Transcript: Russ Nobles on Rap, Owning Your Voice, and the Sherman Prize

Good morning, and welcome back to the late start show. We are here with today with David Russ Nobles, junior at University School rapper and winner of the Sherman Prize speaker contest. How are you doing today, Russ? I'm doing pretty good.

Government name is kind of crazy, but you know what I mean? I'm doing good. No, it's good to have you on the show. What's really kind of cool is I had the fortune of becoming your welcome to U.S. buddy right yeah so I kind of got to see some of those first moments at U.S. but when did university school really like first enter your life and do you remember what was happening around that time and what was the decision like I mean I shadowed U.S. in the fourth grade and something that always stuck with me that I'm always like it was kind of weird was all the kids were like oh what's going on what brings you to us like what my mom you know what i'm saying like i didn't know how to answer that question i was in fourth grade and then after the visit you know what i'm saying my mom was like what did you like the most like what was the best part did you like the learning the classrooms was like ma i like the lunch you know what i'm saying because the buffet like there was no school like it where it's like You could go up, get food, eat the food, and then get more.

You know what I mean? So that was what stuck with me, my first impression. But you know what I mean? When I came in fifth grade, Charlie, you showed me the ropes.

You were like my mentor in the fifth grade. You were in the flying mallets and stuff. And I really saw the whole US experience through you. It actually inspired me because I'm like, yo, this is a cool guy.

You know what I mean? I want to be friends with this guy. like I mean yeah that's awesome outside of school what were you doing in those earlier U.S. years that was shaping who you were becoming I was you know rapping on beats a lot I was I was rapping with my friend James a lot at recess and things like that um we had a big playground so like parkour on the playground do stuff like that you know what I mean my early friendships were on that playground. Like friends, I'm still like cool with today and talk to every day we're on that playground. And it shaped my US experience because it really made me open to a whole another community.

Like I'm a really like, you might not know, it might not seem like it, but I'm actually a really shy person. Like I'm an introvert at heart, but it's really hard for me to branch out and to talk to new people. So that playground experience and all that stuff outside of US and finding common interests with my classmates. It really helped me find a sense of community and foster relationships that I still have today.

You know, you talked about a little bit in your speech, but how did the larger U.S. community, your friends, everybody here kind of react to your rap at the first, like kind of first moment that they heard you or maybe some songs that you're creating early on? What are the reactions and kind of how did you build on that? well me my friend james tj and my friend um from my hometown landon we all made a group in seventh grade called for the hard way you know what i mean and we released our song on youtube and i was playing it around the entire school and i was low-key kind of scared because i didn't want people to be like oh he's a rapper he's a rapper of course he is but it actually got positive feedback everyone's like Russ Russ that was great Russ that sounded great I didn't know you could rap I didn't know I made the beats too so like I didn't know you could make beats and it was the positive reception like you know what I mean it made me feel like good like wow people really like what I have to say people really like what I do and the community kind of accepting what I do and my own personal journey with accepting what I want to do, it really helped me say, this is what I want to do. I think I found my career, my passion. I want to do music.

I want to rap. You know what I mean? I want to work in rap and hip hop. And what do you think is a misconception that people have about rap as an art form that you wish you could clear up?

A lot of people see rap as like loud, ghetto, vulgar, you know what I mean? Pushing negative stereotypes, violence, you know what I mean? And I really think that those negative connotations with rap overshadow a lot of the positive things with rap. Rap music has been a source of change and social justice throughout the black community for years, even since rap's inception in 1975.

You know what I mean? We've been doing things like trying to promote change and highlight issues in our community for over 50 years. So to see that side of rap get put on the back burner and people think rap is just loud and violent, it really broke my heart. But I think rappers like J.

Cole, rappers like Kendrick Lamar, even old school rappers like Tupac really showing that this art form is powerful and can change the world. You know what I mean? Are really solid role models and figures in rap and hip hop and really shows what rap is all about, which is social justice, change, reform and the younger generation. You know what I mean?

