"Helping your business grow"
Cosmo Disco music artist David “Uncle Nard” Robinson is a multifaceted artist whose life has always followed the beat of a proverbial “different drum”. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida (70's Baby), Uncle Nard became enamored by the beats of a drum he heard as a child in the church he and his family attended. “There was a keyboard player and a bass drummer [in the church],” says Uncle Nard and it is the drum that he credits with sparking his passion for percussion instruments and music as a whole. Uncle Nard began playing the saxophone in seventh grade, but found his way back to the drums as a member of both the high school marching and symphonic bands. While still attending high school though, Uncle Nard began to explore a new area of music—rapping.
Uncle Nard established Tal-Kin Trees, a company created to serve as a catalyst for independent music artists, and quickly became a visible face within the Jacksonville urban music scene identifiable by his energetic stage performances and dynamic personality. With his varied array of musical influences ranging from Classical musicians like Beethoven and Chopin to Hip-Hop greats such as Busta Rhymes and Chubb Rock, Uncle Nard sought to feature a lighter side of urban life in his music—a side that did not contain the pervasive, negative overtones for which Rap is most often identified as—while also pushing the limits of what urban music is “supposed” to sound like.
As a father of two girls, Uncle Nard roots himself in the belief that it is the responsibility of the artist to be mindful of the image, content, and message that he or she presents to the people, particularly the youth. Such a belief permeates Uncle Nard’s music, as he masters the art of creating clean, high-energy music that is inclusive instead of exclusive, in that people of all ages and races can enjoy listening to it. His conscientious effort to be mindful of his music’s content has led to his singles “I’m From Duval” and “Where You From (Duval)”—from the album Family Business—being played during the Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL) home football games, Jacksonville Sharks (AFL) home football games, and Jacksonville Giants (ABA) home basketball games. In addition, Uncle Nard has been featured on local Jacksonville news station WAWS Channel 30 as a result of the songs’ popularity at the city’s major home-team sporting events.
What makes Uncle Nard not only a unique artist, but also a gifted one, is his ability to understand music and performance from an angle that transcends the typical artist’s experience due to his more than 20 years working in sound, staging, and lighting. He has been an integral part of some of the largest urban festivals and concerts such as the annual Funk Fest. As an experienced stage technician, Uncle Nard understands aspects of stage performance and sound that many other artists do not, which pushes him to strive for high-quality performances each time he steps on stage or in the recording booth.
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Borrowing inspiration from some of his other music influences like Chill Deal, 95 South, 69 Boyz, Quad City Dj's, Rakim, Run DMC, Jam Pony Express DJs, and Slick Rick—designated the “master of storytelling” by Uncle Nard—he fuses his fun-loving personality into the music he creates, while being determined to do everything with integrity. His determination has granted him the opportunity to work in several different capacities at his alma mater, Florida State College at Jacksonville, where he currently does voice-over and commercial work. He has also done commercial work for Red Bull, Meez.com, and Apple Computers. Uncle Nard continues to prove that walking to the beat of one’s own drum can result in exponential opportunities and experiences.
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Written by: Terri Sherman
