{"id":74355,"date":"2014-01-28T14:23:16","date_gmt":"2014-01-28T05:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fukuoka-now.com\/?post_type=feature&p=46523"},"modified":"2017-06-13T12:34:35","modified_gmt":"2017-06-13T03:34:35","slug":"roro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/roro\/","title":{"rendered":"Roro"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"fn182<\/p>\n

Roro<\/strong>
\nHometown: Orlando, Florida
\nIn Japan: 1 year
\nIdentity: Recording artist \/ music producer \/ songwriter<\/p>\n

Hailing from Orlando, Florida, Roro came to Japan in 2009 to challenge himself and breakout from the hiphop scene back home. The producer, rapper and songwriter started performing at the age of seven and producing music at twelve, following in the footsteps of his father – a famous producer and hip hop artist in the early nineties around the Miami Bass Era. Roro now lives in Fukuoka City with singer and songwriter Risa Kumon, after a few years of on-and-off living in Okinawa. Fukuoka\u2019s pace suits him compared to the slow, chilled atmosphere of Okinawa. He\u2019s on stage four times a month and produces tracks for artists worldwide under his label R2 Records, launched in 2012. Roro finds producing others artists\u2019 music as rewarding as working on his own material – he\u2019s in it for the love of music. In the past year Roro has opened for Soulja Boy, Chingy, toured with jazz legend Hino Terumasa and DJ Honda, played at clubs and weddings in Fukuoka. When he\u2019s not in the studio or on stage, he watches films, enjoys local foods, and hits Fukuoka\u2019s night spots. He just released his latest single \u201cDoesn\u2019t Mean I\u2019m Lost feat Risa Kumon\u201d on iTunes, and will launch his full EP in early 2014. See Roro perform \u201cDoesn\u2019t Mean I\u2019m Lost\u201d at the Valentine\u2019s Party on Feb. 14 at Hotel With the Style.<\/p>\n

Tell us a little bit about your background. Where are you from?<\/strong>
\nWell I\u2019m from Orlando Florida. I started doing music at the age of seven because I looked up to my father – He was a popular producer and hip hop artist around the early nineties – around the Miami Bass Era. So I looked up to him and I started doing music, rapping in a group called the Five Little Shorties. We did many shows and even got a chance to perform on national TV on the Jenny Jones Show. Then I started my solo career around twelve. From then on, I spent years doing solo production with many artists. Then I got a call about doing a charity event in Okinawa – and that\u2019s when I flew to Japan. I met Risa there and we started doing music together.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9952_Roro\"<\/p>\n

You\u2019re a producer, rapper and songwriter. What came first?<\/strong>
\nRapping and writing came first. Producing came around 12 and 13 when I really made the decision that music was what I wanted to do for life.<\/p>\n

When did you become Roro?<\/strong>
\nRoro is actually a family name. My uncle gave me that name, because my real name is Rolandis so everybody called me Roro for short. It just kinda stuck with me over the years.<\/p>\n

How did your father\u2019s success shape your attitude and aspirations in the the hip-hop music world?<\/strong>
\nIt shaped my attitude a lot. I always watched him practice and produce music and he never tried to be just average. He always gave it his all and tried his best to stand out from everyone else. So I realize that\u2019s how I am. I always try to find ways to recreate myself with my music.<\/p>\n

\"fotoShisa-R2_060_booth\"<\/p>\n

And did he have an influence on your style?<\/strong>
\nYeah, I think so. His production, way of thinking and his soulful melodies inspired me to become the artist I am today.<\/p>\n

After your first trip to Okinawa, what brought you back to Japan?<\/strong>
\nI just wanted to do something new. I wanted to see new things, have a new experience and meet new artists and people. When I first came to Japan I loved it and was inspired by the culture and people so I wanted to come back… and I ended up living here. [laughs]<\/p>\n

So when did you come back to Japan after your first trip?<\/strong>
\nI went back home for a little bit after the Okinawa event, and then I came back to Okinawa a few months later in 2009.<\/p>\n

How long did you live in Okinawa?<\/strong>
\nI was back and forth for a while. Then around 2011 I decided I wanted to stay. I came to Fukuoka last year in February.<\/p>\n

What made you decide to live in Fukuoka?<\/strong>
\nOkinawa is great, I mean we\u2019ve still got a place there to go back to, but it\u2019s just chill. It\u2019s kinda like Florida. Florida is kind of a retirement state and Okinawa seems that way too. So everything is slow, it\u2019s chill, but I kinda wanted something faster. Tokyo is way, way too fast, and Osaka is kinda the same thing, but Fukuoka\u2019s in the middle. So I think Fukuoka was perfect to come and start something.<\/p>\n

\"fotoShisa-R2_088_Roro<\/a><\/p>\n

How often do you perform in Fukuoka? Do you have any regular spots?<\/strong>
\nI perform pretty often. I usually have a show four to five times a month. I don’t have a regular spot I perform at, so it\u2019s usually at different venues.<\/p>\n

Who is your audience?<\/strong>
\nEverybody. People from sixteen to sixty. I think that working with my partner singer\/songwriter Risa gives my music a fit for everybody. She does jazz, R&B, acoustic, dance and I do hip hop and a mixture of different genres so I think people of all ages can enjoy it. I\u2019ve seen a lot of people over fifty or sixty come to the show and they liked my music\u2026 same with teenagers. So age or race really doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

How is the reception in Fukuoka compared to your home country?<\/strong>
\nI think I\u2019m received well. Even though my songs are in English, if it sounds good to people they will accept and like it even if they don’t understand it. The only difference from my home country is that they can understand the lyrics in the States, but it’s kind of the same anyway. If it sounds good they like it.<\/p>\n

Do you get much feedback from the fans or people at your shows?<\/strong>
\nYeah, I get a lot of great feedback. One of my purposes with doing music is to inspire, so to see people come up to me and tell me my music inspires them make me happy and motivates me to try harder. I\u2019ve even had people come to me crying after my performance because they were moved by it…<\/p>\n

Ha, that\u2019s amazing.<\/strong>
\nYeah. I was really surprised too!<\/p>\n

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Do you find any advantages or disadvantages of being a foreigner in the music\/rap scene in Japan?<\/strong>
\nThe advantage is there\u2019s not many people doing it like I\u2019m doing it here. The disadvantage is the language barrier and adjusting to the cultural differences, but I love Japan so I just have to learn Japanese and that won\u2019t be a disadvantage anymore.<\/p>\n

What are you doing that\u2019s different from others?<\/strong>
\nI think it’s my production, lyrics, concepts and the fact that I not only can produce hiphop but a variety of different genres.<\/p>\n

Are you mainly a live performer, or a recording artist?<\/strong>
\nIt depends. If I’m booked for a dinner party I may perform with a live band, but if I’m booked for a club event then I\u2019ll perform over a prepared track. It all depends on the venue and event.<\/p>\n

Your latest work is collaborative with singer songwriter Risa Kumon. Can you tell us about your working relationship with Risa? Do you perform live together?<\/strong>
\nI started off producing for her but we now work together on a lot of production and different projects. She also sings on a lot of my music so we perform together sometimes.<\/p>\n

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Do you collaborate with other musicians often?<\/strong>
\nYes, I’ve worked with lots of other musicians; sometimes for performances or sometimes just for live sessions and collaborations. Risa and I did a video with a Japanese guitarist called Toshito Tsushima in Okinawa, for example. I’m also in the process of working with some artists, dancers and DJs in Fukuoka.<\/p>\n