[힙찔] 로버트 글래스퍼에 대하여

저번달에 제가 타 매체에서 적었던 영어 글의 해석이자 재탕입니다.

오리지널은 밑에 올리겠습니다

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhzXK3275tg

Robert Glasper (로버트 글래스퍼)의 음악 속 가장 컸던 영감은 그의 엄마, Kim Yvette Glasper이였다. 엄마, 그리고 전문적인 재즈 보컬리스트로서, 그녀는 자주 어린 로버트를 공연과 교회 연습에 데리고 다녔다. 곧, 교회는 로버트의 주 무대가 되었다. 그의 피아노 실력은 교회의 주 음악가가 될 수 있을만큼 빨리 자랐다. 지금도 로버트의 연주에는 가스펠 향이 존재한다. 그는 Talib Kweli의 팟케스트에서 이를 설명했다, "When you play in the church too, you learn how to connect spiritually, with the music and the people " (너가 교회에서 연주하면, 넌 음악과 사람에게 영적으로 다가가는 방법을 알아).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0VO5wXzwNc

10대의 로버트는 그의 엄마의 작업을 돕기도 했다. 그러면서 그는 그를 재즈에 관심을 가지게 할 피아니스트들을 만났다. New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music을 다니며, 그리고 재즈의 가장 큰 인물들과 투어를 돌며, 로버트는 음악속 또다른 영감을 만났다. 이는 그의 동급생이자 유명 알엔비 가수 Bilal. 그는 로버트가 Common과 Yasiin Bey와 같은 다른 유명 음악과들하고 협업하는 계기가 되었고, 또한 로버트가 나중에 펼칠 "Experiment" (실험, 그가 그의 밴드를 부르듯이)의 시발점이 되었다. Double Booked에 등장하고 Black Radio에서 Lupe Fiasco와 멋진 훅을 부른 것 외에도, 로버트의 작품 속 Bilal이 차지하는 부분은 무시할 수 없다. 예시를 주자면, 그가 피쳐링을 한 노래 All Matter는 로버트의 첫 그래미 상 노미가 되었다.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLiVFoosqOc

2005년, 로버트 글래스퍼는 Blue Note Records와 계약을 하였다. 여기서 Blue Note Records에 대한 얘기를 하자면, 이는 오늘날의 비밥을 만들었다 해도 과언이 아닐만큼 중요한 레이블이다. 계약을 했던 전설적인 아티스트의 예시로는 Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane 등이 있다. 아무튼, Blue Note와 로버트는 Canvas, In My Element, Double Booked로 구성된 삼부작을 발매한다. 이는 로버트의 포스트-밥 에라의 시작이자 끝이다. 이 앨범의 조합은 로버트가 힙합으로 전향하는 과정을 보여준다. 특히 In My Element는 그의 협업자 혹은 전설적인 비트메이커 J Dilla에게 리듬적인 영감을 받은 앨범이다.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6dH8iBHzb4

Double Booked가 발매됐을 당시, 힙합 팬들에게 로버트 글래스퍼는 이미 익숙한 이름이였다. 그는 Kanye West의 Late Registration, Q-Tip의 The Renaissance을 비롯한 20개의 힙합과 포스트팝 앨범에 참여했다. 한 인터뷰에서 Late Registration의 프로듀서 Just Blaze는 Kanye West랑 로버트 글래스퍼를 연결한 경험을 밝혔다. "Me and Questlove found a young dude by the name of Robert Glasper, and we had him come to Baseline. He put some keys down, now homie’s winning Grammys left and right" (나랑 Questlove는 로버트 글래스퍼하는 놈을 발견했어, 그리고 그를 Baseline에 오도록 했지. 그때 그는 건반 몇 개를 쳤어, 이제 그는 여기저기서 그래미를 받지). 그의 또다른 대단한 업적은 Yasiin Bey (구 Mos Def)의 음악 디렉터가 되는 것이였다. 거리 속 철학가인 그는 로버트의 4eva에 먼저 등장하고, Black Radio에서 신문에 대한 아주 인상적인 메세지를 남긴다. "I tend to love collaborating with people who love jazz" (난 재즈를 좋아하는 사람들과 일하는게 좋아), 로버트는 Yasiin Bey와 일하는 경험을 나타냈다.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_hT61-E5kg

