You know that grind… songs, thoughts screaming in your head all day while bills and the obligations of life yank you away? That’s me, Beatmaker RBO, founder of Play It Cool Records, right from Grand Island, Nebraska. For 15+ years, I’ve poured everything into this label from wherever I was at the time; mostly at work. I’ve poured my love of sound waves from acoustic guitars, djembe beats, bass lines, and vocals all captured raw through microphones into my craft. I love and use real waveforms made by real hands alongside real people. I also love to create and use original samples.
The Shift to Vinyl
After CDs and digital drops got swallowed by streaming, I went to lathe-cut vinyl for my next release. As of today, January 2026, I am waiting for the delivery of 25 one-of-a-kind records, each cut individually like art. These will be hand-signed and numbered by myself. Fans who crave that ritual… selecting the sleeve, taking in the artwork, dropping the needle, feeling the warmth of the vinyl sound… get it. The sound quality of vinyl might not top lossless audio files, but holding it, taking in the artwork, seeing it spin as the needle moves from the outer edge to the center? That’s the experience streaming and digital can’t touch.
Songs from the Gut
This self-titled release blends acoustic hip-hop sounds with family and hard-working truths.
- “Some Day’s I’m Gone” speaks to the struggle of where you are now versus the place you are moving towards. This song confronts voices (songs) battling monsters (obligations): “I have voices in my head, I got monsters in my bed, Some days I’m gone.”
- “The Rhythm is Clean” fights with life’s speed: “The rhythm (the ideal life) is clean, the BPM is slow.” This song also addresses one’s desire to try and make good choices. To engage in honest hard work. “I’d rather bust my ass and take it slow. I can show my face all over this place.”
- “Every Day” shows how time is like currency: “Every single day time will come and then will slip away.” “Time is the most precious thing you got. It’s a currency you spend whether you like it or not.” You can’t choose to not spend time and save it for later in life. Just like the earth spins, time is forever moving.
- “All I Do Is You” salutes my wife and the moments we get to spend together: “All I want to smell is you my wife, all over my skin.” “All I want to do is watch the water. Sit with you and watch the rain. All I want to do is let these clouds absorb into our brains.”
- “Mulberries” captures moments with my children: “I was picking mulberries one by one. I take them right off the tree and hand them to my son.” “I was picking wild flowers right outside. I hand them right to my daughter, we both feel alive.” “That’s what we did today.”
- “All My Babies” owns the chaos of raising a family while keeping everyone together and grounded: “All my babies the same lady.” “Family bigger than five. How we gonna survive? We got to keep the family fed … Keep these kids alive.”
Time Well Spent
Anything worth doing… family, work, dreams… is hard. Most quit. Not us. Not me. Not the people who listen and identify with these songs. I wrote these on guitar, played every note with my hands and with my family in mind. This piece of art was mixed by Morgan Rezac at Sekret Studios. The cover art is a selection from the local, yet notable artist, Duda. The album layout was delivered by the talented Dillon Stienike.
This project brings themes of persistence and showing up daily while owning a soft heart with hard hands. That’s our shared path to greatness, no fame required. Vinyl forces focus—one record, one needle, one spin—over endless scrolls.
Stream the full album here on the homepage.
Join the real ones: grab yours, spin it, feel the music.
Play It Cool Records. No trends. Hand-crafted truth.
