A Conversation with Jenny Robinson and 8earcub.
Aaron Cunningham-I have lived in the Dallas area for most of my life, but I have recently been introduced to its Hip-Hop scene. Whenever I get introduced to something new, I end up obsessing over it so I can know every single detail about it and Dallas Hip-Hop was not an exception. One of the more interesting artists I learned about was a female rapper named Jenny Robinson and her frequent collaborator/in-house-producer 8earcub. At first glance, you wouldn’t believe if I told you that she was a rapper, but after hearing one song from her and the 8earcub, you would instantly change your mind. Around a year after discovering her, Ray Andrews opened up for Jenny at a show she was playing at.
The show was first scheduled to be at the Lion’s Den, which is a house that puts on shows regularly, but because of inclement weather, the show was moved to a new venue in Denton called The Warehouse. All of the performers did well, but Jenny and the 8earcub really stood out. Personally, I loved their energy and you could tell the crowd felt the same. After the show, Trey and I were given the opportunity to interview her for the blog. All photos credits go to Will Titpton and Aaron Cunningham.
CONCERT
Trey: How did you feel about your concert?
Jenny: It was super great. That was epic.
T: I was looking at y’all and I was like, “They did super well. That was awesome.”
J: Yeah, you and all your boys in the front, we need y’all at every show.
T: (Laugh) We get rowdy. Because like, you know, when you’re up there and people are not feeling it, it sucks. And I know how it feels, so you got to show the love.
J: I would like pay you to do that my shows.
T: (Laugh) You don’t have to do that, I can do it for free.
J: You know what? If you get one guy in the front [hyping], everyone is going to start. It’s the same thing if you get a couple bitches to twerk front row at your shit, everybody in the crowd is going to lose it.
T: Instantly.
J: Yeah, everyone is going to lose it.
ORIGINS
Aaron: So, I guess… First question. Where are you from?
J: I’m from New Jersey. I lived there till I was eighteen years old, then I moved to Texas and I’ve been in the Dallas/Denton area since then, for about five years. First two years, I did not have any friends here and I would go back all the time. But once I started rapping, it was quite easy to make friends, so I stayed.
T: Hip-Hop has a crazy way in doing that. Kind of brings you into a new group of people.
J: And [8earcub] is from Carrollton.
Bearcub: I was born in the woods.
J: (Sarcastically) He was raised by bears.
T: You had to claw your way out of your mother’s womb.
J: He was feral. He didn’t know how to speak English till he met me and I taught him how to rap. (Laughs) I found him in the woods banging on an MPC. He was making beats in a tree, so I took him home and raised him.
A: So what program do you use?
B: Logic Pro 9.
A: 9?
B: Fuck that X shit.
A: Why not 10? It has some dope ass presets!
B: People on Logic X don’t even know how to use it. I’ve been using Logic 9 for five years and I still don’t even know how to use it.
A: It’s all about that Ableton though.
T: It’s true.
B: It’s all the same shit, just depends on who’s behind it.
A: I’m messing. But those are some dope ass beats.
B: Thank you, bro.
A: Like I listened to your shit on Soundcloud, but that shit bangs. That bass. Like god damn.
B: Thank you. WAV files man. Fuck MP3s, WAV files.
WHY DO YOU RAP
A: (To Jenny) Why do you rap?
J: Why do we rap? Umm…
B: Because we can’t paint and we can’t sing.
(Everyone Laughs)
J: I don’t know. We’re good at it? [We] weren’t so good when we started… Well, I don’t know about him (points at 8earcub), but I wasn’t that great.
B: I was always good. (Laughs) I’m just kidding.
T: How long have you been making music?
J: Two years? Maybe three years?
B: Two and a half years. Not very long. There’s other people who have been doing it for a long time.
J: We were solo before. But then we met and we were like, “Yoooooooo! You’re tight.” “You’re tight, too. Let’s work.”
T: So, how did you meet?
J: We were both booked to play the same show-
B: Juggalos! Shout out to Juggalos. If there was no Juggalos, there would be no us. I ain’t one though.
J: Like legit. [They] were real Juggalos. It was the weirdest shit I’ve ever seen in my life.
B: It was like the Texas gathering or some shit.
T: That’s some dope shit (laughs).
J: We met there and we were like, “Hey, you seem like a normal person.” “Thanks, you too!”
B: “You don’t fuck your cousin! Let’s hang out.” (Laughs)
RUBIX CUBE
T: (Notices 8earcub messing with a Rubix Cube) So, are you like a Rubix Cube master?
B: No, I just got this from her house. She’s better at it then I am.
A: How long does it take you to solve it?
J: I don’t know. I used to be really good at it, but then I didn’t do it for years. I just forgot. There’s like a right way to do it. Like there’s tricks and all kind of shit.
A: But you haven’t figured all that out yet?
B: Not me, I just started today.
J: He’s working on it though. He’s getting closer. The real testament of the Rubix Cube is not giving up. Because you want to give up. You work on it for two, three days, then a week and then you are like, “FUCK THIS.” So, then the real testament of the Rubix Cube is your will power and to not give up on that shit.
B: (In a female rapper voice) Play these stupid dudes like Rubix cubes.
