On the come-up: Roku
Daniel Rourke, otherwise known as Roku, of Rockville, Maryland is an aspiring musician with a knack for rap. At the age of 21, Rourke is young and full of ambition for himself in the rap game, and he took the time to tell me about his aspirations and more in a short interview over the phone.
Question: How did you come up with the name “Roku?” What’s the significance behind it?
Answer: I came up with the name “Roku” because I wanted something to relate to my real name, but I didn’t like Daniel. My last name is Rourke, so I just flipped it around a bit and got Roku, plus one of my favorite shows is The last Airbender, and [the character] Avatar Roku was a G.
Q: So, what is your musical process like as “Roku,” and who are your biggest influences?
A: As far as the process goes, it’s pretty standard. I listen to beats, then I freestyle melodies over them. Then it’s just finding the right words to fit the melodies. I want to be honest with people and make them think differently. I really have a lot of influences but off the top of my head, Kendrick [Lamar] comes to mind, he really made me want to rap differently, but Freddie Gibbs is my favorite rapper. Nirvana, Kid Cudi, Nas, Kanye [West], Isaiah Rashad and OutKast are all big influences too.
Q: When did all this start? When did you really know that you wanted to be a musician?
A: I started making music in seventh grade and took it semi-seriously on and off but sort of lost my way for a time. But I always knew in the back of my head that I wanted to do it and I got really serious about it when I was 18 or 19.
Q: So I understand you have a few friends in the Fort Collins area supporting you and pushing your music, what does this mean for the future of your fan base and your future as a musician?
A: I’m just really hoping to build a community of people who think outside the box and bring them together. Colorado already has a lot of that going on. I definitely have homies out in Colorado, so I could see that being my second home honestly. Plus, the weed out there is gas and if you can smoke in the concert venues, I’m with it bro.
Q: I know a lot of musicians have a streaming platform that they prefer over the others, what’s your favorite streaming platform and why?
A: Definitely Spotify. I’m honestly trying to make a name for myself on Spotify especially, It might be because that’s my go-to when I’m listening to music, but I just think the platform is dope. I still drop my music everywhere and a lot of my homies use SoundCloud, but Spotify is my favorite, it just seems more legit to be on Spotify.
Q: I also love Spotify, that’s also my favorite mode of listening. So besides blowing up on Spotify, tell me about your “end game” per se, what are your goals and where do you want music to take you later on in life?
A: I really just want to tour the world and take it all in. I already release music for free on streaming platforms, and I would do that forever if I could just do shows. I really want to build Roku and 301355 up organically, and most important is a core fan base. I know how important [organic] artists like that were to me growing up, and I want to keep that same energy alive.
Q: Can you explain 301355 for a final thought?
A: It just started as something to call the movement. It represents where I’m from, 301 is the area code [in Rockville] and 355 is a big-a** street that cuts through everything where I’m from, but its not just a location, it’s more a representation of being genuine and thinking outside the box. I can’t do this if I’m not being myself. All I’m doing is telling stories to try and show people that you don’t need to conform and to think for themselves. Be smart, stand up, be you, don’t take no sh*t. That’s pretty much it.
You can listen to Roku’s newest singles “Anyway” and “Obvious” on Spotify and Soundcloud now. You can also follow Roku on Instagram and Twitter @roku301.
