The name Bobby Brackins might not ring any bells in the dog world, but this 26-year-old Oakland-raised artist was behind two of last year’s biggest mainstream pop tracks. He stepped up and wrote Tinashe’s infectious breakthrough R&B hit “2 On” and also snagged a co-writing credit on Chris Brown’s smash “Loyal.” Since then, Bobby’s career has been on the rise, capped by his own single “My Jam” going viral this summer.
So, you’re probably asking at this point, that might be all well and good, but why is he on Dogster?
Well, it turns out that Bobby Brackins’ musical journey has been accompanied by a noble half-wolf named Noir. In the interests of getting the scoop on the pooch behind the hits, I spoke to Bobby about his one-and-a-half-year-old canine companion’s backstory, why Disney princess Zendaya would make a good dog sitter, and a little incident involving a driver’s license.
Dogster: Where did you get Noir from and why did you name him that?
Bobby Brackins: I got him from a ranch in Texas. He’s a half-wolf but also with a little bit of shepherd in him, I think. When it comes to his name, because basically he’s almost all black but with some patches, I wanted something that could relate to that. The name just kinda came to me, from the French word for “black.”
What’s Noir’s personality like?
He’s just like me — he loves girls! He loves company, he’s very social, and he really likes to have girls around him. Like when we’re out and about, he’ll definitely seek out the girls.
So he’s a dog who flirts a lot?
Yep! He’s definitely a dog who flirts.
What sort of girls does Noir like best?
His favorite girls are … I would honestly say that he really seems to like girls with accents! Yeah, his favorites are girls with accents, wherever they’re from.
Noir has grown into a big dog. What sort of reaction do you get from people when you’re out walking him?
It’s always a good one, he’s super nice, really easy going, and he loves people. He’s like the sweetest dog you’ll meet. He’s always getting compliments when he’s out. Basically, if we’re out and we meet someone and we stop and talk, he just really wants to then meet that person and play, especially if he can run around with them.
What’s the story behind Noir and your driver’s license?
Ah, man, yeah, he destroyed my driver’s license! He always tries to chew up and eat everything, like especially my kicks. I remember I came home one day and I had left the license out and I came back and I saw it all chewed up, leaving my picture on it looking all messed up and crazy!
So does Noir act up when you leave home for a while to go on tour?
Nah, he’s fine. If you’re going away for that length of time, you just really need to get a good dog sitter — especially one that’s great about making sure he gets to go to the bathroom.
Which musicians do you think would be a good dog sitter for him?
Probably the singer Zendaya. She has a really big dog, and she likes Noir; plus he likes her records.
Does Noir show any interest in your music when he hears it?
Yeah, I actually have a studio in my house so he’s always in there. But not just with my songs, I’ve noticed that he really just seems to like music — he’ll search it out, and he just wants to be around when there’s loud music blasting. He doesn’t want to run outside when there’s music playing — he just wants to be there listening to it.
If Noir became the star of your next music video, what would you have him doing?
Maybe it would be about just having the dog do something really gangsta, like with a chain around his neck. Imagine just having someone drive him around, and then the window comes down and you see it’s this gangsta dog!
Finally, you wrote Chris Brown’s “Loyal” and Tinashe’s “2 On,” but which song does Noir like best?
I think he likes “Loyal” better — he moves around to it more.
Thanks, Bobby! Check out more about the artist at the Bobby Brackins Facebook page.
Read more interviews on Dogster:
- We Chat With Kapten Hanna: A Seattle Tattoo Artist and Dog Rescuer
- We Chat With Dog Trainer Leslie McDevitt, Author of the Groundbreaking “Control Unleashed”
- We Chat With Travel Channel Host Brian Unger About His Life With Dogs
About Phillip Mlynar: The self-appointed world’s foremost expert on rappers’ cats. When not penning posts on rap music, he can be found building DIY cat towers for his adopted domestic shorthair, Mimosa, and collecting Le Creuset cookware (in red). He has also invented cat sushi, but it’s not quite what you think it is.
