Stanley Robinson, known as Substantial, is a hip hop recording artist from

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrooks ( ...

. He now operates out of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

. His videos have appeared on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, BET and VH1, while his music has made it to the second round of

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

voting in three categories. The car company

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, Nort ...

reached out to have Substantial’s supergroup, FANOMM (with Chew Fu & J-Cast) to create a song for them and perform in China at their car show. Substantial is also known for being a close collaborator of

Nujabes , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, ...

, the Japanese producer who died in 2010.

Personal life

Growing up, the first concert Stanley attended was

Run DMC Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history ...

featuring Naughty By Nature, and

Lords of the Underground The Lords of the Underground (L.O.T.U.G.) is an American hip-hop trio based in Newark, New Jersey. The group is composed of Dupré Kelly (professionally known as DoItAll) (born January 14, 1971), Al'Terik Wardrick (professionally known as Mr. F ...

. Substantial has stated that some of his main influences are

Native Tongues The Native Tongues were a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded, good-natured Afrocentric lyrics, and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and jazz-influenced beats. Its principal me ...

, Outkast, and Redman. He is married to Rachelle Etienne-Robinson. They met at

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was founded in 1887 ...

. Substantial and Rachelle are co-CEOs of Substantial Art & Music. In May 2011 Substantial underwent a preventative surgery to remove a potentially cancerous growth from his large and

small intestine The small intestine or small bowel is an organ in the gastrointestinal tract where most of the absorption of nutrients from food takes place. It lies between the stomach and large intestine, and receives bile and pancreatic juice through t ...

s. Discussing the surgery Substantial said, “The purpose of the procedure I had on May 10th was to remove the section of my large and small intestines, where the growth was located. As I mentioned before, I don’t have

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

but I have decided to do the ��surgery as a preventive measure.”

Career

According to Raptology, Substantial has performed in nearly 20 countries and has collaborated with artists such as Kool Herc, Verbal (M-Flo), Oddisee, Jeff Bernat and more. Substantial has licensed music to major brands such as

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobiles ...

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

and

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber), based in San Francisco, provides mobility as a service, ride-hailing (allowing users to book a car and driver to transport them in a way similar to a taxi), food delivery ( Uber Eats and Postmates), pack ...

and also had his music featured in films and television shows such as Kevin Hart’s Laugh at My Pain,

Kill Me 3 Times ''Kill Me Three Times'' is a 2014 black comedy thriller film directed by Kriv Stenders, which follows a hit man who falls into schemes of blackmail, murder, and revenge. It was selected to be screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section ...

starring Simon Pegg, Daytime Emmy nominated show '' Tough Love'' and its spin off series '' Pillow Talk''. Substantial has appeared in the documentaries, Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme and Give Back. In 2019, Substantial wrote and produced music featured in the video game Renaine, to be released on the

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a tablet that can either be docked for use as a home console or used as a portable device, making it a ...

and the South Korean online game Tree of Savior. Substantial gained prominence after collaborating with Japanese Hip-Hop producer,

(Seba Jun) and signing to his record label Hyde Out Productions. Substantial's 2001 debut album, ''To This Union A Sun Was Born'' was a result of this collaboration. The album was a top-10 hit in Japan, and he continued to work with Seba until the producer's death in 2010. January 2008 he released his second studio album ''Sacrifice,'' which was the #1 in sales on website undergroundhiphop.com. In February 2008 Substantial was a featured artist on both iTunes and Myspace. Substantial was featured in the Rap/R&B monthly Black Beat Magazine in March 2008 in a full-page feature. Later in 2008 Substantial's video for his single "It's You (I Think)" received the "Winning Freshman Video" award from

. The video was posted on the MTV website, as was the following interview with Substantial. In April 2013, while recovering from cancer, Substantial produced and released the album titled ''Jackin' Jill'' as a tribute to singer

Jill Scott Jill Scott may refer to: * Jill Scott (singer) (born 1972), American soul singer and songwriter. * Jill Scott (racing driver) (1902–1974), English racing driver * Jill Scott (media artist) (born 1952), Australian media artist * Jill Scott (footba ...

. It is composed of 17 tracks built by from various Jill Scott songs. Being a free download, the collection of reworks and remixes of her work was blended by DJ Jav, while the artwork drawn by Substantial himself. Substantial was originally with

Hydeout Productions , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop ...

, and later became a member of the company

QN5 Music Pedro Antonio Rojas, Jr. (born December 14, 1976), better known by his stage name Tonedeff, is an American rapper, producer, singer-songwriter and record executive. Tonedeff first gained national recognition on the underground hip hop scene ...

. He was a close affiliate of

Mello Music Group Mello Music Group (MMG) is an American independent record label based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 2007, Mello Music has released hip hop compilations and albums by producers and rappers such as Oddisee, Apollo Brown, Mr. Lif, Ghostface Kil ...

, by way of his working relation with music producer

Oddisee Amir Mohamed el Khalifa (born February 24, 1985), better known by his stage name Oddisee, is an American rapper and record producer from Washington, D.C. He is one third of rap trio Diamond District. He was also part of the Low Budget Crew. He is ...

. In 2014, Substantial signed a multi project deal with HiPNOTT Records where he later became Head of A&R. He now releases music via his company Substantial Art & Music, which he founded with his wife Rachelle Etienne-Robinson. In 2016, Substantial was featured by the

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

Music Program presented by Mid Atlantic Ford Dealers. In May 2020, composer Mason Lieberman partnered with

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology ...

and

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializ ...

to recreate '' Cowboy Bebop'''s ending theme, ''The Real Folk Blues'' for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

relief. This track was released digitally and on vinyl and featured the original series composer Yōko Kanno, original recording band The Seatbelts,

Mega Ran Raheem Jarbo (born September 3, 1977), also known by his stage names Mega Ran and Random, is an American underground nerdcore rapper, chiptune DJ, and record producer. In February 2015, he changed his stage name to Mega Ran, removing Random fro ...