Not even just of black people, but the younger generation as a whole. Rap is targeted for a younger audience. And those are the leaders of social change. Let's kind of go through middle school.

Obviously, you got through all middle school. All right. I mean, we were all there for that. And then you kind of go to high school.

Imagine yourself if you kind of asked all of us to describe Rustin freshman year versus Rustin now. What would they say is different? Do you remember yourself coming to high school? obviously it sounds crazy that we're explaining it it's only two and a half years ago but still it's completely different people so do you remember even those early days and like what was like to step into a whole new school 100 i i think about this every single day i'm like miss coy she's basically watching me dr falls they've watched me go from just a young freshman you know what i mean kind of just doing what he wants thinking he's the big dog of the world and then seeing me junior year now really turning into just a young man and I feel like the difference the key difference is that now I have the ability to really buckle down and really say okay if I want this goal I need to do this I need to put in these hours I need to put in this work that was something that my freshman year I definitely tried to overlook and definitely tried to avoid like you know if I want this I think if I do just enough I could squeeze by but now I'm head on if I want this I need this to happen I need to do this that's what I would say is the key difference between me as a freshman versus me now is my ability to really buckle down and do what I need to do and handle business and outside of music what are some things that you've put your energy into during your time at U.S. where that sports clubs what are some other things outside of music um the biggest thing I would say is track I unfortunately didn't do indoor track this year I wanted to really focus on my academics, but the track team as a whole and Coach K and the relationships that I've created through track, it really helped me learn that kind of buckle down ideology, handle your business. And it also showed me an important skill of doesn't matter, get better.

You know what I mean? Having a quick memory, because with things like track, track is a really it's a hard sport in regards that. everything you do, no matter how much work you put in, you might not get the results you want. During a meet, you could have, during a practice, worked as hard as you possibly could, put 150% in and don't even PR. You might not even hit what you normally do.

And it's such a humbling experience, but it just doesn't matter. They're better having that quick memory. And I think that's the most important lesson that I learned from the track team. And plus having people to lean on having that sense of community.

We're running, even running with your teammates during 200s when you think you about to die but having those crutches and those people around you and supporting you I think is the best thing from the track team that I learned and the best thing that I've experienced. Now, let's get to something that it's crazy to think, but literally happened less than a week ago, the Sherman Prize Contest. How would you explain kind of just very initially what the contest is to someone who's never heard of it? And maybe what were some of the first ideas when you were kind of writing your speech about, yeah, let me get serious about this.

Yeah. So the Sherman Prize speaking contest is, I think, one of the oldest traditions at US. Six members of the junior class speak about a topic important to them, an eight to 10 minute speech around there. And they go in front of three judges and their speeches are judged.

Even though the speeches are judged in order. I think every single speech that is on the stage is incredible and is great. And it's a really good opportunity from U.S. to kind of go into the students' lives. For a lot of kids, this is their first time really speaking out to everybody and sharing their own personal experience.

So a lot of kids take this serious because this is my chance to really show myself. And I thought that that was really important in the first draft of my speech. I had wrote a completely different six to eight minute speech. And it's called You Are Your Swag.

And it's the importance of self-expression and being free to show off your swag and who you really are. I took that idea and I used my English teacher, Mr. O'Brien's words, and it's tell a story only you can tell in a way only you can tell it. And I feel that I have an experience that isn't just unique to me, but I feel is really underdeveloped in the, not even the US community, but just the world.

Like a lot of people don't talk about how negative stereotypes can stop people from wanting to achieve their dreams. So I took an experience that I knew that really only I could speak about having gone through it myself. And I took it in a way that only I can say it. And of course, that's a rap.

And I feel like I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn't rap my speech on the stage at university school. You know what I mean? Yeah. Well, definitely was awesome.

