RMR

RMR is always a few steps ahead. He laces living and breathing soundscapes with the kinds of melodies that exist independent of eras and styles. There are flourishes and flexes you could associate with hip-hop, but there are also sky-high hooks that are unabashedly stadium rock. If you need a comparison, think Metro Boomin producing Def Leppard—and you’re in the right universe. It’s almost like he’s cooking up nostalgic anthems from somewhere in the future. That definitely holds true when it comes to his 2024 full-length, releasing in partnership with AWAL.

Shedding his signature mask and stretching his voice, he’s ready to introduce himself…

“RMR is the man under the mask,” he notes. “RMR is a West African-born and Minnesota-bred young black guy who is influenced by many different cultures and chooses to express himself through his music.”

A few years back, RMR stormed the culture and was met with critical applause and fan adoration in 2020. He never quite fit in a box though. His introduction was the viral “RASCAL”—a Frankenstein-style reinvention of Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road.” He zigged and zagged again, uniting with two of the hottest rappers alive Future and Lil Baby for “DEALER.” It posted up 33 million Spotify streams and set the stage for his unanimously celebrated full-length debut, DRUG DEALING IS A LOST ART—which incited the praise of Rolling Stone, NME, and more. He continued to follow his own muse though. Free from the major label system, he doled out “CRAZY” [feat. Ryan Lewis] and “FEVER” during 2023. HYPEBEAST hailed the latter as “a glimpse into the journey of the artist.”

As the sound evolved, he made an important decision to remove the ski mask he had been synonymous with since his emergence…

“For every artist, tearing back that layer of vulnerability is always scary,” he admits. “I wanted to do it of my own accord though. I’m not pivoting in terms of my art, but you could say I’m showing you more. It’s that time for me.”

Fittingly, he ignites this chapter with the single “Rings On Saturn.” A swooning soul sample bleeds into cinematic piano as RMR’s seismic delivery takes hold. His vocals reverberate over searing guitar and 808s as he proclaims, “I need you,” topped off by fiery falsetto.

It feels as if he’s letting a burst of light through the window after a long night.

“I grew up hearing Journey at football games in Minnesota,” he recalls. “So, I’m tapping into the glam rock era. It’s outside of the box. I haven’t heard anybody besides Greta Van Fleet take it here in this decade. I tried to make a song that felt nostalgically now. It transcends generations and my parents could listen to it. Lyrically, I’m writing a song for my unborn children in the first verse then it gets into longing for someone you’ve been looking for your whole life. You realize happiness is actually within, so you’re the person you’ve been longing for.”

In the end, RMR’s music might just be the perfect soundtrack to your own self-discovery too. “There are unlimited layers in the music,” he leaves off. “Even if I’m taking off the mask, the music is still the focus—like it always was. It’s bright, and the masses can hopefully relate.”