Robert Antonio Gabriel was born to Dominican parents

on August 14, 1984 in the NYC neighborhood, Washington Heights.

He participated in various artforms at an early age including stage acting and singing, but it wasn’t until age 11 that he began to write music. He especially took a liking to the Hip-Hop culture, which would be his biggest influence and was often found rhyming and battling in ciphers with other young emcees in his school hallways, on the street and anywhere else the challenge was available.

In 2002, Robert began to take music seriously and dropped out of school with the intentions of becoming a professional music artist. Since then he has been traveling much of the east coast performing and collaborating with other artists, but most importantly learning to navigate through the music industry.

In 2009, after a few years OT, he returned home to Washington Heights to continue producing his first body of work titled “Before the Money, Before the Fame, Before The World Knows My Name” under the moniker Skematics.

Since his return, Skematics released the “Before…” mixtape, created the “Hit ‘Em Hard Showcase” with L.A. Jimenez, presenting Skematics and other upcoming NYC emcees, opened up shows for Sean Price, the Wu-Tang Clan, Tito El Bambino, Joell Ortiz and DJ Tony Touch, to name a few.

In 2011, Skematics resumed his work on a new mixtape titled “Crash Course.” This opus focused on experimental sounds and neighborly collaborations with other artists. It was finally released in 2012 with the help of DJ PF Cuttin.

More recently, Skematics linked up with Saigon and Sean Price (R.I.P) in collaborations that appear in Skematics’ debut EP, titled, “Somewhere In The Gray”. This 5 song project shows Skematics’ development as a producer and emcee, expanding on composing, arrangements, live instrumentation and his writing ability to step into the chambers of these reputable emcees and hold his own. Somewhere In The Gray was mixed by veteran Luis “Sabor” Tineo and Mastered by world renowned Tony Dawsey.

Somewhere In The Gray was well received by the Hip-Hop community, with all the singles being reviewed by websites such as Hip Hop DX, This Is 50, 2 Dope Boyz, and Nah Right to name a few.

In 2022, Skematics will be releasing a second EP titled A1, as an ode to the 2 trains that run through Washington Heights.