J: You learn what kind of human you are doing a Rubix Cube.
MUSIC TASTE
A: What new artist do you fuck with the most right now?
J: New?
A: It doesn’t have to be a new artist. Who are some artists you fuck with the most right now?
J: I really like that crazy shit that makes you dance. I really like Die Antwoord, M.I.A., and I really like Grimes. I like that really weird shit that makes you lose it. You just dance and (roars). I don’t even know what they are saying.
A: You can hear that in your music.
J: Yeah, that’s the kind of music that I really want to make. Like you know, do as a side project or something, but that shit is way harder to make than they make it look. They make it look so easy, but it’s really not that easy. Especially, if you do it like the way M.I.A. does it. Her shit is crazy and dance shit, but she’s got all these hidden political messages. I had that album when I was a freshman in high school and I listened to that album for ten years and I didn’t even know it was a political album till I read a Rolling Stone’s article. Then I was like, “No shit… All that time.” I had no idea. Then I was like, that’s what I want to be fucking doing.
A: So, are you trying to have a Bad Girls type music video? With people hanging out of cars and shit?
J: With fucking Saudi Arabians drifting BMWs in the desert? Hell yeah. The day the video came out-You know as an artist you see something and your thinking, I wish I made that first. I wish I came up with that idea. That’s how I felt about that video. I was like, “YOOOOOO.” I was fucking dying. That was like the dopest shit I’ve seen in my life.
T: What about you Mr. Cub?
B: I haven’t heard Kendrick’s new album, but I’ve heard it’s tight. I’ve been really fucking with Big Sean’s album. I didn’t really fuck with Big Sean until recently, but the dude is onto some shit. People have been sleeping on him. Dude has had the dopest two albums come out in the last two-three years.
T: He’s just getting better.
B: Yup, he’s just getting better.
T: Yeah, but you should peep Kendrick’s new album.
B: I’ve heard a lot of good things.
T: Everyone’s circle jerking it, but it’s like really good.
B: I’m going to get to it soon.
J: (Points at Aaron and Trey) Do y’all like RatKing?
A&T: Yes!
A: I fuck with RatKing.
J: I fuck with RatKing super hard.
Will:(Out of nowhere) Yeah, we just saw them at the Trash Talk tour.
A: Yeah, I watched one video of them and I was like, “Alright.” But then I saw them live and I was like, “Fuuuuuuuuccccckkkk.”
J: Yeah, they are fucking crazy. Before they blew up, I saw them in New York playing outside of a galleria and they just had a PA system literally on the sidewalk and it was so loud. You could hear it for five blocks. We just followed the noise until we found them. There’s a video on my YouTube account that has like 200 views of Wiki just (screams) and just losing his fucking mind. Just jumping around and sweaty. It was before he got all his teeth knocked out. He just got all his teeth in his head [now].
T: That just makes him even more dope.
A: I mean, if you lose your teeth-
J: You’re fucking savage. Savage boy.
T: Or you could get some fake teeth.
J: I think he did. He put an Instagram of him at the dentist like, “Yo, Wiki getting new teeth.”
T: Have y’all seen those pictures of hockey players and it’s like the smile before and after? Like before with the fake teeth in, then after it’s gone? They look like fucking cavemen.
J: You got to be punk as fuck to get your teeth knocked out. Like, (tough guy voice) “Aw, it’s okay. It’s cool. Who needs teeth anyways?”
JERMEY BIGGS
T: So, I saw y’all’s video with Jeremy Biggs. That shit was very cool.
J: Lizard King? Thank you.
T: How did y’all get that?
J: I’m friends with Jeremy. Like really tight. Him and his fiancé, Sam Lao.
T: I really like his work.
J: I’m really good friends with them and I’ve spent a lot of time with them. We’ll probably shoot another video soon.
T: Yeah, he just made a new video with… Who was it for?
A: I know it was Sam Lao, but I forgot the other artist.
J: With Sarah Jaffe? The “Vision” video? Yeah, he has another one coming out with Sam and Blue that’s really tight. I saw previews of it. They got glowing things around their heads.
T: Oooh, glowing things. I’m into it.
J: Yeah, it’s going to be tight. He’s a painter too. He paints crazy wild shit.
A: Stem and Thorn?
J: Yeah, he’s got a clothing line.
T: He’s a renaissance man.
J: Yeah, he is.
CLOSING
T: Unless, you can think of anything, thank you for your time.
A: Yeah, thank you.
T: Yeah, keep making music. Y’all are awesome. I really enjoy y’all’s music.
J: Thank you. Tell your viewers to stay tuned because we are going to drop a project. I don’t know when, but it’s going to be good.
T: What’s the new project going to be called?
J: We don’t know yet.
B: [It’s called] Fuck the Name of the Project.
T: (Laughs) Thank you again for letting us interview you.
If you want to learn more about Jenny and the 8earcub links are here:
Jenny Robinson’s Bandcamp:https://jennyrobinson.bandcamp.com/
Jenny Robinson’s Twitter:https://twitter.com/JENNYmfROBINSON
8earcub’s Twitter:https://twitter.com/8earcub
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