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Image via Rodney Tenor
Daily Discovery is a feature that highlights a new or recently discovered artist who we’re excited about. See the rest of our Daily Discoveries here.
History favors the secret weapon. They reside in organizations of all shapes and sizes, lying in wait until it’s time to strike. Fortune 500 companies have vaulted projects, individuals reserve special traits for opportune moments, and Brockhampton has the chance to unleash 20-year-old recording artist Rodney Tenor on the world.
The creative collective, helmed by increasingly idolized band leader Kevin Abstract, boasts a pop sensation in the making, a soulful R&B singer armed with a streak of nostalgia and a story to tell. He’s only just beginning to reveal himself to the public. If his potential translates, we’re better off because of it.
Born and raised in Connecticut, the NYC college student attended high school alongside a small circle of likeminded dreamers. Together, they formed a braintrust that grew well past graduation. Tenor has largely kept quiet since ditching his former pseudonym. He worked on fiction writing before concluding his hiatus with the November release of “Sex Club Radio,” a notable twist to the radio regulars of the early-2000s. The song stood out thanks to Tenor’s intimate and hushed delivery, breaking down rhythms over JOBA’s Neptunes-inspired production. Its followup arrives today.
“Prognosis Hypnosis” is a pick-me-up of epic proportion. Infatuation claims Tenor’s attention, leaving him mesmerized by the apple of his eye. But he also looks inward, proclaiming his right to self-confidence in the face of loneliness and solitary splurges. JOBA, another weapon in Brockhampton’s arsenal, returns to produce a piece of music that dances along to Rodney’s flows, exhibiting a personality of its own.
You’ll find the premiere of Tenor’s latest track embedded below. As you listen, read on for a brief but telling interview in which Rodney details the song’s creation, his appreciation of The Boondocks, and the digital beginnings of what would become Brockhampton.
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Artwork by Henock Sileshi
You and several high school classmates would go on to form what has become Brockhampton. Is there a special moment from that era that stands out to you, when this creative collective was clearly where you wanted to place your talents and drive?
No specific moment I can think of. But what often comes to my mind about those days was how attached I was to our secret Facebook group. I could spend hours upon hours, connected with strangers who shared an equally irrational thirst for inspiration. That has never stopped inspiring. And to that point, I’d never and have never felt as normal to be odd.
You’re finishing up school in New York as much of BH remains in Texas or Los Angeles. How has university helped and hindered your creativity?
It’s a unique experience living on a college campus. From a living standpoint, not having to think about where I’m getting my next meal, or how I’m gonna pay rent this month has definitely kept my head cool and allowed me to focus on other things. It’s truly a blessing.
I’ve learned a lot here, about myself and others. Being exposed to this plethora of perspectives has really made its mark on my artwork.
The struggle is just staying mentally sound. I’m isolated. This world that’s so real to me, this circle of trying creatives and excited fans, doesn’t exist in the minds of my peers at the University level. So at times it can be a lonely walk. But it’s certainly made me stronger.
You’re more removed from the internet than some of your contemporaries. How do you perceive the online and social world we all constantly turn to?
The internet is dope man. Right now it’s everything. You take the internet away from 99 percent of artists and they’re nobody. I think that just goes to show how big of a platform it’s been in recent years. It’s transformed the industry, and subsequently the accessibility of music has made it an incredible time to be a fan.
On the flip side, you’re constantly being marketed at. So it’s important to keep close tabs on who you follow, and what you’re exposing yourself to on a daily basis. I’m big on tumblr, and I keep a private Twitter account to stay up on what’s new.
Songwriting isn’t the only form of writing you engage with. How would you say constructing short stories affects your musicality? Are there books and film scripts that have influenced you?
Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes is probably my all time favorite. I’m also really big on Aaron McGruder, the creator of Boondocks. He has this way of assigning a personality trait to each of his characters and really stretching them to their extremes, almost excessively.
I’ve found Aaron’s skill to be an amazing way to approach song writing. Capturing that desired emotion or characteristic, and really feeling it and pushing it. Diving into it 110 percent. I think about Boondocks every time I write.
You recorded “Prognosis Hypnosis” last November. In what ways have you grown as an artist since?
Just stepping way more into my own sound. And remembering that the art comes from somewhere in the heart. Any artist that’s been doing this for some time knows how to make something that sounds good, sonically. But I’ve learned things that sound good get replaced by things that sound good. Things that make you feel, they make a place in the heart of your audience forever. The bloggers are gonna call me Pharrell [Laughs]. I’m excited to get off this sound and make things more original.
Would you rather make music kids request on prom night, or music played on late night car rides around town?
Late night car rides for sure. The mood of my music tends to change with my mood in life, I’m very attached to my art in that way. So yeah, I guess you could say there’s a certain state of being that interests me most. It’s typically the one I’m currently feeling.
Say someone was making a playlist with “Prognosis Hypnosis.” What songs—songs you remember loving on the radio—would play right before and right after?
Before: “Bartender” by T-Pain and Akon. After: “Pullin’ Me Back” by Chingy and Tyrese. That was a good question [Laughs].
Would you mind taking us into the creation of “Prognosis”?
It was actually the first time I was going to check out my boy’s spot at NY Studio Factory. I wrote to the loop [Brockhampton singer/producer/engineer] JOBA sent me a few weeks earlier that would eventually become “Prognosis” and I took it to the studio. It’s funny man, we laid down the hook and were listening to it back on blast when we heard a knock at the door. It was the studio engineer from across the hall. We open the door, he looks around for a moment, song still bumping and he’s like “Who’s this?” My studio engineer points to me. And he nods his head and says, “Dude, this melody is sick. I’ve never heard anything like this… It woke me out of my sleep. You’ve got something serious here.”
What message do you want to present with this project that’s on the horizon?
The album is about insecurities, and the effect they can have on relationships. More than anything, I’m working on making a tangible reminder to myself how I got, and how I’m getting, through waves of self-loathing.
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