And I was just wondering when you're starting that writing process, you know, do you start it like a normal speech by outlining it like an essay? Or do you kind of start with one powerful line and build it out? How do you go about building a speech like that? That is a rap.

Well, yeah, I've been writing rap since about the fifth grade. So this speech was kind of a walk in the park. I just started flowing and writing. The speech only took me about a day to write in full.

And then I spent about a couple of weeks revising and making sure the flow and the timing and all of that was right. But I really just put, you know, pen to paper and just cranked it out, just a full rough draft in about a day. then I said, okay, maybe I need to hone this message in a little bit more. Maybe I should change this. Maybe I should alter this.

And from about, you know, weeks of revision and re-sculpting the, you know what I mean, the speech, me kind of hammering out the rough draft was like chipping the big pieces off of the block to make the sculpture and the revision, making sure the words were right, the flow was right, the message was delivered. It was the intricate details of me pumping out every single muscle and every single, you know, vein of the statue, you know what I mean? So I feel like, you know, that was the process of really writing a speech. For the audience to get a better understanding of the speech, here are some of our favorite clips that we kind of compiled that really showcased why it was so powerful.

They saw me as the black problem child when I left. In 2019, I was admitted to us. First day seventh grade, rap music never faded. J Cole Drake juice world enter my playlist.

I didn't really wear a coat and ties so I was feeling extra dapper the teacher acts about my passion and I want to be a rapper but it can't be see at this point in my mind rap was just something that I enjoyed in spare time I would never tell a soul my ambitions because if I did I'm scared that I get singled out like when I was a kid so I said something in a business Y'all not catching me with the same scheme that made me show my love for rap and have the people laugh at me? Because the last thing I need is a whole nother school thinking that I was a problem, so I'd have to go and move. I could change all the stereotypes. I was a brand new man with a brand new life.

I wasn't just Russ. I was Russ who rocked that mic. I had a new style, a new swag, a newfound confidence All because my love for rap music wasn't anonymous The change starts with me I had full autonomy to let nobody stop me from what I could achieve See, now I was a humble type But I didn't really mumble type I low-key kinda shouted type Cause I knew that I found myself and I knew that I found my life I'm a rapper I couldn't say it any louder It wouldn't change at any time of day or any hour. Anytime you think that you can't follow your dreams, just remember, it's about your confidence and if your confidence is true.

Anything that you want to do, you can pursue. no matter what people say, no matter what people think, it shouldn't stop you from telling the world your dreams. So if you're still listening, I just want you to know that if you think you're in a box, you still got room to grow. So obviously that was the speech, as we mentioned before, that went on to win the entire thing. And your delivery was obviously poetic.

And I was just wondering what was the hardest part of delivering that message was it choosing just what message to emphasize being vulnerable or making it sound right out loud the hardest part I would definitely say is making it sound right out loud if it didn't sound right audibly it wouldn't be felt emotionally you know what I mean making sure the rhythm is right the words that I use are perfect that was the hardest part and the longest part of my revision process. But in my delivery, I definitely wanted to make it slow and controlled. I feel like the more air time that you have in a speech, the more you process, like just process what I said, like just right there when I paused. So I really wanted to take things like the mechanics of speaking and using pauses, slowing down, getting loud.

I really wanted to put my full, you know what I mean, my heart and soul into the speech and the delivery of the speech, but definitely making it sound right was the hardest part. You know, when you picture the audience in that auditorium, right? So you have all of the students from high school, you have family and friends and people watching online. What part of that crowd mattered the most to you, whether it was friends or teachers or family members for just anybody who's in that crowd?

To be honest, I couldn't see anybody because the lights were really bright and my glasses were reflecting the light. I really only could see like blobs in the crowd, so I couldn't make anybody out. But I definitely wanted to make my parents and all the teachers who have had me up until this point proud. When I was giving my speech, my advisor was Ms.

Worthington when I was working on my speech. And when I would deliver my speech, Ms. Worthington would start tearing up a little bit towards the end of my speech. And she would be like, I'm just thinking about you when you were a freshman.

