Rich Robbins
Rich Robbins (he/him) is a Chicago-based rapper, songwriter, producer, educator, and television host. He first gained recognition in college as a First Wave Hip-Hop & Urban Arts Scholarship recipient (Madison, Wisconsin), where he honed his skills and developed his artistry. In 2023, Rich was voted “Best Individual Hip-Hop Artist” in Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago. His music has garnered well over one million streams across streaming platforms and includes works with artists like Mick Jenkins, Saba, Mother Nature, and more. Rich’s most recent performances include headlining at the Taste of Chicago and Metro, along with performing at historic venues like the Apollo Theater (New York).
Beyond his music, Rich has worked in various capacities within the industry, including teaching high school students how to write poetry and music. As a youth educator in the creative arts and as a performer, Rich has founded several spaces for artists to develop their skills in a safe, welcoming environment. One of those spaces is Respect the Mic – a monthly open mic series that is dubbed as Chicago’s “most intimate open mic.”
His work is known for critiquing societal issues while envisioning new possibilities for the future. In his latest EP, Soft & Tender, Rich opens the conversation toward the intersectionality of fatherhood and Blackness. The EP has been adapted into an interview series that explores fatherhood from sons’ perspectives. The series is available to watch on YouTube, and all of Rich’s music is available to stream on all digital service providers.
Featured Artworks
Rich Headlining Metro for the Soft & Tender 1-year anniversary, 2024.
YCA's Every Word Counts songwriting workshop, 2024
Respect the Mic, 2023.
Image by @jayypeg_
Rich with Peter Kahn, Hanif Abdurraqib, Tim Seibles and students from Ohio Public Schools in Columbus, Ohio, 2024
Cast of Soft & Tender Episode 4, 2024.
Wicker Park Fest 2024.
Image by @jayypeg_