Black Rob Reveals Rolling With Bad Boy Before Biggie, Debilitating Stroke (Audio)

With a new album in stores (Genuine Article), Harlem, New York’s Black Rob recently checked in at the Combat Jack Show. The former Bad Boy Records MC opened up about the struggles he’s encountered during his career, which pinnacled with 1999 crossover, “Whoa!” B.R. had no problem speaking candidly about a number of personal topics including his recent near-death encounter following a mild stroke, the different stages of his relationship with Puff Daddy, and the four-year incarceration that put a stint in his musical progress. As he willingly lays out his real “life story” for all to see, it becomes clear that the New York Rap veteran has overcome many obstacles in his life and this new set of challenges is nothing he can’t handle.

Like many of Hip-Hop’s influential MCs, Black Rob brought a struggle with him, from his upbringing. Jack and Rob clarify some NYC geography about where the MC was raised. A Harlem native, he was living in the Bronx with his aunt in his formative years, as his mother was a constant drinker and reportedly paid her son “little attention.” He recalls that while he was still in his mother’s custody, she would often be away at a friend’s house, once telling a young Black Rob “get out of my face” at his request for her to come home. Feeling alone and unloved, a young Robert Ross took to the streets. During his outings he’d end up sleeping in outdoor hallways, noting that there were no friends with whom he could spend the night with when he didn’t want to go to his own home. For fans of Rob’s albums, some of these painful issues likely influenced the urgency and hurt in his verses.

(8:00) Sadly, Black Rob’s troubles didn’t end there. When asked about his performance in school as a kid, he mentions that he actually made good grades, but was ashamed to show up because he was wearing the same clothes every day. It was this embarrassment of his poverty that led him to an early life of crime, doing sticks-ups on the streets for pocket money. He was eventually caught and brought to a juvenile detention center several times. During his many periods of detainment, the would be-MC said no one ever wrote or visited. This reinforced his feeling of isolation, so when he got home, he would just go back to the streets, get locked up again, and the cycle would continue. It became obvious to him that his rapping was his only hope for change, and in time he became very proud of his music since it was something that he built all on his own.

(11:00) After quite some time spent developing his skills as a lyricist, here in the interview Black Rob mentions how he was first introduced to Puff Daddy through R.P., who had seen Rob take part in Rap Battles in the New York streets. When he mentioned that he was an affiliate of the Bad Boy mogul, Black Rob didn’t believe R.P., and it didn’t help that this fellow Harlem connect actually owed Rob some money, which was, at the time, a pretty big deal. Despite the initial skepticism, Rob did indeed meet Puff, who personally insisted that R.P. pay his debt after Black Rob made sure to mention it during their first encounter.

(13:00) One of the most interesting revelations in this interview is that Black Rob reportedly joined the Bad Boy camp before The Notorious B.I.G., which, Combat Jack points out, makes Black Rob was a founding member of one of the biggest record labels in history. When Black Rob first got on board, Bad Boy’s star player was Craig Mack, who built an empire off of the now-classic “Flava in Ya Ear.”

(15:00) Though Black Rob wasn’t center stage yet, Puff Daddy had introduced him to a lifestyle he had yet to experience before, and Rob Was thankful for that. He was content with just getting weekly payments from making music with the label, but, as you can imagine, everything changed once Ready To Die blew up. It was then that Black Rob realized that he would have to step his game up if wanted his chance to shine. He and Biggie were cool with each other, and the more time he spent with Biggie, Black Rob saw the way he progressed diligently with his music and was inspired by it. Rob later reveals how he personally took the news that his friend and label-mate was killed, in March, 1997.

(35:00) As more info is dispersed regarding his time as Bad Boy’s center of attention, Black Rob paints the situation behind the creation of “Whoa,” and how the circumstances behind it were not necessarily the best. Had it not been for D.I.T.C.’s Buckwild, who produced the hit record and insisted that he work on the track, Black Rob’s biggest hit may not have ever came to be.

(53:00) He reveals the details of an emotional “Christmas-time” incident involving “Puff” that solidified the camaraderie between the two of them. It is at the mentioning of that event that the interview focuses on the topic of Black Rob’s health, something that, to his surprise, “Puff” could very much relate to since they were both taking medications for health-related issues.

(1:15:00) The memories become somewhat bittersweet here. While serving his four-year prison sentence, Black Rob was forced to deal with the fact that the Bad Boy operation was moving forward without him. He subtly suggested that his absence effected the team negatively and expresses his hurt over Puff Daddy never paying him a visit during his incarceration, but makes it a point to never speak an ill word about his long-term associate in this medium.

(1:29:00) Getting back to his health, the details of Black Rob’s stroke are disclosed and what follows is the most somber segment of the two-hour episode. He admits that he was lucky to have survived the stroke and still be as active as he is, but he hasn’t been quite the same since it happened. He was found in an unconscious state. Shortly after he came to, he recalls noticeable memory-loss that caused him to forget many of his Rap lyrics. His motor skills were significantly impaired and even disabled him from writing new material at times. Though these issues could have proved to be devastating to his future as a rapper, his tone on the subject is very matter-of-fact. He takes pride in the fact that he is living a healthier lifestyle now and is anything but discouraged for the future.

Somehow the ‘like whoa’ hero has managed to bounce back once again and is coming harder than ever in his new album Genuine Article. His contagious honesty and inspiring resilience has proven that he is just that. Check the full episode and see for yourself. It is sure to be one of the realest interviews you’ve experienced in a while.

Related: Black Rob Makes A Stream Of Consciousness Track, Talking To ‘Em (Audio)