Robert Diggy Morrison
Musical Director, Producer & Multi-Instrumentalist 

Sandeep Kulkarni (00:02) Today's guest is Rob "Diggy" Marsen, a Chicago-born composer and arranger recognized by the Recording Academy for his work on Beyoncé's Grammy-winning remix of "Crazy in Love," and now known for his work in film and television scoring.

Suraaj Parab (00:21) Welcome, Rob, to The Artist Conversation.

Rob (00:22) Hey, how y'all doing?

Sandeep Kulkarni (00:25) Doing good, doing good. We're so excited to talk to you. I know we missed each other last time, but we were really looking forward to this. Rob, I want to start with your origin and early fire. You've talked about being told early on that you'd never play in the junior high jazz band. How did that moment shape you? Did it discourage you, or did it light a fire?

Rob (01:07) You know, it was so long ago. I've been trying to put the pieces together to find out how I felt. Initially, the reaction was, "Wow, this guy just rejected me from the school band." I was probably in seventh or eighth grade at the time. I probably went back outside, played football, and forgot about it. But later on, it made sense. The guy that I wanted to emulate at the time was so good. Even at 14 years old, this cat was a great guitarist who only wanted to be a preacher. All his sons wanted to play with guys like Puffy and Kirk Franklin. He had so many kids that he put them all into music.

I saw him on Facebook and thanked him. I said, "Brother, I looked up to you when we were in school, and I wanted to be just like you." In other words, look at me now—not to brag, but he was very proud of me. I told him the story, and he never knew that Mr. Pugh, our band teacher, told me I couldn't be in the band.

Sandeep Kulkarni (02:47) What was the name of the band teacher again?

Rob (02:55) Alexander Pugh. He was from the islands, like Haiti. He had a strong accent and said, "You'll never play in my band." That's how he said it. I was like, "What?"

Sandeep Kulkarni (03:15) And this was in Chicago? Did you grow up in Chicago?

Rob (03:25) Yeah, everything was in Chicago. As a kid, you just keep going and keep playing.

Suraaj Parab (03:44) That's really amazing.

Rob (03:45) Of course, I went on to high school, but I didn't want to attend the high school I ended up graduating from. The counselor, Gail Williams, encouraged me to stay just one semester to see how I liked it. I didn't want to be there. I don't know if you're familiar with the movie Cooley High—it's a 70s film showing Chicago high school life, ditching school, and house parties. It reminded me so much of my school, Marshall High School. I wanted a decent education. In Chicago back then, you had few choices—it was either jail, drugs, or figuring out how to make it out of the hood.

I wrote an ode to myself recently called Dear Walnut, which was the street I lived on. Miss Williams inspired me to stay one semester and join the band. I was already playing guitar, but I didn't know anything about band music, so I started with the trombone. Guys on my block who were in the band walked me through it. I enrolled in September, and by December, I was playing trombone in the advanced band. I had a great ear and trusted it. I became a very good trombone player in high school and eventually earned a scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. That's where it all began.

Suraaj Parab (08:17) You earned a scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, but then lost it after being kicked out of the university band. How did you find your way through that?

Rob (08:33) I was playing in an R&B/funk band on campus to make money for food and laundry. One day, I was walking across campus to jazz band practice. My college band director, Mr. Burks, asked where my amplifier was. I told him it was in the dorm and that I was going to use the bass amp provided by the school. He argued that I needed my own amp and made a comment about me running around with that off-campus band. It got personal. I tried to reason that the school should provide an amplifier for the jazz band, but he put me out of the band on the spot. Because of that, I lost my scholarship, room, and board immediately.

I was couch-surfing and trying to figure out how to eat until I decided to go home to Chicago. My mom and I tried every organization for financial aid, but everyone said no. Then, one of the deans wrote a letter to my house saying I had been reinstated. When I saw him, he taught me the phrase, "Don't ever burn your bridges." He told me, "You're going to go back there, do the best you can, graduate, and do bigger things." I followed his advice, graduated, and was later inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.