And I'm like, wow, like my teachers like really care about me and really have watched me grow. So I really want to make them proud And I want them to see that I not just the freshman or I not the sophomore that you met but I am in addition to that I a young man You know what I mean I am myself I completely comfortable and confident in myself And I want them to know that they have made an impact on my life in some way. And I wanted them to be proud of me the same way that I'm in a way I'm proud of them. You know what I mean?

For sticking with me and just, you know what I mean? Staying on the ride. for sure right before you went on to give your speech what was your internal dialogue like because obviously it was a rap but you're used to but it was still a speech it was a different kind of rap so what was that internal dialogue like the internal dialogue for me was just don't mess it up don't mess it up don't mess it up don't mess it up i i had most of my speech memorized so i didn't have to really look down in my paper but i was really stressed out about messing it up stuttering stumbling you know what i mean losing my spot god forbid on the page and having to fumble between the pages as i talk so my internal dialogue was just don't mess it up don't mess it up don't mess it up don't mess it up that i couldn't have that couldn't have been louder in my head we've heard people say that this year's final scoop was just loaded with talent what's something that you respected about another finalist or other but just multiple finalists messages or delivery that you really still think about or you just want to learn about yeah i was honestly i was scared that i wasn't even going to make no nowhere near the top three when i heard jj's speech and because it hit me the hardest i really loved the subject matter i really loved his delivery and i loved the poetic elements that were sprinkled throughout the whole thing it was really like beautifully written and beautifully said and me and jj obviously were best friends and it was a little bit of a friendly competition between us of who was gonna win and before we left last uh the night before the school before we left we said amen may the best man win and as he was giving his speech i'm sitting there i'm like the best man might have won i'm like like i was scared like the best man might have won and then he said that he was thinking the same thing as I was giving my speech, but I really appreciated his message and showing your family and your friends love while you still have the chance, because I think it's a really important message. And even though it might be obvious, like, yes, of course, I'm going to show my family love. We might not do it every single day.

So I really think it was an important message and it was a beautifully written speech. You know what I mean? The words he used, the metaphors he used, and even the diction he had when he was up on stage, I really feel like it couldn't have been match. It's definitely a natural presenter for sure.

Yeah. So you take us to the exact second that you heard your name announced because you had, you were second to last, I believe presenting. So I'm sure you had kind of an order made up in your mind. You were thinking about it.

And then when that second came, when they announced your name, the judges came on stage, what were you thinking? What was kind of that reaction like in your body and your mind? I was like, there's no way that they just called my name first. I wasn't even planning on doing the Sherman Prize.

I was, my mentality going into it, going into the judges for the finalist was, okay, if I do it and I don't make the stage, my life doesn't change. I wasn't planning on making the stage. If I do make the stage, my job here is done. You know what I mean?

I can just say I was a finalist in the Sherman prize speaking contest that's enough for me but when they said that i was first and i realized like it took me a couple like minutes to really fully realize i just won the whole thing and what was going through my mind was just like this is not real like this is insane as i'm walking down the stage i'm hugging all my teachers i'm dapping up all my teachers and uh giving a hug and kiss to my mom and my dad i'm like this i just won the sherman prop it's like are you sure me russ nobles won the sherman prize so it was just crazy but i was really grateful and i'm really you know thankful for the opportunity to even do that because that contest wasn't just the final six that was all of the juniors giving a speech so that's truly a great accomplishment so congrats again on that thank you thank you you know congrats again there always is kind of those moments when you're up there you go she said that's something wrong so if you could go back And change one thing, obviously, you're the prize winning speech. So there's not obviously that many changes to it. But was there anything that you wanted to include in the speech that just didn't make the final cut? Or something that was kind of tiny about the speech that looking back you would switch?

I know exactly what I would switch. This was an error on my part. And if y'all go back and watch the speech, please don't say anything about it to me. I did all I could do.

