Born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, Dirty Needles – born Robert Simpson – is a Hip-Hop artist whose music is guided by the trials, tribulations, and triumphs which have landed him where he is today. Now living in Cleveland, the thirty-something-year-old rapper blends introspective reflection with self-deprecating humor to cultivate a relatable, entertaining style that sets him apart from others in his class. Heavily influenced by A Tribe Called Quest, Pharoahe Monch, Green Day and Eminem, he credits the late Phife Dawg as a source of great influence, citing his extra confidence and witty punchlines as qualities present in his own work.