When he was first starting out as a performing artist, Rob Franklin’s mom used to tell him, “You’re going to play on stages that you never imagined.”
That prophecy will certainly come true this summer, as Franklin – better known as Rob Dz – will perform with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) as part of its Concerts on the Square series at 7 pm on July 1.
“Not in a million years” did he think he’d front an orchestra, Franklin said in an interview for the 365 Amplified podcast. “I never imagined in my own backyard would be one of those stages, because I never expected to be playing with an orchestra.”
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WCO first approached Urban Community Arts Network – a nonprofit organization that supports hip-hop and other music and arts projects and artists, of which Franklin is co-president – last fall. Franklin said orchestra staff were authentically open to a partnership.
“They were just saying part of the process of moving forward is to be able to make sure that everyone is included, and they really wanted to be intentional about that … It’s a true collaboration,” he said. “There was no hesitation as far as the content that I was choosing. They didn’t question. They said, ‘What do you think, what do you want to do?’”
The program will consist of a couple songs he’s written with orchestral arrangements by Leotha Stanley, as well as a freestyle, during which the orchestra will play a beat Franklin created.
“To hear an orchestra play a beat that I made is kind of like, whoa,” Franklin said.
Franklin said he hopes the concert creates an audience full of people who may not normally listen to music together.
“At least for me as an artist, the hope is that true, authentic music breaks barriers,” he said. “My people don’t normally come to Concerts on the Square. But if it provides the opportunity for us to come and be exposed to a different setting and a different room, then so be it. And I take that responsibility very, very seriously.”
Nearly derailed by health scare
The entire project came into question just a couple months after the initial discussions, when Franklin collapsed on stage following a performance in November. A heart attack required bypass surgery and sidelined him for three months. WCO staff asked whether he’d still be alright to perform with the orchestra, then came and saw his first post-heart-attack performance at High Noon Saloon.
“They’re like, oh yeah, he’s fine,” Franklin said.
.”I’m upright so I’m alright,” Franklin said of his current health. “So blessed to be here, and continue to do the work now … “It’s really made me more intentional, I guess, for lack of a better word, of the presentation. I’m just blessed to be here, so if somebody can get something through something that I say on stage, then that’s the purpose.”
City’s acceptance of hip-hop still needs work
While Franklin is grateful for the authenticity of WCO’s inclusivity efforts – this collaboration follows the hiring of a Black composer in residence and a multiyear series of performances and recordings highlighting the work of Black composers – he said Madison more broadly has a ways to go in truly embracing hip-hop and other Black-centered art forms.
“Everybody wants to play nice in the sandbox till someone has a handful of sand, and that’s kind of the way that the hip hop scene is in Madison. People say they want to be supportive and inclusive, but sometimes I feel like the actions don’t align with the spoken sentiments,” he said. “I feel like Madison does a great job of presenting itself as a progressive town, but there’s some work that definitely needs to be done to really get to that progression.”
He cites as an example the loss of funding for Mad Lit, a series of free downtown summer concerts he and UCAN have produced over the past three years.
“That’s very painful, because we did a lot of work to make a more inclusive and diverse downtown. It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to get the support to continue to carry out the mission,” he said. “They were talking about competitive funding, make sure it’s a fair process. But for me, it was frustrating, because we didn’t really have any competition. So why are we talking about competitive funding now? Where did this competition come from?”
For years, music venues around the city refused to even book hip-hop shows because they thought Black crowds were violent. University of Wisconsin researchers worked with UCAN to release a study in 2017 refuting that assumption, so most venues don’t explicitly say it anymore, but it’s still tough for hip-hop acts to find stages on which to perform.
“Hip hop is a code word for black folks, black and brown folks, let’s just be honest. So there’s always an asterisk when it comes to Madison’s involvement with hip hop,” Franklin said. “For Madison to be so liberal, there’s a very conservative undertone that nobody really wants to talk about, and it comes out in interactions with people. Folks of color don’t necessarily have the easiest route in a town that really claims that it’s for everyone.”
Franklin is still optimistic that music can and will break down barriers between people, and hopes the collaboration with WCO will be yet another opportunity to do so. He recalled performing at a jazz show and chatting with an elderly woman after, who was surprised to enjoy his performance.
“If I could change the 85-year-old white lady to think about stuff, then I feel like I’m doing my job,” he said.
Rob Dz will perform with Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra at the Wisconsin State Capitol at 7 pm on Wednesday, July 1. The performance is free.
