Among the Dining Hall staff, while filling water jugs or overseeing the dish conveyor belt, Japan Roberson cooks up ideas for his next song. Mr. Roberson first started writing rap songs during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that while he played a couple of instruments when he was younger, he has no formal training in music production or composition; instead, he has learned the workings of the rap genre by listening to songs and recording sessions.
One night in spring 2023, recounted Ephraim Tutu ’24, he and Tyler Long ’26 met Mr. Roberson while walking through the Dining Hall. After they overheard Mr. Roberson playing music while cleaning, Long requested that he begin freestyling. “Japan started spitting this amazing flow,” Tutu said, “and it was incredible, and since then, we’ve had this amazing relationship with him.”
Mr. Roberson’s songs are entirely autobiographical; they cover everything from his life experiences and feelings to his reception of the television show he’s watching. His latest Extended Play (EP), “Mind of JllR,” is about how he viewed the world growing up and how that perspective has changed.
When describing his music journey, Mr. Roberson shared how he played both the viola and the piano when he was younger; however, he only recently explored writing music. However, he has had a lifelong appreciation for music, saying, “I’ve always loved music ever since I was a kid. Especially rap music and old-school rap and a lot of it resonated with me from a young age up until now as an adult. I just feel like it gives me total creative freedom to just write whatever I’m expressing at the moment and just get all my feelings out in the best way possible.”
Regarding Mr. Roberson’s music, Tutu noted that ways in which he expresses himself. Tutu said, “He speaks a lot on his mind, what he’s thinking, and how he wants the world to see him; he has a vivid imagination and the way he’s able to put that into words is amazing. He’s really talented.”
Mr. Roberson currently creates all his music with a $50 microphone, laptop, and BandLab. However, he hopes to establish a stronger profession in music and said, “I would love to make it a career, but music is just something that’s so hard to tap into.” He said he hopes to share his music with as large an audience as possible: “Anything I make I want to show it to anyone I can kind of get it out to every person I can. The bigger the audience, the better.”
Roberson added, “I would love to work with [Deerfield] students. Especially singers I feel like I’d work really well with them. But if anyone wanted to collaborate, then one hundred percent: I’d love to collaborate.”
After listening to Mr. Roberson’s songs for the first time, Toby Fernandez ’24, who creates music himself, suggested that the production and vocal mixing could potentially benefit from better equipment. He also voiced his desire to see Mr. Roberson perform for the larger community, saying, “My sophomore year, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie came, and that would’ve been a great time to allow Japan to perform something.”
Fernandez said the faculty concert during Fall Term opened his eyes to the musical capabilities of adults on campus, saying, “Realizing that my teachers had these great talents was amazing. We should expand that more to employees and faculty from other departments.”
Tutu emphasized the importance of community-building across the different social spheres on campus, saying, “Japan brings a smile to many of our faces, and every time we hear his music in the Dining Hall, it just reminds us that there are a lot of people working really hard here that don’t get the light shined on them.” He elaborated, “If we normalized communicating and having conversations with the staff who work here, it would just build a better community as a whole.”
Going forward, Roberson hopes to release some music in the coming weeks. Summarizing his sentiments about Mr. Roberson, Long said, “Japan is a great person. Keep on the lookout for Japan, and Japan all the way!” As for faculty, they will have the opportunity to see him perform at the employees’ Christmas party.