그의 밴드와 투어하는 와중, 로버트는 그의 매니저의 연락을 받는다. "Yo, everyone’s available next week. I don’t know what happened, but everyone’s available in LA next week" (내일 모두 다 시간이 된다네. 뭐가 일어난지는 모르겠어, 다만 내일 모두 다 LA에서 시간이 된다네), 그가 겪었던 신나는 경험을 상기하며 그는 말한다. 투어를 끝낸 다음, 로버트는 바로 LA로 떠났다. 금전적 이득이 없어도 참여를 허락했던 Erykah Badu, Yasiin Bey와 Lupe Fiasco를 비롯한 그의 친한 음악가과 닿은 그는, 대망의 앨범 Black Radio를 2012년에 발매한다. 힙합에서 네오소울까지 수많은 관중에게 다가가며, Black Radio는 흑인음악의 청각적 혁신을 일으켰다. 또한, 이는 로버트의 커리어에게 큰 부스트를 주었다. 그는 그래미 최고의 알엔비 퍼포먼스 상을 받았으며, 빌보드 탑 알엔비와 힙합 차트의 꼭대기에 거의 도달할 뻔 했다. 그리고 로버트가 Erykah Badu가 연주한 Mongo Santamaria의 스탠다드 Afro Blue는 오리지널을 넘는 성과를 이루었다.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6NjqujEy1o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_VI2QflNSM

Black Radio의 성공을 겪은 로버트는 바로 다음에 시퀄을 발매하는, 그야말로 할리우드식 홍보법을 차용하였다. "I just started offff the same way I started offff part one, except this time I was heavily on twitter" (난 저번과 비슷한 과정으로 앨범을 만들었어, 다만 이번엔 트위터에 더 오래 있었지), 다음 앨범을 설명하며 그는 장난친다. 다만 이 주장에는 진실이 있다, 전작과 2년 이하의 텀을 두고 낸 Black Radio 2는 Black Radio와 똑같은 공식을 썼다, 네오소울의 보물 Jill Scott을 포함한 다른 가수들의 집합과 일하면서. 이 프랜차이즈의 후속작, Black Radio 3는 제작년에 발매되었다. 이는 네오소울의 현대적인 모습을 나타내었다. 블랙 라디오는 네오소울의 측정기가 되었다.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0yKuHIutLQ

하지만, Black Radio와 Black Radio 2의 성공은 그의 팬들에게 좋은 소식만이 아니였다. 2013년에서 2022년까지, 로버트는 그의 디스코그래피에 큰 공백을 세운다, 그 기간속 스튜디오 앨범은 ArtScience가 유일하다. 대신, 그의 관심은 프로덕션과 사이드 퀘스트로 욺겨졌다. 시작을 하자면, 그는 Miles Ahead, 음악가 Miles Davis를 추모하는 영화의 음악 작업을 맡았다. 그리고 그는 Miles Davis의 스탠다드를 커버하는 Everything's Beautiful을 내었다. 로버트의 의도는 분명하다, "I didn’t want to do just a remix record, my idea was to show how Miles inspired people to make new art" (난 리믹스 앨범을 만들고 싶지 않아, 대신 난 Miles가 어떻게 새로운 예술을 영감시켰는지 보여줄 거야), 그는 말했다.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZTYgq4EoRo

