Stanley Robinson, known as Substantial, is a
hip hop recording artist from
Prince George's County, Maryland. He now operates out of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
.
His videos have appeared on
MTV,
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
and
VH1, while his music has made it to the second round of
Grammy voting in three categories. The car company
Bentley reached out to have Substantial’s supergroup, FANOMM (with Chew Fu & J-Cast) to create a song for them and perform in
China at their car show. Substantial is also known for being a close collaborator of
Nujabes
, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, b ...
, the Japanese producer who died in 2010.
Personal life
Growing up, the first concert Stanley attended was
Run DMC
Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history ...
featuring
Naughty By Nature, and
Lords of the Underground
The Lords of the Underground (L.O.T.U.G.) is an American hip-hop trio based in Newark, New Jersey. The group is composed of Dupré Kelly (professionally known as DoItAll) (born January 14, 1971), Al'Terik Wardrick (professionally known as Mr. F ...
.
Substantial has stated that some of his main influences are
Native Tongues
The Native Tongues were a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded, good-natured Afrocentric lyrics, and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and jazz-influenced beats. Its principal me ...
,
Outkast, and
Redman.
He is married to Rachelle Etienne-Robinson. They met at
Pratt Institute.
Substantial and Rachelle are co-CEOs of Substantial Art & Music.
In May 2011 Substantial underwent a preventative surgery to remove a potentially cancerous growth from his large and
small intestines. Discussing the surgery Substantial said, “The purpose of the procedure I had on May 10th was to remove the section of my large and small intestines, where the growth was located. As I mentioned before, I don’t have
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
but I have decided to do the
surgery as a preventive measure.”
Career
According to
Raptology, Substantial has performed in nearly 20 countries and has collaborated with artists such as Kool Herc, Verbal (M-Flo), Oddisee, Jeff Bernat and more. Substantial has licensed music to major brands such as
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
,
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
and
Uber
Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber), based in San Francisco, provides mobility as a service, ride-hailing (allowing users to book a car and driver to transport them in a way similar to a taxi), food delivery (Uber Eats and Postmates), packa ...
and also had his music featured in films and television shows such as Kevin Hart’s
Laugh at My Pain
''Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain'' is a 2011 stand-up comedy documentary film, starring comedian Kevin Hart. It features Hart performing a stand-up special at the Nokia Theater at L.A. Live
L.A. Live is an entertainment complex in the South Pa ...
,
Kill Me 3 Times starring Simon Pegg, Daytime Emmy nominated show ''
Tough Love
Tough love is the act of treating a person sternly or harshly with the intent to help them in the long run.
Description
Bill Milliken described tough love through the expression, "I don't care how this makes you feel toward me. You may hate m ...
'' and its spin off series ''
Pillow Talk
Pillow talk is the relaxed, intimate conversation that often occurs between two sexual partners, sometimes after sexual activity, usually accompanied by cuddling, caresses, kissing, and other physical intimacy. It is associated with honesty, se ...
''. Substantial has appeared in the documentaries,
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme and Give Back. In 2019, Substantial wrote and produced music featured in the video game
Renaine, to be released on the
Nintendo Switch and the South Korean online game Tree of Savior.
Substantial gained prominence after collaborating with Japanese Hip-Hop producer,
Nujabes
, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, b ...
(Seba Jun) and signing to his record label
Hyde Out Productions. Substantial's 2001 debut album, ''To This Union A Sun Was Born'' was a result of this collaboration. The album was a top-10 hit in
Japan, and he continued to work with Seba until the producer's death in 2010.
January 2008 he released his second studio album ''Sacrifice,'' which was the #1 in sales on website undergroundhiphop.com. In February 2008 Substantial was a featured artist on both
iTunes and
Myspace. Substantial was featured in the Rap/R&B monthly Black Beat Magazine in March 2008 in a full-page feature.
Later in 2008 Substantial's video for his single "It's You (I Think)" received the "Winning Freshman Video" award from
MTV. The video was posted on the MTV website, as was the following interview with Substantial.
In April 2013, while recovering from cancer, Substantial produced and released the album titled ''Jackin' Jill'' as a tribute to singer
Jill Scott. It is composed of 17 tracks built by from various Jill Scott songs. Being a free download, the collection of reworks and remixes of her work was blended by DJ Jav, while the artwork drawn by Substantial himself.
