Actor and musician Olurotimi Akinosho aka Rotimi is the latest guest to step into The Shade Room with your girl, Debra Oh!
If you have been keeping up with Power then you would know Rotimi’s character Dre comes on this season under the wing of Kanan, who is played by 50 Cent, and as the rival to Kanan’sson, Sean.
Well before Power, Rotimi, had already made a name for himself in the acting world making his official debut in 2011 and then later he hits major roles for the television series Boss and films like Black Nativity and Divergent. And let’s not forget yaboy can SANNNNGG!!! If you haven’t heard his new song Lotto you definitely aren’t winning!
Check out some of the highlights from our chat below:
How Did You Hook Up With 50 Cent And Did You Have To Audition For The Show?
Rotimi: The show! It was literally the show…they brought me in and said about maybe 750 people were actually going for the role of Dre so they had to narrow it down. But luckily the main creator of the show, she watched me on Boss, so she always had it in her mind that it would be me but I had to go through protocol.”
Is Dre’s Character Lifestyle Really Far Fetched From Your Own Actual Lifestyle?
Rotimi: “Oh Yeah. I feel like his lifestyle is completely different but his mentality …it’s kind of eerie how art is imitating life because I’m in a situation where I’m trying to come up through the ranks as well and learning from 50 and learning from these type of people and making my own decision of what I want to be. I think that it’s just the ambition is what we have in common.”
Would You Say You Had To Draw From A Certain Place To Play Dre?
Rotimi: “Yeah personally I had to think about the people I grew up with. I took a lot from the people I saw and their mannerisms and seeing how they react to certain things. I kind of got into a little method where I would take cold showers because it would piss you off. So I would be mad all day and I stayed in that mindset.”
What was the inspiration for Lotto?
Rotimi: “Actually the day before we did [Lotto] we went to the club and I saw somebody and I was like ‘Yo she bad’ and I was like I need to talk to her and if I get this specific girl, then she’s the lottery ticket and she’s everything and she got it. So it came from… fast forward… it came from hearing the mistake from another record and so the hook just came to my mind because of what I thought about the day before so it was just organic.”
What Kind of Girls Are You Into?
Romiti: “Physically, I love figure…you know, I’m an a*s man but I think overall just confidence and a certain type of swag that she knows she bad like she’ll have you say it instead of her. It’s just a quiet confidence. Personality wise, I think I just want someone who is really understanding and can really communicate…and she has to have my sex drive.”
Are you single now or are you taken?
Rotimi: Yeah, I’m single.
So are you looking?
Rotimi: I mean I’m open it… I’m open to the situation; you just have to be the right person.”
Do You Think People Are Gravitating Towards Your Music Or Your Acting?
Rotimi: “I think I’m waking a lot of people up musically. I think when they heard Lotto and they were like ‘oh wow this is actually a jam.’ Girls more so say they love the record… women get it up front but dudes, when you start realizing it’s a dope record is when you see guys like ‘yo like for real that is my joint, I vibe with that’ and that’s what’s happening now, its waking a lot of people up.”
How Do You Feel About The Comparison Between Empire And Power?
Rotimi: “I understand why they do it but there really isn’t a comparison they are just two different shows. We are all black and talented.”
What Kind Of Struggles Did You Have To Go Through To Get To Where You Are Now?
Rotimi: “I am still going through it. I feel like I’m still proving myself. I have to personally battle the fact when people say that he’s an actor and a singer and this and that. I’m battling to say ‘Yo he’s just a really all around talented individual that can act and sing. I want to take the barriers off of calling what ever it is. It’s just more so he’s just gifted, he’s blessed, he’s talented and he works hard.”
What Can We Expect From Dre In Season 3?
Romiti: “You get to know Dre a lot more. You start seeing similarities between different characters. You see in season 3 he made his decision on who he is rocking with… he makes his decision on who he wants to be and he lives that out. You learn about his daughter and going forward you learn about his motives. It grows on you; you either love him or hate him.”
You can definitely expect more from Rotimi’s character Dre in season 3 and you might even see him get a little hot and heavy with one of his female characters! At the end of the day, Rotimi,has proven himself to be the person to watch and we can’t wait to see what he does next! Look out for his EP entitled “Rotation” coming out soon and download Lotto on iTunes today!! Thanks for stepping into The Shade Room!
TSR Staff: Debra Oh! @The_Ebony_Issue on IG!!