, Substantial and a collection of forty other special musical guests. Soon after its release, the track went on to peak at #6 on the

Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

for "World Digital Song Sales". In December 2020, Substantial selected by Hip-Hop Wired for iOne Digital’s Creative Class. On January 15, 2021, the

Hollywood Music in Media Awards The Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA) is an award organization honoring original music (Song and Score) in all forms visual media including film, TV, video games, trailers, commercial advertisements, documentaries, music videos and special pr ...

announced their 2020 nominees which included Substantial for his work on the ''

Arknights ''Arknights'' () is a free-to-play tactical RPG/tower defense mobile game developed by Chinese developer Hypergryph. It was released in China on 1 May 2019, in other countries on 16 January 2020 and in Taiwan on 29 June 2020. ''Arknights' ...

'' OST song, ''Renegade'' in the category "Outstanding Song - Video Game". In March 2021,

PUBG Mobile ''PUBG Mobile'' ( Chinese: 和平精英; pinyin: Hé Píng Jīng Yīng) is a free-to-play battle royale video game developed by LightSpeed & Quantum Studio, a division of Tencent Games. It is a mobile game adaptation of '' PUBG: Battleground ...

released a short film called ''The Growth'' via their official Youtube Channel featuring an original song by Substantial, produced and mixed by Obadiah Brown-Beach and Hexany Studios.

Discography

Studio albums

*''To This Union A Sun Was Born'' (2001) *''Substantial Evidence'' (2003) *''Sacrifice'' (2008) *''Home Is Where the Art Is'' (2012) *''The Past Is Always Present in the Future'' (2017) *''Seeds'' (2017) *''The Garden'' (2018) *''Recompositions'' (2019) *''Recompositions - Instrumentals'' (2019) *''Bridges - Instrumentals'' (2019) *''Dirty Sneakers'' ''- Instrumentals'' (2021)

Collaboration albums

*''Happy F*ck You Songs'' (with Extended F@mm) (2002) *''Substantial/Burns'' (with Burns) (2009) *''The Past...'' (with The Other Guys) (2015) *''Always'' (with Algorythm) (2015) *''Bridges'' (with W3alth) (2019) *''Dirty Sneakers'' (with T.Lucas) (2020) *''Dirty Sneakers: Relaced'' (with T.Lucas) (2020)

Compilations

*''Sacrificial Lambs (The Prequel to Sacrifice)'' (2006) *''Substantial vs

Samurai Champloo is a 2004 Japanese historical adventure anime television series. The debut television production of studio Manglobe, the 26-episode series aired from May 2004 to March 2005. It was first partially broadcast on Fuji TV, then had a complete ...

: Beats, Rhymes & Strife '' (2009) *''WINK: Something Substantial'' (2010) *''Jackin' Jill'' (2013) *''Art Is Where The Home Is'' (2014)

Bop Alloy

*''Substantial and Marcus D are Bop Alloy'' (2010) *''The R & R (Remixes & Revisions)'' (2011) *''Another Day in the Life of...'' (2014) *''Winter Breaks'' (2014) *''Present'' (2016) *''Winter Breaks'' 2 (2020)

Guest appearances

* Aim - "Nightlife" from ''Hinterland'' (2002) *

- "Think Different" and "Blessing It -remix" with Pase Rock from ''Metaphorical Music'' (2003) *

- "Home Sweet Home" and "Lyrical Terrorists" with L-Universe from ''Hydeout Productions 1st Collection'' (2003) *

- "Eclipse" from ''Modal Soul'' (2005) *

- "Hikari" from ''Hydeout Productions 2nd Collection'' (2007) * Kenichiro Nishihara - "Heart" from ''Humming Jazz'' (2008) * Daft Punk - "Make Love" Chew Fu Remix (2009) * CunninLynguists - "Spark My Soul" with Inverse from "Strange Journey Volume One" (2014) * Kenichiro Nishihara - "Power of Self" from ''Life'' (2010) *

- "Waiting for the Clouds" and "City Lights" with Pase Rock from ''Spiritual State'' (2011) * Kenichiro Nishihara - "Rise Son" from ''Illuminus'' (2012) * Haruka Nakamura - "Soar" from ''Melodica'' (2013) * CunninLynguists - "Guide You Through Shadows" with Ra Scion from "Strange Journey Volume Three" (2014) * Kenichiro Nishihara - "Waves" from ''Jazzy Folklore'' (2015) * Kenichiro Nishihara - "Light up the Dark" with Precious Joubert from ''Sincerely...'' (2016) *Kenichiro Nishihara - "Never Let Go" and "Our Song" from ''Elastic Afterwords'' (2019) *Mason Lieberman - "The Real Folk Blues" (2020) *Sinitus Tempo & Don Anthony - "Pathways - remix" with Mick Jenkins, Add-2, and Malcolm Jackson (2020) *Priest Da Nomad - "Proud" with

(2020) *Mason Lieberman - "You Say Run" (2020)

References

External links

Official Bandcamp Website

Official QN5 Website

Official Youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Substantial Living people American rappers American male singers Songwriters from Maryland American graphic designers 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians American male songwriters Year of birth missing (living people)