Substantial was originally with
Hydeout Productions
, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, ...
, and later became a member of the company
QN5 Music
Pedro Antonio Rojas, Jr. (born December 14, 1976), better known by his stage name Tonedeff, is an American rapper, producer, singer-songwriter and record executive.
Tonedeff first gained national recognition on the underground hip hop scene ...
. He was a close affiliate of
Mello Music Group
Mello Music Group (MMG) is an American independent record label based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 2007, Mello Music has released hip hop compilations and albums by producers and rappers such as Oddisee, Apollo Brown, Mr. Lif, Ghostface Kill ...
, by way of his working relation with music producer
Oddisee
Amir Mohamed el Khalifa (born February 24, 1985), better known by his stage name Oddisee, is an American rapper and record producer from Washington, D.C. He is one third of rap trio Diamond District. He was also part of the Low Budget Crew. He is ...
. In 2014, Substantial signed a multi project deal with HiPNOTT Records where he later became Head of A&R. He now releases music via his company Substantial Art & Music, which he founded with his wife Rachelle Etienne-Robinson.
In 2016, Substantial was featured by the
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
Music Program presented by Mid Atlantic Ford Dealers.
In May 2020, composer Mason Lieberman partnered with
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects.
Terminology
A ...
and
Funimation
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
to recreate ''
Cowboy Bebop''
's ending theme, ''The Real Folk Blues'' for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
relief. This track was released digitally and on vinyl and featured the original series composer
Yōko Kanno, original recording band
The Seatbelts,
Mega Ran
Raheem Jarbo (born September 3, 1977), also known by his stage names Mega Ran and Random, is an American underground nerdcore rapper, chiptune DJ, and record producer. In February 2015, he changed his stage name to Mega Ran, removing Random from ...
, Substantial and a collection of forty other special musical guests. Soon after its release, the track went on to peak at #6 on the
Billboard charts
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
for "World Digital Song Sales".
In December 2020, Substantial selected by Hip-Hop Wired for iOne Digital’s Creative Class.
On January 15, 2021, the
Hollywood Music in Media Awards
The Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA) is an award organization honoring original music (Song and Score) in all forms visual media including film, TV, video games, trailers, commercial advertisements, documentaries, music videos and special pr ...
announced their 2020 nominees which included Substantial for his work on the ''
Arknights
''Arknights'' () is a free-to-play tactical RPG/tower defense mobile game developed by Chinese developer Hypergryph. It was released in China on 1 May 2019, in other countries on 16 January 2020 and in Taiwan on 29 June 2020. ''Arknights'' ...
'' OST song, ''Renegade'' in the category "Outstanding Song - Video Game".
In March 2021,
PUBG Mobile
''PUBG Mobile'' ( Chinese: 和平精英; pinyin: Hé Píng Jīng Yīng) is a free-to-play battle royale video game developed by LightSpeed & Quantum Studio, a division of Tencent Games. It is a mobile game adaptation of '' PUBG: Battlegrounds ...
released a short film called ''The Growth'' via their official Youtube Channel featuring an original song by Substantial, produced and mixed by Obadiah Brown-Beach and Hexany Studios.
Discography
Studio albums
*''To This Union A Sun Was Born'' (2001)
*''Substantial Evidence'' (2003)
*''Sacrifice'' (2008)
*''Home Is Where the Art Is'' (2012)
*''The Past Is Always Present in the Future'' (2017)
*''Seeds'' (2017)
*''The Garden'' (2018)
*''Recompositions'' (2019)
*''Recompositions - Instrumentals'' (2019)
*''Bridges - Instrumentals'' (2019)
*''Dirty Sneakers'' ''- Instrumentals'' (2021)
Collaboration albums
*''Happy F*ck You Songs''
(with Extended F@mm) (2002)
*''Substantial/Burns''
(with Burns) (2009)
*''The Past...''
(with The Other Guys) (2015)
*''Always''
(with Algorythm) (2015)
*''Bridges''
(with W3alth) (2019)
*''Dirty Sneakers''
(with T.Lucas) (2020)
*''Dirty Sneakers: Relaced''
(with T.Lucas) (2020)
Compilations
*''Sacrificial Lambs (The Prequel to Sacrifice)'' (2006)
*''Substantial vs
Samurai Champloo
is a 2004 Japanese historical adventure anime television series. The debut television production of studio Manglobe, the 26-episode series aired from May 2004 to March 2005. It was first partially broadcast on Fuji TV, then had a complete a ...