Sandeep Kulkarni (14:52) You later moved into electronic, dance, and house music, working as a studio musician on major record releases. What did that chapter teach you about groove, discipline, and how records get made?

Rob (15:15) The record labels—like Columbia and Atlantic—would send us the acapellas. I would listen to the vocal and design whole tracks around it. Because of my ear, I could identify the key from the acapella and build the chord progressions and musical direction. I played on remixes for Michael Jackson, Notorious B.I.G., Janet Jackson, Kanye West, Destiny's Child, Beyoncé, Shakira, Ray J, and Mary J. Blige. That energy prepared me directly for film composing.

Suraaj Parab (22:55) Talking about film scoring, you've mentioned it's something you are deeply passionate about. When you first stepped into that world, what was the hardest thing to learn, and what does it take to become a film composer?

Rob (23:28) The hardest part was learning to score for different characters and styles. Animation, comedy, and holiday projects are especially challenging because they require immense brainpower—you have to think like the characters. Once I mastered that, everything else became easier. Beyond that, it takes immense discipline and staying calm under pressure, especially when balancing opinions from directors and producers.

Sandeep Kulkarni (25:44) Your work in film and TV includes scoring The Family Business and Dobie's Boss. When you're scoring a scene, what are you listening for beneath the dialogue and action?

Rob (26:05) I focus deeply on learning the dialogue. I watch the scene a few times, and usually, I instantly know what sound or emotion needs to go there. Early in my career, I took a lot of notes, but now I trust my instincts and flow through it like driving on cruise control. I draw from my sound libraries depending on whether it's action, drama, romance, or Christmas.

Suraaj Parab (27:32) Being recognized by the Recording Academy for your contribution to "Crazy in Love" is a huge milestone. What did that moment mean to you, and what did it teach you about the industry?

Rob (27:52) It taught me to stay persistent. While the primary producer received the formal Grammy award, my musical arrangement and signature are all over those tracks. Because of Academy guidelines, I updated my title to "Grammy-Recognized Arranger." I am also a voting member of the Recording Academy. Working with acapellas on remixes directly built my ability to frame film scenes musically—knowing when a scene needs suspense or just subtle, beautiful chords.

Sandeep Kulkarni (30:38) In 2025, you received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award and were inducted into the HBCU Hall of Fame. What does that recognition feel like now?

Rob (30:48) The Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award means a lot because it honors service, volunteerism, and my work with my church's food ministry feeding the homeless. The HBCU Hall of Fame induction in Arts & Entertainment was very special for someone who grew up playing in the dirt to end up walking red carpets.

My mom is my biggest fan. I remember getting an ASCAP royalty check early on for literally one cent. My mom looked at it and said, "Rob, it's going to be okay. That's going to double and triple." And it did. Staying in circles with hard-working musicians kept me moving forward.

Rob (34:06) I'll tell you a quick story about living in Dubai. In 2017, I connected on IMDb with producers Pankaj Seitz and Dr. Moobie from Nugen Entertainment. They were preparing a film about Gandhi called The Gandhi Murder (originally Solar Eclipse). They invited me to Dubai to write the score. My mom thought I was going to a third-world country, but it was top-notch. I stayed there for months writing music in a villa.

They wanted an American/Western orchestral score rather than a traditional Hindi score, which played right into my strengths. They flew me to Bulgaria to record with a live orchestra overlaying my arrangements. It was an incredible experience transcribing my music for live players.

Sandeep Kulkarni (43:47) That's a great reminder that the path isn't always straight, but the detours shape the sound. Thank you so much for talking with us, Rob.

Rob (44:04) I appreciate that. Detours and the word "no" drive me. When someone says no, I figure out a way to get it done.

Suraaj Parab (44:27) Thank you everyone for listening. Please check out Rob's work on Apple Music, Spotify, and follow him on Instagram at @RobDiggy.

Rob (45:21) And a special shoutout to my publicist, Desiree Benson, for arranging this!

Sandeep Kulkarni (45:27) Absolute shoutout to Desiree. Thank you all!