Rook Monroe’s latest EP, “SLIM.,” is a wild ride through sound and emotion, where punk, soul, rap, and R&B collide in unpredictable ways. He approaches music as a reflection of his inner world, chaotic, fiery, and impossible to confine. Each track feels like a direct line to his imagination, capturing the intensity and spontaneity of his creative mind.
In this interview, Monroe shares everything about how he lets instinct guide his work, why he reimagines familiar songs, and how he transforms life’s chaos into art. From genre-blending surprises to dual music videos, he offers a glimpse into a process that is as dynamic and uncontainable as the artist himself.
Picture Credit: Dartagnon RainesWhat inspired the chaotic, genre-blending approach you take on “SLIM.”?
It’s not even that I like a challenge. It’s more so I, myself, am a challenge. My inner unseen world is a huge, infinite wildfire. I’d call it less of an approach and more of a landing pad that packages up a tiny piece of that infinite wildfire that spans across my emotions without it ever feeling forced to me.
You move from soul to punk to rap in a single track. How do you decide which direction to take when you’re creating?
To be real, I don’t. I shut down to turn on. I suit up as the vessel, and I often surprise myself.
“i don’t wanna be you” flips a Good Charlotte classic. What drew you to reinvent that song?
When songs come on, I’m always singing, rapping, or voicing sounds on top. Harmonies, guitar solos, additional drums, alternate versions of shit, etc. It came on at this bar I always play pool at, called Furleys, and so many things came to me. As soon as I got home, I got right to it.
“Brrrt” has two very different videos. What made you want to explore both the sitcom and the grunge sides of the track?
The grunge side was a no-brainer, but I’m not the traditional rapper, and I want people to see all my sides, and never become subject to a single lane. Sometimes, even on a single song.
Your lyrics mix poetry, humour, and trash talk. How does that blend come together when you write?
Seamlessly. These are all natural sides of my personality. Truly dynamic creativity comes from a truly dynamic spirit. I’m not the type to pigeonhole myself into socially digestible qualities or character, and honestly, that allows me to associate topics across many different views cause I’m random as hell.
You’ve written for artists like Rihanna and The Chainsmokers. How did that background shape the way you approached “SLIM.”?
It became the culmination. Really tapping into other people on a soul level leaves its residue. You bond, and you blend into one another. You share things, you notice things they don’t, and if you’re really like that, you feel far beyond simply making a song. SLIM. This is how I feel, more than it being capped out at how I think.
The EP pulls from punk, pop, rap, R&B, funk, and more. Is there a genre you still want to experiment with next?
I don’t see it that way. There’s no genre I find to be off limits, as much as it comes down to how I’m feeling in creative moments. I’m sure I’ll find ways to incorporate anything if I’m inspired by it enough. I don’t really internalise the concept of genre.
The closing track, “kaleidoscope,” sums up your worldview. How do you personally navigate the messy parts of life and turn them into art?
Everything is a mess, and what you do with that mess can either be art, philosophy, lessons that lead to inner work and creativity, or destruction. I’ve always seen the world in a weird-ass way for as long as I’ve been alive. I’ve channelled that into countless different things over the course of said life. So to answer the question plainly, everything is available for transmutation.
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