I tried my best. but the part where James said in my story, if you want to rap, then I'll rap with you. I said it was less than just a friend making plans after school. And I wanted to, I meant it was more than just a friend making plans after school. I thought my entire message would be, you know what I mean?

Lost with that one word, but you know, it didn't end up, it didn't end mattering at the end but i wish i could change that one word because it would make my point and the moral of the story i feel hit much harder but that's that's really all i could change well yeah i mean i think the point still came across it was so good and uh you know oftentimes teachers will play winning speeches back in class when the next class or future classes start their sherman prize speaking contest when they play your speech back what discussion do you hope that it sparks along the class i want the discussion to be like this speech really changed my outlook on my career we go to such a difficult school and there's so much pressure on us to succeed and so much pressure on us to do big things and all these extravagant jobs and career paths but i don't want someone to feel like their career is less important than what the standard career of a university school student might be. I want them to feel I can do whatever I want. I can be comfortable in whatever I want to do. I shouldn't have to feel like I have to do this going to this school and I shouldn't have to feel bad about wanting to do this.

You can change the world in any career path and literally any career path because change starts with you and it starts with your inner confidence in yourself because how can you change the world if you're not sure about yourself I had a student literally come up to me today and was like Russ your speech actually changed my life and it made me I was gonna do something in business probably when I grow up or something like that. But no, I want to be a football coach at Ohio State. So I'm going to be a football coach at Ohio State. That's my new life goal is to become a football coach at Ohio State.

And I'm like, you're going to be the best football coach Ohio State has ever seen. I completely believe in you. I believe in everybody and I support in everyone's dreams. And I want the students at university school after they hear my speech that they can feel that belief in themselves and that their dream is great and they can really do good things with whatever they choose to do in life.

Let's zoom out even more. Obviously, the Sherman Prize was a big thing that you're going to get to put on your resume for years and years. But how do you want to be remembered at U.S. when you graduate? What's the legacy that you hope people associate with your name?

And years down the line, people talk about some, yo, do you guys remember Russ Nobles? What do you kind of hope they remember about your name i want them to remember that i was unapologetically myself i tried to make sure everybody was heard and everybody felt appreciated and that i was best dressed i feel like i feel like who what more could you ask for yeah that's awesome and now looking ahead you know your rap name is amani russell which i want I want to get to how you got to that in a second, but what next for you as a rapper New music features performances anything that you excited about um yeah i been recording a lot a lot of songs in this sort of gray area of my life like not really doing indoors so i got a lot of time after school um after i do my homework and things i've been recording a lot of songs i got about like i want to say 30 songs just waiting in the vault so I'm choosing picking them out. I'm going to try and do some videos, music videos, things of that nature, maybe photo shoots, a whole bunch of things. But just on the music side, I've been I've been cranking out songs as much as I could.

And how did you get to that name, Imani Russell? So the holiday Kwanzaa, which is around Christmas time and it's mostly celebrated by African-Americans. there are different candles to represent the different days of the whole entire event. And each candle has a name. And the name Imani means faith, which is one of the candles that means faith.

I'm a very religious person and I really trust in my faith in God. So I felt like to really represent that faith in God that I have, picking the name that meant faith was the most important to me so i chose to take that name imani and combined it combine it with my middle name and the name that i go by russell or russ you know so i got imani russell is there is there kind of a dream collaboration local or famous that you'll speak right into existence here on the podcast I would have to say Drake who you know Drake J Cole um even Kedrick Lamar but actually no I'm I'm sorry I think my dream collab would be rapping on a beat made by Tyler the Creator I think that would be crazy because he makes crazy beats insane beats so rapping on a Tyler the Creator beat I think that would be my dream collaboration. You talk about your friendship with James, but what are some of those friendships that you've made here at university school mean to you? And how do they support you when life gets hard?

