The Break Presents

On a random day about six years ago, a high school student brought some studio equipment over to his friend's house, leading to the two aspiring creators piecing together a song. One half of that team was Remble, a slick-talking California rapper who has starred in his fair share of memes this year thanks to his off-kilter couplets and straight-laced flow. The first song he made was back when he was 15 years old. In 2018, he made his proper debut song "Fortnite." This earlier version of Remble rapped faster, running roughshod over more funk-based, laid-back Cali production. Even back then, his tendency to rap frankly about real danger in the street paired with his sense of humor stood out.

The positive reception to "Fortnite" kept Remble motivated to keep rapping. Years of dropping singles and doing features turned into real buzz in 2021, when his songs "Gordon R Freestyle," "No Competition" and the Drakeo The Ruler-assisted "Ruth's Chris Freestyle"—released in 2020 on Instagram, which Drakeo saw after Remble tagged him and Drakeo subsequently hopped on the track—all took off around the same time this spring. Some of his newer tracks are making waves. "Touchable," the latest single off his debut project, It's Remble—titled after his ad-lib—has more than 6 million Spotify streams a month after its release, currently outpacing "Gordon R Freestyle" and its nearly 8 million Spotify streams since February.

"Will he perform when he has money right in front of him?/Run up on that boy and kill his cousin right in front of him/I just tapped his shoulder so I know that he is touchable/Put 30 in my chop, and then I turned him to a Huxtable," he raps over the church bell-ringing beat on "Touchable."

Now signed to Warner Records and tied in with Drakeo The Ruler's Stinc Team crew, Remble has done nothing but win these last few months. Shortly before It's Remble dropped last week, the man of the hour spoke to XXL about his career so far for this week's edition of The Break.

Age: 21

Hometown: San Pedro, Calif.

I grew up listening to: "So many different people at different times in my life. When I was real young, my parents used to play a lot of Big Tymers and Lil Wayne, and then I got a little bit older and I started listening to Dom Kennedy, Kendrick [Lamar], J. Cole, Drakeo [The Ruler]. I listen to so much different music, though."

My style’s been compared to: "Drakeo [The Ruler] all the time. My mom always likes to compare me to Eminem. And then a lot of people don't compare me to nobody. A lot of people are saying that they have never heard my type of style. Everybody can have their own perspective."

I’m going to blow up because: "Ever since I dropped my first song, I had the drive and feeling that I would break some day. I just was building off of that first song. I just kept dropping single after single, but I was tryna make sure that every song was at least, at least I tried my best. I was trying to make every song 100 percent. They didn't hear the last one, then they'll hear this one. I just kinda feel like growing up I just needed somebody to hear it, like the right person. I feel like it was always there."

What’s your most slept-on song, and why?: "My first slept-on song, it was 'A Hundred Bands.' I was feeling that song, I dunno. I just feel like it was slept-on, but I wasn't trippin'. I understood that it may have been ’cause I switched my style all the way. My fans were used to me rappin', and then I had did some Auto-Tune stuff. Now, I think my most slept-on song is 'Ted Talk'; it's almost at a million, but I feel like if everything is else is getting high millions, I feel like 'Ted Talk' shoulda been at least top three. That's one of my favorite songs."

My standout records to date have been: "My biggest song is 'Touchable.' It might be 'Gordon R Freestyle.' I know on YouTube, 'Touchable' has surpassed 'Gordon R,' I believe, and then 'No Competition,' 'Ruth's Chris [Freestyle].' I think 'Ruth's Chris [Freestyle]' might beat 'No Competition.' I love all my songs, it's just like sometimes, I feel like I outgrew my first few songs. Sometimes I don't even like to listen to those."

My standout moments to date have been: "I been living regular. The same way I was living before everything started poppin' off is the same way I'm living now. Everything is a blessing though. I don't take my blessings lightly, but I just be chillin'."

Most people don’t know: "I like country music. When I was a kid, I shared a room with my older brother. He used to play country music all throughout the house and in the room. It just grew on us. I listen to a lot of different types of music. I feel like there's good music in every genre."

I’m going to be the next: "I'mma be me, the only me. I don't know if I'ma be the next whatever, but I'ma be the only me."

Follow Remble on SoundCloud and Instagram.

Standouts:

"Ruth's Chris Freestyle" featuring Drakeo The Ruler

"Gordon R Freestyle"

"Touchable"

It's Remble