Story of a Champion, Robbie You’re a Champion
“I heard motherfuckers sayin’ they made Hov. Made Hov say, “Okay, so, make another Hov!” — Jay-Z, Lost One 2006
Rob was reported missing on January 11th 2018. On March 3rd 2018, I received a text that his body had been found. I refused to respond to the message for hours as if not acknowledging it meant it wasn’t true. Over the past two years, I’ve found that I can’t run from the pain, so instead I’m going towards it. I want to share who Rob was to me and how he shaped who I am. Rob and I both love Jay-Z. I know no better poet to take this ride with me.
Who You Know Fresher Than Rob? Riddle Me That
Real recognize real and you lookin’ familiar — Jay-Z, All Around The World, 2002
I met Rob in August 2004. We were both freshmen at the Asheville School, a boarding school in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. For the next three years, until I left Asheville for South Gwinnett, Rob and I were two peas in a pod. As close as we were, I know that we may have come across as an odd pairing.
He was from Queens, New York. I was from Decatur, Georgia. He was cooler than a polar bear's toenail and used humor to pass on wisdom. I was an outcast and used intelligence as a defense mechanism. He was always the best dressed anywhere he went. Despite being called Manny Fresh in high school, I still wouldn’t make anyone’s best dressed list. He was an artist and would talk about becoming an architect and designing new buildings in New York. I wanted to become a philosopher in order to know how the world works so I can design a better one.
Looking back, our family backgrounds are probably why we clicked so well. He was the oldest brother to two sisters. I was the oldest brother to a sister and a brother. His mom had him at 18. My mom had me at 19. Both of us were lucky to have mothers who were powerful beyond measure. Despite being a single mom, Rob’s mother would earn her first graduate degree from Columbia University at 27, before earning three additional degrees. At 45, My mom became a pharmacist after arriving in America 20 years prior with only a high school diploma. We were both cut from the best cloth.
Rob’s a living legend and I’ll tell you why
How could you falter when you’re the Rock of Gibraltar? I had to get off the boat so I could walk on water — Jay-Z, Diamonds From Sierra Leone Remix, 2005
I came across the below quote scrolling through my Facebook friendship history with Rob. This classic Rob quote cracked me up just as much as the first time I read it. It captures almost everything I loved about Rob. Humor. Narrative control. Self-confidence. Wittiness. What’s missing? You can’t see how he gave others the same power.
oh yea, and i wont get best male athlete but i will get best looking male athlete, hands down, period. — Rob, September 2007
Rob was the rock for a lot us in high school. He was the big brother to Mase and George B. He was the calming presence for Molly, Linley, Gracie, and Paru. He was the ultimate teammate to Pablo, Dowie-Time, Deion, Gabe, Kimbo, Deyquan, and Xaundrae. He completed the three amigos with me and Roddy. Being around Rob you felt like you might be a little cooler than you usually were. Maybe your jokes landed a little funnier than they usually did. Reading through the messages on Rob’s Facebook wall after he passed, I realized he continued to be that rock for so many others. First in college at Howard University where he studied psychology and then through his professional life serving students at an NYC charter school. Rob’s confidence made you feel like you could jump out the boat and moonwalk with Jesus.
Story of a champion — Robbie, you’re a champion
Place any burden on me but please, not that, Lord / Time don’t go back, it goes forward / Can’t run from the pain, go towards it / Some things can’t be explained, what caused it/ Such a beautiful soul, so pure — Jay-Z Lost Ones 2006
Rob and I hadn’t talked in a meaningful since 2011/2012 right around our final years of college. We had planned to go to Howard together, but I ended up staying in Georgia, attending GPC and eventually UGA to save money. As we both finished college, we kind of drifted apart. We still kept tabs on each other through social media, but it wasn’t like the old days.
In 2017, I was living in New York for a summer internship during my MBA and I messaged Rob on Instagram that we should link up. Over several months we’d message each other back and forth to link, but life always seemed to get in the way. I invited him to La Marina but he was tied up. He invited me to Howard Homecoming but I was in Atlanta. In the back of my mind, I knew that I would see Rob along with all my high school friends at the 10 year anniversary for the Asheville School Class of 2008. You can plan a pretty picnic but you can’t predict the weather.
Rob, I’m sorry I didn’t make time for us to link in those last few months. To Rob’s mom, thank you for raising such a wonderful son and friend to so many of us. His was presence will be missed, but his impact is still being felt. To anyone that made it this far and through all the rap references — keep your head up, keep your crew tight, and keep your money long. To translate. Your mental health is important. Invest in it. Your friends define you. Treasure them. Money is a tool to help you allocate the finite resource of time. Spend it wisely.
Rest in peace Rob127. Save a place in Heaven until the next time we meet forever.