그의 또다른 성과는 힙합 너드들에게 아주 익숙히 들릴 것이다. 프로듀서 Terrace Martin의 도움으로, 로버트는 Kendrick Lamar의 To Pimp A Butterfly에 참여했다. 판타노의 말을 빌리자면, To Pimp A Butterfly는 음악 역사의 벤치마크라고 평가받는 작품이다. 트랙 For Free?와 These Walls를 포함한 앨범의 수많은 부분에 손을 대며, 로버트는 Kendrick의 생각보다 편안하고 매력적인 작업 환경에 놀랬다. “Ironically, I went there to do more jazzier things than I was doing on my own, I was actually thinking of it like [Kendrick Lamar] was a saxophone player" (신기하게도, 전보다 더 재즈게 가까운 걸 했어. 난 켄드릭 라마를 섹소폰 연주자로 생각하고 있었어), 그는 표현했다. 현재 To Pimp A Butteftly는 문화적 현상으로 자리잡았다, 그리고 로버트의 연주는 수많은 리스너들에게 영향을 주고 말았다.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AChGszRGwI

Miles Davis의 추모를 빼고도, 로버트는 흑인 음악에 끊임없는 관여를 하였다. 그는 재즈 보컬리스트 Nina Simones의 반항적이고 다아나믹한 특징을 재표현한 Nina Revisited...속 주요 작업을 하였다. Radio Silence와 Black America Again에서 그가 선보인 프로덕션은 Common과 Talib Kweli의 사회비판적인 메시지를 전달하는데 도움을 주었다 (지금 추가하자면 이 시절 커먼은 사회비판에서는 거리가 멀었던 걸로 안다). 그리고 Our Point of View의 공동 프로듀서로서, 로버트는 Blue Note의 가장 재능있는 재즈 뮤지션들을 불러 모았다. 재즈에 대해 말한 김에, 로버트는 현대 재즈에 관한 아주 독특한 관점을 갖고 있다. "Back in the '50s, they didn't have hip-hop. But they had musicals. So, they would take songs from musicals and make them jazz songs. And that was called risqué" (50년대에는 힙합이 없었어, 다만 뮤지컬이 있었지. 그래서, 사람들은 뮤지컬 노래로 재즈를 만들고 했어, 그리고 그것이 범법으로 불렸지).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u92g3L33Foc

다행히도, 이는 로버트의 디스코그래피의 마지막이 아니다. 사실, 지금 로버트는 어느때보다 활발하다. Fuck Yo Feelings와 Dinner Party는 그의 커리어 속 가장 존경받는 작업물 중 하나가 되었다. 또한, 그는 많은 이들이 Denzel Curry의 커리어하이라고 생각하는 Melt My Eyez See Your Future에 참여했다. The Photograph와 같은 영화화 시리즈의 음악을 작곡하며., 최근 그의 재능은 영화 음악 산업에도 닿았다. Terrace Martin, Terrace Martin과 함께, 로버트 글래스퍼는 아직도 재즈와 힙합 사이 회색지대에 속한다. 혹은, 우린 그들이 새로운 음악 무브먼트를 만들었다고 할 수도 있다. 그들의 청각적 가치는 독창성을 유지한다, 그들의 영향력이 몇 세대의 음악가들에 닿을 것이라도.

추천곡 (제발 다 들어봐요)

Mood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emayZWybzIo

Ah Yeah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN0tFgLcp4g

Why We Speak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_VI2QflNSM

Popularized by the group Tribe Called Quest in the 90s, the collaboration of jazz and hip-hop has persisted through decades of time. Throughout the decades, one might find that jazz rap has gone through a bit of a change; despite traditionally being based on jazzy samples, modern jazz rap commonly refers to rap records with jazz arrangements (as seen in the works of Little Simz or Moor Mother). Leading this change was the renowned jazz pianist Robert Glasper. Featured in the classic works of Common, Kendrick Lamar, and Talib Kweli, his adventure towards fusing jazz and hip-hop became crucial to today’s soundscape.

The major influence on Robert Glasper’s music came from his mother Kim Yvette Glasper. Being a mom and a professional jazz singer, she often took young Robert Glasper to her quotidian performances, as well as her Sunday church gigs. Soon, the church became Robert Glasper’s first stage, with him having swiftly improved his piano skills to be the institution’s principal musician. The influence of gospel performances is still existent in his creative process, shown by his description in an episode of Talib Kweli’s podcast: “When you play in the church too, you learn how to connect spiritually, with the music and the people.”  

