If there’s one thing Houston rapper Rob G. has in this world, it’s experience. From appearing on MTV in a Roc-A-Fella sponsored rhyme battle against the nations Top Battle Rappers like Wreckognize and TJ Swann to escaping death in a drug deal gone wrong to witnessing the death of his father at the age of 12, this artist’s life has been nothing short of breathtaking. Another thing Rob G. has, that comes as a direct result of said experiences, is superior mic skills. Hailing from a city where game and affiliations at times trump verbal dexterity and lyricism, Rob G. is a shining star in a hazy town that has produced some of hip-hop’s hardest artists. Rob G. was born in Chicago, the son of two immigrants from Uruguay – a small country in South America. His family moved to Houston when he was three years old to the Southwest side of town, an area known for it’s cultural diversity and high levels of poverty. “My parents were illegal immigrants.” Rob G. remembers as he sits in his label – Latium Entertainment’s – palatial office, also on Houston’s Southwest side. “I come from those parents who came to this country with nothing, and didn’t even speak English but worked hard to make a better life for their family.” Rob G. knows a little something about the grind, having worked with his mother doing whatever it took to survive since the age of 12 – just after his father passed from cancer. “When my father died, that left me with just my mom.” He remembers, “I watched him go from a strong healthy man, to skin and bones in front of my face. My sister was already grown and kind of doing her own thing, so I didn’t see much of her at the time. That was a tough time in my life. I was so young and it really made me a man ahead of my time. I literally worked everyday of my life since I was 12, with my mom cleaning buildings and all types of odd jobs and I actually took pride in that. I felt like I had a purpose, like God wanted me to go through these things to make me a stronger person.” But like many young people from his neighborhood, the everyday 9 to 5 hustle wasn’t really for him. Rob G. wanted bigger and better things for his family, so he turned to the streets in hopes of making a better, at least more profitable life for his family. “When I was about 13 years old,” Rob G. continues, “I kind of became a little rebel. I started running the streets and embraced the lifestyle associated with it. I started smoking weed, drinking and acting a fool all the time. I started small time hustling during high school, and eventually started making bigger moves and got deeper into the game.” As time passed, Rob got more and more serious about the street game, but as he was learning lessons from the streets and making a name for himself in all the wrong ways, he began to turn to music as an escape. A deft lyricist with a natural flair and style from day one, the more he rapped, the more people recognized him and he quickly realized that music was the way for him. “I’ve dealt with people who have really done it,” He continues, “people who have done ten years conspiracy and is doing life behind this stuff and I thank God that these people were placed in my life and cared enough about me to tell me, ‘Alright you’re doing what you have to do right now, but this isn’t the life you want for yourself. You are gonna end up in jail or dead, and there’s no other way to put it.’ No matter what I did, no matter how many pounds I sold or birds I was flipping, I knew that music was gonna be my thing. As I progressed musically, the only reason I was still in the dope game was so I could pursue this music thing. At the end of the day I don’t want to be viewed as a dope dealer. I did what I had to do to put food on the table and pay my bills. All the things I did on the streets is just one of the many chapters in my life that I share with the public through my music.” Fresh out of high school and still running the streets, Rob G. had to make a decision. His wife was pregnant with his first baby, so he decided to join the Navy. However he was kicked out after just one month of boot camp for smoking marijuana. When he got home his position in the drug game got deeper, as did his passion for success in hip-hop. He had a wife, a child and a house to take care of in addition to his beloved mother and began to take more chances each day. “What really changed my life was when my son turned one,” Rob G. remembers, “I was just 20 years old, and this was the hardest period of my life. A week after my son turned one-year-old, my wife was diagnosed with cancer. Three days after that happened, I almost got killed in a deal that went wrong. It had nothing to do with me, it was just that I was getting too greedy and I got up in a bad situation. I had guns to my head, the whole nine. With that I was like, ‘Whoa, where am I going? What am I doing with my life?’ That was the biggest eye opener ever to me. I saw how real and how serious it gets out here, and how one wrong decision can change your life forever. My son was almost left without a father and my house without a provider over a couple thousand bucks I was gonna make.” At that point he began to really pursue his music career. “I started battle rapping a lot.” Rob G. is known as one of the fiercest mic-rippers in the south. “That went good for me. I won a big ass contest here in Houston out of like 400 MCs. I went up to MTV to do the battle they had that was hosted by Roc A Fella and they had the Top 8 battle MC’s in the country and I was one of them.” After years of passing his demos to Charles Chavez of Latium Entertainment, only to have the burgeoning CEO tell him that he’s ‘not quite ready’ every time, he finally produced something that piqued his interest and soon after signed to the ..1 Latin powerhouse in the south. Since signing he’s worked with producers like Happy Perez, Play-N-Skillz, Cory Mo and T. Gray, and has recorded with major artists like Chamillionaire, Frankie J. and Natalie. He’s also set to appear in an upcoming MTV film starring Ciara called All You’ve Got, and has performed across the country. His SWAT (South West Alief Texas) crew began gaining fans across the state and he’s finally receiving the buzz he’s always felt he deserved. His first legit single, “Houston’s Got a Problem” from his wildly popular Rob G. Campaign Mix Tape took a look at his city, currently sitting on top of the hip-hop nation, and let the world know that there’s more to the 4th largest city in the U.S. than just candy paint and codeine. Rob G. is poised to be the next big voice in Houston. You can get with him now, or just pretend you were down when he hits the top of the charts. “I want to be the next Latin legend.” He says in closing. “I want to be the voice of the people and the voice of the streets. I want to represent what’s real. I can rap in English or Spanish and I want to speak for the people that might not have the voice to speak.” And given his companies track record and the talent he is bringing to the table, that should be no problem.