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Passionate, Creative, Rebellious

Robert Rashid's debut album, "Self Titled," hit shelves earlier this month. A percussionist by trade, Rashid's precise articulation flows over feel-good beats.

My father – being the jazz pianist that he is – started me out taking piano lessons when I was about 6. I really disliked the limited physically that comes from hashing through beginning piano and got discouraged. I transitioned to drums, which turned out to be a wonderful decision for me personally. I was able to apply my athletic tendencies to my musical work. As a kid, I mostly wanted to move around and hit stuff and have that stuff make cool sounds, hence, drumming was perfect.

"Self Titled," was written in 2015, during a time of change in Rashid's life.

I had been playing professional baseball, which I had been using as my identity whenever meeting new people or catching up with friends. After being released from the team that I was playing for, I felt really lost and my confidence plummeted. I considered myself a failure and stopped going out altogether because I was unsure of myself, unsure on how I would introduce myself to new people.

Rashid's focus shifted to music and he began playing percussion gigs in Chicago. He put more time into his musical career, and bit by bit his solo album began to take form.

I started asking myself, what would I regret to have never accomplished if I were to die tomorrow? My first answer to that question was writing a solo album. The writing process evolved into a way to try to prove to myself, and hopefully a few fans that my ideas have value and can apply to what other people go through in their lives. I wanted to be as truthful as possible because I think we all deserve honesty even though we’re constantly fed fabricated thoughts on a daily basis through the culture that we’ve built.

Rashid's album "Self Titled," is available on Apple Music and Spotify. Go have a listen.