During his teen years, Robert Glasper also helped to accompany the works of his mother, in which he met pianists who would ultimately spark his interest in playing jazz. Attending the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and touring with the household names of jazz, Robert Glasper came across another major influence on his music—his classmate and an eminent R&B singer Bilal. Not only he open connections with other prominent artists such Common and Yasiin Bey, but he also embarked Glasper’s later ‘experiment’ to fuse R&B, hip-hop, and predominantly jazz. From featuring as a guest in <Double Booked> to performing an outstanding chorus with Lupe Fiasco in <Black Radio>, Bilal’s contribution to Robert Glasper’s work is remarkable. No wonder his featured song ‘All Matter’ proceeded to give Robert Glasper his first Grammy nomination. 

In 2005, Robert Glasper signed to Blue Note Records, an acclaimed record label which has undoubtedly shaped today’s bebop, having contained musical revolutionaries including Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. There, he released a trilogy—<Canvas>, <In My Element>, and <Double Booked>—which would go on to define and conclude Robert Glasper’s era of post-bop. With <In My Element> being rhythmically inspired by J Dilla—his collaborator and a beat prophet—the albums satisfyingly deliver the progressive morph in Glasper’s soundscape, acting as a bridge connecting his various musical curiosities. 

By the release of <Double Booked>, Robert Glasper has already become a familiar figure for thoes following deep into the music scene. Including Kanye West’s <Late Registration> and Q-Tip’s <The Renaissance>, he has contributed to more than 20 full-length records ranging from hip-hop to post-bop. Just Blaze, collaborator of <Late Registration>, shared his story on connecting Robert Glasper and Kanye West: “Me and Questlove found a young dude by the name of Robert Glasper, and we had him come to Baseline. He put some keys down, now homie’s winning Grammys left and right.” 

Another achievement was becoming the music director of rapper Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def. The street philosopher is seen in Robert Glasper’s ‘4eva’ before spitting his iconic line regarding the press in ‘Black Radio’. “I tend to love collaborating with people who love jazz,” Glasper expresses his affection for working with Yassin Bey. 

During a tour with his bandmates, Robert Glasper picked up a call from his manager; “Yo, everyone’s available next week. I don’t know what happened, but everyone’s available in LA next week,” he recalls the exciting announcement. After canceling the tour, Robert Glasper instantly headed to L.A. Having contacted his associates such as Erykah Badu, Mos Def, and Lupe Fiasco, who were content to participate regardless of the album’s ‘jazz budget,’ <Black Radio> was released to the public during the sunlit spring of 2012. 

Reaching out to audiences emerging from hip-hop to neo soul, <Black Radio> has become a sonic revolutionary in black mainstream music. The album also marked a significant upward trajectory in Glasper’s career. He was able to win the Grammys for Best R&B Performance, nearly reaching the peak of Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. ‘Afro Blue,’ a standard by Mongo Santamaria featuring Erykah Badu, was able to surpass the original by popularity—some Miles Davis there. There manifested a breakthrough in one’s career; Robert Glasper was clearly a producer, more than a performer. And the channeling crowd from the infamous jazz police station only further solidifies this. 

Following the success of <Black Radio>, Robert Glasper took the chance to try out the classic Hollywood marketing: releasing a sequel right after. “I just started off the same way I started off part one, except this time I was heavily on twitter,” he described his next album, while simultaneously displaying his witty sense of humor. Released less than two years after the predecessor, <Black Radio 2> used similar formulas as with <Black Radio>, while experimenting with a different set of singers including the neo-soul’s acclaimed treasure Jill Scott. The next series of the franchise, <Black Radio 3>, was released in 2022. It incorporated a more modern style of neo soul; Black Radio now became a measure for all the establishments in neo soul. 

