An Interview With Rory Fresco

At first I was skeptical of Rory Fresco, as I am with any rapper who follows me on Twitter and immediately sends me a link to their music. This is a practice commonly used by SoundCloud rappers who should usually spend more time perfecting their craft than bothering people while they are trying to discuss DJ Khaled's latest Snapchat adventures with their colleagues. However when I opened Rory's link I was pleasantly surprised.

I quickly discovered that Rory was 18, from the Kansas City area (Grandview specifically), and is making rap music in the style of Travi$ Scott and could definitely achieve a similar level of success. We arranged to meet up at Town Topic, the infamous Broadway burger joint. Rory and two of his associates (Lonzo and Kaileb) arrived soon after I did. The already-cramped dining area inside the restaurant was nearly full so we opted to stand outside. While our conversation was brief (and interrupted at one point by a car full of girls shouting, "You're hot!" to Rory and his friends), I got to learn a bit about the young man.


First off: who are you and what do you do?
I'm Rory. I'm the panty dropper.

How'd you get your start writing songs and what led up to that?
I made beats since I was like 12 and nobody wanted to rap on my beats so I did it myself.

What's living in Grandview and go to high school there like?
Awful. Like you want to drop out. Real whack.

Have you gotten any support from your family?
Yeah, my dad. My mom left when I was a kid. But my dad is really supportive of me.

What's your reaction after having your music covered on national blogs like Pigeons and Planes and BluntIQ?
It's cool. I'm still living in my parents' basement, so it ain't nothing right now, but it's cool.

Why are all your profile pictures from Gremlins?
[The picture is] Gizmo. There's one Gizmo, but there's like hella gremlins.

What do you like and not like about Kansas City hip-hop?
I don't like that everyone wants to sound like they're from California, like they're from the Bay. I think that's corny. I like how we support each other, that's tight.

Are there any other local rappers that you're into?
Yeah, I mess with Gee Watts, I mess with Donnell Black, Kye Colors, Joey Origami.

Everybody on KanyeToThe says they're your manager. What's up with that?
I don't know, I just send my music to a lot of people. People be trolling and stuff [laughs]. We were just talking about that before we left the house.

What's the release schedule for your projects looking like?
Well in 2020 "Hollywood Rebel" will probably come out. 2017 I'll probably release the single [laughs]. You gotta let it sit with people for sure.

What's your recording setup like?
It's in my basement. Just Oreos and milk and just going in and mix my own tracks and everything after I get home from school. Yeah, it's a real inspiration, like when I get home from school I'm tempted to drop out so I just go hard. I record by myself when nobody's home.

Are there any artists in particular that inspire your work?
My favorite artist right now is M.I.A.. I like her and I like Cudi.

What are your goals for 2016?
Go to South By Southwest, get out of my parents' basement, tour, and have a billboard somewhere in the city.

You can follow him on Twitter
Listen to the first single "Act Out" and other tracks by Rory on his SoundCloud