Rob49 Already Has His Sights on Achieving Stadium Status

The past year has been good to New Orleans native Rob49. A guest feature on Travis Scott's Utopia helped him catch the attention of mainstream audiences, and a 2023 XXL Freshman placement only boosted his legitimacy in the hip-hop space.

Now, he's embarking on the Vultures Eat the Most Tour with collaborator and homie Skilla Baby, who has also been causing a stir with tracks like "Bae" and "Icky Vicky Vibes" going viral and collecting streams. Fellow rapper Jack Harlow's co-sign on the number-one hit "Lovin on Me" and a BET Amplified Artist accolade help add to the hype.

With the pair set to stop at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, June 2, New Times chatted up with Rob49 to get a preview of what they have in store.

"Just like a summertime vibe, you know what I'm saying? It's gonna be the beginning of the summer — going into every summer, it just feels good. We just wanna give that feel good, top-of-the-summer feel," Rob tells New Times. "Every show is going to be high energy, especially Miami. I have some special guests. You never know who I'm gonna bring until you come to see."

This is Rob's first nationwide tour performing at midsized venues — a big step considering that he and Skilla were playing club shows not too long ago.

"I ain't gonna lie; I just said that to myself. 'Damn, I'm getting closer to stadium status,'" he says. "And it's kinda crazy 'cause I remember looking at Baby and telling him that we're going to be stadium status. I know that shit crazier than when we were going to the club every night."
Bigger shows need bigger songs, and there's nothing bigger in rap than a song with a feature from a legend. Luckily for Rob, he just dropped "Wassam Baby" in collaboration with certified icon Lil Wayne. "I feel good, man. I feel good. It was a childhood dream of mine," he says of the collab.

The new song isn't the only banger he'll perform on Sunday; tracks like "Homebody," "Mama," "Yes, You Did," and "Vulture Island" are among others he's prepped for the show.

With Rob and Skilla as co-headliners and having recorded multiple tracks together, one can only wonder what the stage dynamic will be.

"We're going to share the stage at times, but we're looking to have more of a back and forth," Rob explains. "For sure, we're gonna perform some songs together, but I'm not sure of the order of events, just because we perform a lot together. We just figure those things out as the tour happens. I don't even do any rehearsals or any of that, but we did like 15 shows together before the tour even started. I just think we are just gonna keep it going like that."

It's a bold move from the emerging rappers, but when you have chemistry like Rob and Skilla do, you tend not to overthink these things.

"That's my dawg. I fuck with him for real. I've been friends with Skilla before we even made a hit. I feel good going on tour with him," Rob adds. "I never want to go on tour and make this about whether I'm bigger than him or he's bigger than me. It feels good to go on tour with someone who I fuck with."

Rob49 and Skilla Baby. With Loe Shimmy and Libra Jolie. 7 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-449-1025; jointherevolution.net. Tickets cost $28 via ticketmaster.com.