Yet, the success of <Black Radio> and <Black Radio 2> may not have been much of a pleasure for his fans; during 2013-2022, Robert Glasper left a huge gap in his discography, with the sole studio album release being <ArtScience>. Instead, his focus moved on to his side projects, as well as production. To start things off, he became in charge of the music of Miles Ahead, a biographic film based on the well-known trumpeter Miles Davis, featuring reinterpretations of many of his original compositions. Collaboration with the long-gone performer has continued with the release of <Everything’s Beautiful>, featuring some of the most prominent artists on top of Miles Davis’s standards. While the album successfully gave Miles Davis another limelight, it’s up to one’s debate whether it was necessary or not in the jazz landscape.  “I didn’t want to do just a remix record” Robert Glasper commented on the album’s intention, “My idea was to show how Miles inspired people to make new art”. 

His next accomplishment may sound familiar to most hip-hop nerds. Connected by producer Terrace Matin, Robert Glasper performed Kendrick Lamar’s album <To Pimp a Butterfly>, which, to borrow the words of Anthony Fantano, was a benchmark in musical history. Touching on a significant part of the album, such as  track ‘For Free?’ and ‘These Walls’, Robert Glasper recalled the studio session being surprisingly charming and relaxing. “Ironically, I went there to do more jazzier things than I was doing on my own” he describes the intimacy of Kendrick’s recording atmosphere, “I was actually thinking of it like he [Kendrick Lamar] was a saxophone player”. Not having heard the result of his contribution, Robert Glasper was rightfully shocked when the album was finally released to the public. Since the release, <To Pimp a Butterfly> became a cultural phenomenon; the playing of Robert Glasper went on to influence the lives of millions of listeners. 

Besides the tributes to Miles Davis, Robert Glasper has continued to make noticeable contributions to black culture. He took a leading role in <Nina Revisited...>, a reimagining of jazz singer Nina Simone’s rebellious and dynamic qualities; his production on <Radio Silence> and <Black America Again> sparked the sociopolitical messages of Common and Talib Kweli; and being the co-producer of <Our Point of View>, he gathered and produced for Blue Note’s most talented jazz musicians. Speaking of jazz, or what we’ve been pondering for six pages, Robert Glasper has a fascinating approach to modern jazz and its frequent fusions: “Back in the '50s, they didn't have hip-hop. But they had musicals. So, they would take songs from musicals and make them jazz songs. And that was called risqué”. 

Fortunately, this is not the end of the era of Robert Glasper. As a matter of fact, Robert Glasper is now more active than ever. <F**K Yo Feelings> and <Dinner Party> have become some of the most renowned pieces of his career, and he has contributed to what many agree as the Denzel Curry’s best album—<Melt My Eyez See Your Future>. Glasper’s skill also reached the film music industry, composing scores for shows and movies such as The Photograph. With Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper stands firmly in the grey area between jazz and hip hop. Or else, one might say that they created a new movement. The sonic element of their music remains unique, even if their far-reaching contributions might have inevitably influenced the next few generations of musicians.

레퍼런스

Relevant to His Time: An Interview with Robert Glasper. Jon Wertheim.

https://nextbop.com/blog/relevanttohistimeaninterviewwithrobertglasper

Blue Note All-Stars - Our Point Of View, Blue Note.

https://store.bluenote.com/products/blue-note-all-stars-our-point-of-view?srsltid=AfmBOorXKBh_oxZLxRx_1yo9PPbv9eTDuurI0bN-2G4ulCQZ5UBTF5S8

Sunday Conversation: Robert Glasper On Herbie Hancock, Film Scoring, And The Past, Present And Future Of Jazz. Steve Baltin.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebaltin/2022/12/11/sunday-conversation-robert-glasper-on-herbie-hancock-film-scoring-and-the-past-present-and-future-of-jazz/

Jazz Pianist Robert Glasper on His Role in Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Jay Deshpande.

https://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/03/27/kendrick_lamar_s_to_pimp_a_butterfly_robert_glasper_on_what_it_was_like.html

Robert Glasper: 'A band like Radiohead really lend themselves to jazz,' Tim Jonze.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/apr/26/robert-glasper-jazz

Talib Kweli And Robert Glasper Talk Kendrick Lamar, Rap Collabs, And Lauryn Hill | People's Party, 
UPROXX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbGymZprEMs

Robert Glasper Experiment - Black Radio 2 (EPK), Robert Glasper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=andanPmWFzI

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