant, and CRASHprez. And within the album-performance sequence, some of the guest performers will play short breakout sets of their own, including Broadway, who is working on a new record and plans to release a new song the day before the show.
Robinson, Broadway, Since ’93 (real name Benjamin Karbank), and Mason Moore (a friend who gave Robinson the idea for the show) sat down with me this week to discuss their plans for the performance and why they’re interested in revisiting the album.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and catch WORT-FM’s weeknight news show In Our Backyard, which partners with us to produce these. Thanks to Dylan Brogan for producing this interview.
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