Because obviously, U.S. is a hard place. You know, there's good times and hard times. How those friendships really support you? And how have you been able to form those throughout your time?

The friendships at U.S. are so incredible to me because everyone at US is so talented. So everybody at US has something that they wanna share and that they wanna do. And being friends with a lot of these people, it's opened me up to a world of collaborations and projects that I never thought I'd do. I helped my friend with his Stranod project where he was doing a short film.

I never thought that I'd do that. I helped my other friend with a promotional video for the Garden Club. And things like that is just crazy to think. Like, I don't think I could ever get an experience like this and collaborate like this and work on artwork like this if I wasn't at university school.

The friendships and the talent with everyone at university school is what I will cherish most and what I will remember most from my experience here. every single day there's almost hundreds of people that impact every decision you do so if you could think one person publicly right now who is it and why i have to thank my sponsor my two-time history teacher the absolute goat himself Dr. Matthew Folds he is the undisputed GOAT he has been my support system throughout all the high school and he will continue to be he's never um folded on me no pun intended um he's never kind of left me in the dirt he's always making me feel like I'm you know what I mean doing great things and I believe I'm doing great things every time he tells me like ah Russ you know I wouldn't expect anything less from you and it just really and he's also a really good person like he's actually a really big role model at school and in my life to the point where it's like when I grow up like I want to have the same qualities as Dr. Folds like he's a really genuine kind cool person you know what I mean and I just am really thankful that he's been my support system throughout my entire high school career and he will continue to be yeah he's special for sure yeah 100% When you imagine yourself in five years from now, random Tuesday afternoon, what do you hope your life looks like? I hope my life looks like a big mansion, a Rolls Royce, a Grammy, but I'm just playing. other than materialistic things, I actually hope that my name is known throughout the world and is also associated with being yourself and not being scared to be unapologetically yourself.

I hope that my name reminds people that it's okay to be weird. It's okay to be loud. It's okay to be quiet, but I hope that my name is associated with being unapologetically yourself throughout the entire world if you could write a one-cent caption for this chapter of your life right with the Sherman Prize music junior year track coming up a million and three things on your plate what would that caption be I would say that caption would have to be it's just been, it's been a, it's been a, it's been a high school time to remember, you know what I mean, I don't know what I would say, that's kind of the rough draft version of it, but I would say maybe it's just, it's been years to remember, there have been years to remember, that was what my last project was called, A Year to Remember, and I really think that that really captures this whole entire high school experience. Like this has been an experience to remember.

I think that's what I'm going to say. An experience to remember is what I would label this entire journey throughout US. I'm talking about not just through high school, but from fifth grade to now. From fifth grade, Charlie, when I was in your backyard and we were eating hot dogs and hamburgers to literally right now, as I'm talking to you, our junior year, about to graduate next calendar year, an experience to remember is what I would caption this entire time.

Well, Russ, last question. And Mimi, when we say we literally ask this to everybody, you've shown you can create, perform, compete, and win. But behind all that, there is grind and a heart that keeps showing up even when nobody's watching. So Russ, what is your why?

My why? I would definitely say my why is to put on for the kids who are like me and not just a physical way of being African-American or being a male, but who are like me, who at one point felt that they were an outcast or at one point felt that they were too weird or at one point felt that they were too this or not enough of this. And I want my why to be those kids who feel like they are outcast and they aren't accepted. I want them to know that you don't have to be accepted by anybody else but yourself.

And if you have that confidence in yourself and the ability to express yourself freely and feel like I am me and I am confident in being me, I feel like I've completed my task on earth. My why is to show up for the kids who feel like they can't show up for themselves so they know that I am who I am and that's okay. And I feel like that is the message that I wanna spread throughout the world. Well, Russ, it's been great having you on the show today.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your insights, experiences, and stories with us. To our listeners, thank you so much for tuning in. And we'll hope you'll join us next Wednesday for another episode of The Late Start Show. Thank you.

Thank you, Ross. Thank you.