If you’ve spent some time on the internet in the past couple months, you’ve probably stumbled across Rob49’s viral hit song “WTHELLY,” which has over 11 million streams on Spotify.
Not only has the song itself taken over social media, but the phrase “What the helly” and other respective lines in the song have become a common phrase in Gen Z vocabulary. I personally fit the expression “What the Hellybron James” in every conversation.
The artist Robert Thomas, also known as Rob49, is a 26-year-old from New Orleans who has made a name for himself in recent years by collaborating with big names in the music industry such as Lil Wayne, Travis Scott, DaBaby, and Trippie Redd.
Thomas started making music in the past five years — his first song “Crazy” came out in March 2020. Despite his fairly recent debut, he’s made seven studio albums, and his most recent one, “Let Me Fly,” was released May 23.
In a Zoom press conference May 20, Thomas shared his hopes for the release of “Let Me Fly” and some of his artistic intentions behind it.
“‘WTHELLY’ was a low-concentration song, you know what I’m saying? So when you hear something on this album, it's gonna be a lot better than ‘WTHELLY,’” Thomas said. “I just want you to listen to it, with the idea that it could be different music in the world. It don’t have to be the same over and over thing that everybody doing.”
He touched on the evolution of his music, and how he explored rap styles from different cities before settling into his authentic New Orleans sound and letting his lyrics flow.
“I used to think about everything I said, until one day my mama was like, ‘Bro say whatever comes to your head,’” Thomas said. “When I was making my last two projects, I was like, ‘Talk how you talk,’ and it started going for me exactly how it was supposed to go.”
Thomas has always had a deep appreciation for music, saying he drew inspiration from The Notorious B.I.G., Slick Rick, Lil Wayne, and brass and jazz band music growing up.
“I used to be one of them kids drumming on a book,” Thomas said. “I understood a beat, and I understood the average beat didn’t have to be ‘On beat.”
One of Thomas’ biggest values is making music that is easily understood, casual, and humorous; yet that doesn’t mean any effort is spared. All music, he believes, is pushing barriers.
He shared some of his visions for the future, emphasizing that his musical legacy is just beginning.
“I want to collaborate with all the young people coming up, just because I feel like the young people got the ball,” Thomas said. “I got so much more things that I wanna do … This is just the beginning of the growth.”
Rob49’s new album “Let Me Fly” is available on all streaming platforms.
Reach contributing writer Bella Blankenship-Miller at arts@dailyuw.com. X: BellaBlank6936.
Bluesky: @bellablankenship.bsky.social.
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