Robinson was born in Hackney, London, to Trinidadian parents. His family returned to Trinidad and back again to England and Brixton in South London, and then on to Brixton, which is home to a colourful and vibrant community. He describes himself as “a British resident with a Trini sensibility”. Famous now as a poet and spoken word performer, he has been a strong influence on black-British writing.

Robinson was a spoken-word performer in London in the early 1990s and also a vocalist in projects that combine music and poetry, touring extensively around the United Kingdom.

In 2010 Robinson’s poetry collection Suckle won the People’s Book Prize. His 2013 collection The Butterfly Hotel was one of three poetry titles shortlisted for the 2014 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature.