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https://victoria.rebelmouse.dev/from-new-orleans-to-vulture-island-rob49s-journey-prepared-him-for-stardom

From New Orleans to ‘Vulture Island,’ Rob49’s Journey Prepared Him for Stardom

From New Orleans to ‘Vulture Island,’ Rob49’s Journey Prepared Him for Stardom

Rob49 has persevered through a lot more than the average 24-year-old trying to assimilate into adult life. Raised by his mother while his father was incarcerated for most of his childhood, the New Orleans native still knew his future wouldn’t be boxed inside the Big Easy’s unforgiving 4th and 9th Ward neighborhoods.

Not many hip-hop stories begin with a stint in the National Guard and pivoting to pursue a nursing degree before finding success in the music industry, but that was indeed the case for Rob, who essentially fell into rapping after making a song in the studio with a friend.

The year 2022 proved to be huge in Rob49’s ascension, as he rode the relentless “Vulture Island” — which received a boost thanks to a remix from Lil Baby — to the biggest song of his career to date. It was all nearly taken away in January when Rob (born Robert Thomas) was reportedly one of 10 people injured during a shooting on the set of a French Montana video in Miami Gardens.

The Geffen Records signee didn’t spend much time on the mend in recovery as he’s been locked in the studio with the likes of Lil Durk, and returned to offer up his first project since the shooting with 4GOD II last Friday (June 9). Draped in an azure blue Amiri sweatsuit with crisp white Air Force 1’s straight out of the box, Rob49 is laid-back in conversation during his April New York City visit, where he could easily be mistaken for Knicks guard R.J. Barrett while walking around the Big Apple.

“As long as you’re doing better than what you did when you started this s–t,” he bluntly says of his mentality when it comes to gauging his current success. “I just want to make some music. I don’t really give a f–k about no fame or nothing.”

Find more from our interview with the rising star below, which finds him explaining why he deaded a Hurricane Chris DM, his appreciation for Lil Wayne and why selling vapes in the army nearly got him kicked out.

Billboard: How does the elevation in your career feel? This is a special time.

Rob49: I’m grateful. Just because I know — like I said, I got signed with 10,000 followers, and anything I drop right now is gone get over 10,000 views. So I really don’t give a f–k.

Not even sitting courtside at the New Orleans Pelicans games?

I’ve always wanted to sit courtside. When me and my cousin would get some tickets, we would always say, “We’re gonna sit courtside.” He said he was gon’ buy them — he had faith in himself that much. He winded up getting a good job in the oil business. He graduated high school before me I said, “I’m not making it to get that much money in three or four years.” I winded up getting it first. 

Are the seats free or do you gotta pay for them? 

Sometimes they invite you and sometimes you gotta pay. I been paying for most of them b–ches though. I be wanting to go to the games I want to go to.

[Curren$y’s] like Spike Lee down there.

That’s exactly what it is. They treat him like that. They treat me like that too. If there’s a three or something in the game, they’ll look at me. They f–k with me like that. They turned my [“Vulture Island”] up. 

The Pelicans just asked me to make a version of “Vulture Island” for them. I just ran into Zion [Williamson] at the movies. He’s like, “What you doing here?” I’m like, “What you doing at the movies?” We went and saw Scream VI.  

Who were some of your early childhood musical influences? What was your mom playing?

My mom was playing Beyoncé. I was listening to Lil Wayne, Kanye [West]. I like what 106 & Park had on. At that time, they were playing Hurricane Chris, “A Bay Bay.” He talking about doing a song [with me]. I’ll show you [the DM]. I ain’t never hit him back because he was looking crazy. He look like he lost all his sauce. That ain’t the same n—a. 

How about listening to Lil Wayne in that prime era of like 2006-2008? That may have been the most prolific rapper we’ve ever seen.

I liked the 2013-2014 Wayne, that Sorry for the Wait 2 and “Hollyweezy.” I listen to that s–t and I’m like, “Damn.” I don’t know nothing about Tha Carters. That skit with his momma on Tha Carter V was so hard. And the Free Weezy album too. I was like seven [during that mixtape run]. I wasn’t listening to no Wayne. I wasn’t listening to nothing but Beyoncé. All I knew was, “To the left, to the left.” No cap. 

What was childhood like for you? Were you playing a lot of sports?

I was playing football. I hated video games — I feel like they were for people I didn’t want to be like. I was outside all day stealing bikes and s–t. 

How about just keeping that relationship going with your dad when he got out of prison?

Immediately. My daddy used to get me from school. It was never about the money. He started working at Walmart and s–t when he got out. So he couldn’t go hard so it was more being a father figure.

What was life like during Hurricane Katrina?

First, we had tried to go to Baton Rouge and we stayed in a gym. They gave us these peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We had went to Houston, so I remember Houston for three or four months. Then we came back home. I stayed in the projects so it was bricks. The houses were f–ked up but the buildings were okay. They was f–ked up but not unlivable.

Did you really go to school for nursing?

Yeah, I was trying to do my prereqs. That’s like math class and s–t. So people say nursing, but I didn’t do all that. I was trying to go to school for nursing, but my partner said he wanted to go to school for nursing. He told me I couldn’t. I went to Southern and he didn’t end up going to college. 

I did one semester, and then I winded up dropping out and making music. I went to the National Guard after [high] school to get into college.I think that was one of the best things that happened to me in my life for real. That s–t make you feel like you could do anything. 

You were selling Juuls and vapes in the National Guard?

Yeah, facts — and they ended up catching me. That was before I even knew about Juuls. I felt like we was the first ones to really discover that. We’d see everybody vaping. They was trying to do it where you don’t get caught because these dudes smoke cigarettes. I didn’t get kicked out for that. I was about to tell them people too. 

I remember my first time getting restarted, I had got into it with this dude. He said I called him a racial slur or something. I swear on my brother that he was deadass lying. They tried to restart us. They called me and my dog from Memphis. We go downstairs, and they like, “Pack y’all bags, too.” 

I’m thinking they ’bout to switch our company, because there was two companies starting together — Alpha and Bravo — and we got the same graduation date. Then they got Charlie started eight weeks after us. So we thought we were going to Bravo. We walked through Bravo and went to Charlie. I just dropped my bags like, “F–k y’all!” They had nothing but 40-year-olds and we were the youngest people in there. 

Were there girls in the army with you?

They got girls in there. Girls out their mind in the army. When I first went to my job schooling, they had a girl in there, and she had a Twitter — everybody like, “This girl from Twitter.” I’m thinking she popping on Twitter. I’m in my room one day and they like, “You saw the girl from Twitter outside lunch today.” 

I’m like, “Yeah, who is that? Show me her Twitter.” Man, this girl was ass-naked on all her Twitter. She playing with herself. She that type of girl. I’m like, “What the fuck?” And she in the training with us. I jumped in her DMs. The whole battalion knew her but me. 

You kinda just fell into rapping too, right?

My same partner that told me I couldn’t go to school for nursing, he was the rapper. I was trying to get behind him, but he was trying to sound like Roddy Ricch. I had made a song in the studio with him. They felt like I was good at it before I felt like I was good at it.

Me and him had gone to a party and they had some live performances. He’s like, “Let me pay them $250 to let you perform.” I tapped him, “Our time is gonna come.” I probably had like 1,000 followers. The same people trying to pay me $60,000 now. That was like three years ago. 

In Miami, we had paid for King of Diamonds for a section for my birthday, and my people had got into it with them, and they wind up not letting us in the club. We sitting out there looking stupid — but now they just gave me that bag to go in that b—h [a year later]. 

YoungBoy fans were pissed that you posted the photo of you working with Durk. They thought you guys wouldn’t collab now. Would you want to work with him?

I don’t know what they was talking about. I mean whoever f–king with me, I’m f–king with it. It’s music at the end of the day. I seen that s–t. 

What game did you take from Birdman?

He just texted me. I remember when he first met me and I only had like 5,000 followers, and he was telling me that I was going to be the one. He just told me to keep going. That’s the only game he ever gave me. 

What’s the “Yeet, Yeet” ad-lib mean on “Vulture Island?”

Yeah, I made it up. That’s just some bulls–t I said on there. I thought it sounded good. It really was my ad-libs. I was just punching in trying to catch a vibe on the song. I remember playing it for my momma and she said, “That sounds so good but just take that yeet, yeet part out and say something else.” 

I’m like, “No.” She been a good A&R though. I remember playing “No Kizzy,” which is going crazy on TikTok. I think I was at 10,000 followers before I signed anything, and she told me, “Don’t release this song. The world not ready for this.” 

What’s the biggest purchase you’ve made in the last year or two?

Probably a chain. I didn’t even wanna buy that chain. I knew I had to get a chain, and I couldn’t keep coming with the lil’ boy chain — because they gonna look at you like a lil’ boy. 

How’d you go broke from your initial signing money?

I didn’t go all the way broke. I went close to broke. I don’t be tryna spend as much as I was spending. I didn’t have nothing to show for it for myself. At least this time, it’s not going to that no more, and I got s–t to show. Momma got a crib. I need to get a financial advisor because I don’t be looking at my account. 

Are you gonna drop another project this year?

Yeah, I’ma drop another project right after this. Probably like three or four months [later]. 

How are you moving differently after the shooting? 

Just moving better. Smart movements — everyone knows what smart moves are. I’m moving like [Drake]. 

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Keir Starmer won't stop migrant crime but he'll ban kids from seeing it on social media - Bev Turner

Welcome to News Originals with me, Bev, here in Washington, D.C.The inability of human beings to put down their mobile phones is destroying relationships and detonating families. Ask any parent of teenagers what causes the most conflict in their house, and I promise you they'll say it's the perpetual nagging of "Put that down!", the vanishing attention span, the boyfriend breakup that can't be left at the front door, and the school bully who now travels home in your child's pocket.We don't need a government to tell us these devices are harming our kids. We are painfully aware of it. But Starmer's social media ban for under-16s will do nothing meaningful to address the addictive and destructive nature of these platforms. Kids will find workarounds. Parents will create fake accounts to stop the constant nagging. Some children will simply be allowed access to Snapchat because their parents want them to talk to their friends after school, as kids have always done.But be under no illusion. For all of us, this is the creaking open of the digital cage door, dressed up as a welcoming velvet rope.Just as narrative control once meant that arguing against unscientific lockdowns rendered you a "granny killer," arguing that this TikTok ban is wrong will now make you a "paedophile enabler." It does not.Every right-minded person wants children to grow up safely. The paedophiles won't disappear. They'll move to gaming platforms or other sites accessed through VPNs. They'll go back to hanging around school gates, as they did in the old days.If you have any imagination at all, and can see where this inevitably leads, you know that none of it is good. It will fundamentally change the relationship between the individual and the internet in the UK, potentially forever.The addictive nature of the algorithm is our true enemy. Call out the tech companies for that. Demand to see their research into targeted advertising.One of the most pernicious stories I've ever heard is that if a teenage girl takes a selfie and then deletes it, her phone can immediately serve up a makeup advert designed to catch her at her most vulnerable moment.So why is it up to me, rather than Keir Starmer, to tell you about that?Have you ever heard him criticising the tech bros whose own children rarely hold a smartphone? No, not really. That might make conversations around the Davos dinner table a little awkward.Do you feel that any politician has genuinely helped parents and children arm themselves against this influence through tools or apps that actually work?Not a single MP seems to be begging teachers to remove screens from classrooms and homework altogether, as they have done in Sweden.The antidote to staring at a wall, as one girl said in an interview today, is sport. It's music. It's drama. It's clubs. Invest in our teenagers if you genuinely want to get them out of their bedrooms.I freely admit that parents should not be left to fight the largest technology companies in the world on our own. It is not a fair fight.I tell my children that their phones are designed to make them addicted. It is up to them to develop the discipline to put them down and switch them off.And as parents, we must model that behaviour ourselves. Mealtimes with phones out of sight. Not constantly walking around with one in our hand. Charging them downstairs at night.It isn't easy. But good parenting has never been easy.The cost of this policy is so significant that it's no wonder Starmer is presenting it as a parting gift before he is potentially forced from office. He is, in my view, fulfilling the ambitions of a global surveillance framework championed by his allies at the UN, the WHO and the WEF.And if he can get this critical piece of digital infrastructure over the line, he'll likely walk into a very well-paid position at the NGO top table, because it is going to make a small number of people extremely rich.Let me ask you this:How do you stop a 13-year-old from using Snapchat without checking the 30-year-old as well?You can't.So every one of us is going to have our faces scanned.We are effectively cut-and-pasting the Australian model, a model many assume has already proven successful. Not necessarily. It was only implemented in December last year. It is far too soon to know whether it has had any meaningful impact on grooming, bullying, self-harm, poor mental health, or teenage wellbeing more broadly.Yes, there has been a measurable decline in child accounts. But how many of those users simply claimed to be adults and created new accounts?That doesn't prove children are safer.We can watch and learn from Australia. But we cannot pretend the experiment has already delivered a definitive verdict. It hasn't.Starmer described the ban as "a huge step for our country." He said it represents our values and forms part of a cultural transformation in how children grow up.But the government has no evidence that a blanket ban will work better than targeted restrictions on harmful features such as addictive algorithms.In reality, this means that before you, as an adult, read a post, store a photo, or send a message, you'll be expected to prove your identity and demonstrate that you're a citizen pre-approved to access information.Who do they think they are?Empty our bins. Fix our roads. Run our hospitals.Otherwise, get out of our lives.The default setting of Britain used to be that the state left you alone unless you gave it a reason not to. That principle has been gradually eroded—and much more quickly in recent years.This isn't a boot stamping on a face. You would have rejected that. Instead, it's the slow erosion of individual freedom.Now you're presumed to be a suspect with a phone until you prove otherwise.They didn't ask you, "Do you mind if we build a national biometric database?"Because most of us would have said, "No thanks. I'm quite happy without one."Instead, they effectively ran a pilot scheme through online pornography.Almost a year ago, age-verification checks for adult content went live in the UK. Predictably, Pornhub traffic reportedly fell by 77%.That may not be a bad thing. But let's be honest: VPN sales surged.How many of those VPNs ended up in the hands of teenagers whose parents can no longer see what they're doing online?There were no marches in the streets. No television panellists screaming outrage because, frankly, unrestricted access to pornography is not a cause many people are prepared to publicly champion.But the government paid attention. Then it moved on to stage two.Apple and Google have now been ordered to install software capable of examining user content, under threat of criminal penalties if they refuse. Refusing to comply could expose executives to prison sentences of up to five years.And remember: in September 2025, Starmer stood behind a lectern and announced a mandatory digital ID scheme with the confidence of a man who assumed it would be popular.Britain's digital ID push isn't about streamlining paperwork. It's about hardwiring state power into everyday life.The public responded with almost three million signatures on a single petition—the fourth-largest petition in parliamentary history.He completely underestimated you.Public support for digital ID collapsed from +35 to -14.That was the nation telling the Prime Minister a very clear "No."And who decides which platforms are dangerous?There is already outrage online that Bluesky—the self-described "nice" platform—is exempt from this ban.I spent a few minutes looking through it today. It was a mixture of sunset photographs and some of the most bitter political activists imaginable, demanding boycotts and bans against anyone who steps outside their narrow ideological boundaries.I can see why Keir Starmer likes it.This generation of 16-year-olds has been given the vote, but not the ability to read about politics online.Perhaps the BBC will do that job for the government.This government doesn't seem particularly concerned about preventing violent crime, but it does seem very concerned about limiting what people can see and discuss online.Social media, of course, is not the first technology to transform teenage life.I remember stretching the telephone cord into the hallway so I could have a conversation without my parents listening.Teenagers are hard-wired to seek independence. They need private conversations with friends. That's important.They have always wanted spaces where adults aren't listening.A Snapchat call between friends is not the same thing as an algorithmically driven platform competing for a child's attention every waking hour.This debate has become far too simplistic.Social media is not pure poison.The real challenge lies in teaching young people how to live with technology, because they will have to do so for the rest of their lives.We teach children how to cross the road. We teach them about healthy eating.Why aren't we teaching attention management?Why aren't we teaching children practical techniques for putting their phones down?How to recognise addictive design features.How to switch notifications off.How to create phone-free periods during the day.How to sleep without a device beside the bed.How to concentrate on one task at a time.These are life skills now—perhaps some of the most important life skills of all.A social media ban may help some families. It may help children who are compliant and responsive to authority. It may reduce exposure to harmful content. For some, it may ease the relentless pressure of online life.Let's hope it does.But at what cost to our civil liberties?No law can replace engaged and competent parents, empowered teachers, and children who have learned to control technology rather than be controlled by it.Let me know what you think in the comments.Like and share this wherever you can, and subscribe to GB News on YouTube.See you again soon.

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