“I feel like a little kid again,” whispered Robot MoonJuice as he dipped a chocolate chip cookie into his hot chocolate. It was a rainy day which made it the perfect opportunity to wear a polka dotted, striped blue rain jacket as he was with a black beanie, DIY ripped up band t-shirt and a clear see through backpack.
Robot Moon Juice is a queer rapper and performance artist living in New York City. It’s impossible not to be mesmerized by his energy and fierce ambition. Born in the Dominican Republic, Robot was Jean Carlos Angel Piña Escolastico. His story starts with his family as cattle and cheese farmers living in the countryside far away from civilization.
As a kid, Robot was left to his own devices creatively since he was removed from most media. At the age of 12, he moved to Harlem, NYC with the dream of being an actor. In those days, his dress was already eccentric with animal prints-on-prints, an afro, torn up tights and a killer attitude.
“I always had a knack to want to be different. Always been a little creep. In high school I was wilding out. I threw a lot of women’s clothing together. But always kept my beard. Now it’s a little more structured. In high school I was a fucking mess.”
Still this is where he discovered his instrument of expression: music.
“I had a weird beef with one of the kids at school. One day I was walking by him during Freestyle Friday (where all the boys came together to rap) and I was walking by them when they decided to make fun of me. I got pissed off so I started rapping back out of nowhere and I kind of liked how that felt. It opened up the element of music for me”
Flash back to present day and his EP Young, Drunk, and Beautiful releases on July 27th. “It’s about the life I’ve lived being a NYC kid and wilding out.” Robot explains. It’s an intro to the next chapter of his life and closure for the earlier part. The next chapter of his life introduces a new persona that is the antithesis of RobotMoon Juice: St. Vincent Price.
“He’s a straight man who only wears suits and heels. He’s very demure. It’s like a male industrial Lana del Rey in a weird way. It’s very emotional and personal. “
When asked about why he’s decided to create this alternate persona, Robot shared the issues he’s had with sticking to one general sexuality and how he needed to separate and conjure up a second persona to satisfy his expression.
“It’s always been hard for me to identify myself with a group. I can look very masculine but then if I want I can be very feminine. That’s kind of how Robot Moon Juice and St. Vincent Price are divided. Moon Juice is more NYC flamboyant and St. Vincent Price is more demure, elegant and macho.”
The outfits he puts together are inspired by unexpected subjects such as homeless people or buildings. Much comes from films. None of his inspiration comes from fashion magazines.
“The thing about beauty is that it’s boring. I’m over beautiful people. Society’s standard of beauty is what I hate. It’s been thrown in my face; it’s now changed my taste in men. There’s been so much buff, muscular guys thrown at me in TV and media. I like ugly boys.”
As an artist, Robot steps over the boundaries of fitting into the gender binaries. With his second persona St. Vincent Price, he introduces a straight man who only wears suits and heels. As for his sexual orientation Robot says with conviction that he is a ‘raging homosexual’
“I feel like I tend to want men because my inner power animal is a woman. It’s femininity. There comes a time when certain girls will have me going ballistic but I’m a raging homosexual. I wish there could be a 3rd or 4th gender. I guess in the dictionary I’d be considered a bisexual but I hate that word. I’ve met some real bisexuals. I’m real jealous of them.”
RobotMoon Juice intertwines his music and sense of style with the exploration of his sexuality. This is a unique and personal approach to expression and is what makes him stand out. With his unstoppable determination, powerful attitude, and ingenuity, there is no doubt what he comes up with next will blow our minds.
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