: Beats, Rhymes & Strife '' (2009)
*''WINK: Something Substantial'' (2010)
*''Jackin' Jill'' (2013)
*''Art Is Where The Home Is'' (2014)
Bop Alloy
*''Substantial and Marcus D are Bop Alloy'' (2010)
*''The R & R (Remixes & Revisions)'' (2011)
*''Another Day in the Life of...'' (2014)
*''Winter Breaks'' (2014)
*''Present'' (2016)
*''Winter Breaks'' 2 (2020)
Guest appearances
* Aim - "Nightlife" from ''Hinterland'' (2002)
*
Nujabes
, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, b ...
- "Think Different" and "Blessing It -remix" with Pase Rock from ''Metaphorical Music'' (2003)
*
Nujabes
, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, b ...
- "Home Sweet Home" and "Lyrical Terrorists" with L-Universe from ''Hydeout Productions 1st Collection'' (2003)
*
Nujabes
, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, b ...
- "Eclipse" from ''Modal Soul'' (2005)
*
Nujabes
, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, b ...
- "Hikari" from ''Hydeout Productions 2nd Collection'' (2007)
* Kenichiro Nishihara - "Heart" from ''Humming Jazz'' (2008)
* Daft Punk - "Make Love"
Chew Fu
Chew Fu is a New York-based electronic record producer, remixer and DJ, born in the Netherlands.
He is best known for his official refixes for pop artists including Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Timbaland, Mariah Carey, Far East Movement and Robyn and h ...
Remix (2009)
*
CunninLynguists
CunninLynguists is an American hip hop group from Lexington, Kentucky. The group currently consists of Deacon the Villain, Kno, and Natti.
Early beginnings
In 1999, Deacon the Villain and Kno met at Club Kaya in Atlanta, Georgia at an even ...
- "Spark My Soul" with Inverse from "Strange Journey Volume One" (2014)
* Kenichiro Nishihara - "Power of Self" from ''Life'' (2010)
*
Nujabes
, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, b ...
- "Waiting for the Clouds" and "City Lights" with Pase Rock from ''Spiritual State'' (2011)
* Kenichiro Nishihara - "Rise Son" from ''Illuminus'' (2012)
* Haruka Nakamura - "Soar" from ''Melodica'' (2013)
*
CunninLynguists
CunninLynguists is an American hip hop group from Lexington, Kentucky. The group currently consists of Deacon the Villain, Kno, and Natti.
Early beginnings
In 1999, Deacon the Villain and Kno met at Club Kaya in Atlanta, Georgia at an even ...
- "Guide You Through Shadows" with Ra Scion from "Strange Journey Volume Three" (2014)
* Kenichiro Nishihara - "Waves" from ''Jazzy Folklore'' (2015)
* Kenichiro Nishihara - "Light up the Dark" with Precious Joubert from ''Sincerely...'' (2016)
*Kenichiro Nishihara - "Never Let Go" and "Our Song" from ''Elastic Afterwords'' (2019)
*Mason Lieberman - "The Real Folk Blues" (2020)
*Sinitus Tempo & Don Anthony - "Pathways - remix" with
Mick Jenkins,
Add-2
Andre D'Juan Daniels (born March 31, 1986), better known by his stage name Add-2, sometimes stylized as Add 2, is an American rapper who first gained popularity after the release of his second mixtape, A Tale of Two's City: Volume 2. In 2009, hi ...
, and Malcolm Jackson (2020)
*Priest Da Nomad - "Proud" with
Oddisee
Amir Mohamed el Khalifa (born February 24, 1985), better known by his stage name Oddisee, is an American rapper and record producer from Washington, D.C. He is one third of rap trio Diamond District. He was also part of the Low Budget Crew. He is ...
(2020)
*Mason Lieberman - "You Say Run" (2020)
References
External links
Official Bandcamp WebsiteOfficial QN5 WebsiteOfficial Youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Substantial
Living people
American rappers
American male singers
Songwriters from Maryland
American graphic designers
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American male musicians
American male songwriters
Year of birth missing (living people)