His name? Just call him Robb Bank$ or Tumblr God for now.
His age? You'll have to listen to his debut mixtape, Calendars, to find out.
The son of Jamaican parents, Bank$ was born in Brooklyn and
moved to Coral Springs when he was 7. His childhood was not made up of gangbanging and packing heat, and his songs don't bother to tell stories of that nefarious nature.
"It wasn't like I was in and out of jail or some shit," said Bank$. "I would never lie about that shit. It is what it is. If you down here and a nigga try you, fuck you going to do? You got to show the nigga what's up."
What was originally meant to be an EP, Calendars was released in mid-February after multiple setbacks, and turned into a 14-track mixtape thoughtfully drawn from personal experiences, in the process turning many heads in South Florida.
"Calendars is
everything that's happened to me from the last three years," said Banks. "From
bad breakups to I fucked this nigga up to this nigga fucked me up, my homeboy
died, this happened, that happened."
Sex, drugs, women, ex-girlfriends, money, general mischief,
Pokemon, Raichu is his favorite, and his preference of Chinos over jeans are
just some of the subjects he rhymes about.
"Navy Supreme Chinos,
closest I come to denim," Banks raps in "Counting," his first single and
video.
The reason for his preference?
"I was trying to be fresh for the hos," said Bank$ with a
smile. "I'm trying to do this shit different."
And there is no doubt in his ability to do so in a region
that has yet to see an artist with -- for lack of a better term -- "hipster" image rapping about taking Promethazine, watching Ricki Lake, placing bets in Yughio, getting served dinner by Game of Thrones actress
Emilia Clarke, and reenacting porn scenes with Belladonna.
"People could never ghost-write for me, bruh," said Bank$.
"Because, real talk, if you really listen to what I'm saying, it's all about
songs like 'Get It How You Live' and 'Summertime.' Growing up, everything I saw
from on the internet to around here."
And accompanied with a mouth full of golds, Bank$' content
and appearance started to draw comparisons to up-and-coming New York artist A.$.A.P.
Rocky.
The comparison has not sat well with Bank$ because he has
been sporting gold teeth since he purchased a set of six to the bottom and six
to the top from the Oakland Park Flea Market when he was 15 years old.
"I actually got rid of my golds," said Bank$ as he shows his
teeth. "These are the only things I got now is the platinum because too much
fucking comparisons for that shit. So I got rid of them shits. Every nigga with
grills ain't trying to be A.$.A.P. Rocky."
He admits to sending a couple of shots at Rocky on the
mixtape but says there are no real problems with him and has since spoken to
fellow A.$.A.P. member Yams and says everything is cool.
Life has become more stressful for Bank$, though, since the
release of the mixtape, and he has come to see past friendships turn sour over
greed.
The result is that Bank$ no longer works with the same
individuals on his next project, YOTS, and
acronym for the "Year of the Savage."
"I'm not getting shit," said Bank$. "I'm not eating right
now. I'm doing the same thing. I'm here on the block chillin' with my niggas,
you feel me? It's not like I'm in Paris on boats and shit."
Along with graduating high school this year, Bank$ is set to
drop his next single and video for "Finest," which Bank$ says will be directed
by someone who has directed Lil' B videos.
His second mixtape, YOTS,
is set to drop later this year but does not yet have a release date. Bank$ says he
has learned that patience and quality override the need to immediately push another
project out to keep your name out there.
"I'm learning you can't really put out good quality if you
keep pushing yourself," said Bank$. "You need to let yourself take time. And
I'm trying to take time, but that's just how my mind works. When I write, every
verse has to be personal to me."
Follow Lee Castro on Twitter @LeeMCastro.
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