Emcee of the Month: Rocky Rivera

Sorry I'm late everyone.

I've searched and searched for decent video interview of Rocky, but I couldn't find anything to my liking.  Fortunately, a fellow blogger (Hanalei Somar from the little I know) has been able to track Rocky down during a recent visit to NYC.

Here's an excerpt from their conversation.  It's a really good read.

During her recent visit to NYC, I was able to catch up with the extraordinary hustler/emcee, Rocky Rivera, for a quick talk about trick habits, community support, and her new life as the Gangster of Love. This is a full transcript of the interview intended for the upcoming ACV Cinevue blog article “Quality In the Age of Viral Video: Time with Rocky Rivera.”


h!: What are you up to in NYC? Any special projects going on right now?


Rocky Rivera: I have a mixtape coming out, June 7th. We haven’t even announced it yet. It’s called the Popkiller Mixtape; it’s basically a collection of beats furnished by the artists or producers themselves. The concept behind Popkiller is really a critique of the mainstream, but at the same time, it’s a way for me to utilize the same tools to get my message across. Whether it’s guerrilla advertising; basically trying to get my main message across using the same methods that a pop artist would use while simultaneously trying to keep the underground true. So, that’s really what Popkiller is about. It’s about utilizing those same methods to getting a really substantial message across, something that should actually be shared with the masses. 


 h!: What is “La Madrina” a part of? 


Rocky Rivera: It’s the first leak off the Popkiller Mixtape. It was a free download, and we’ll be doing more in the following months. But “La Madrina” is from Popkiller. I’m doing one last video for the Rocky Rivera LP, “Girl Like Me,” which is coming out in a couple weeks. We’re really transitioning into the next project. The video will be coming out in May, which is the final single from my Rocky Rivera LP.


h!: Aside from Jessica Hagedorn, there are other nods to sheroes that come across in your music. Dolores Huerta in “Heart” and even some Angela Davis peppered through some of your work. Is it important for you as a woman artist to pay homage to these revolutionaries? 


Rocky Rivera: “Heart” was such an exceptional beat for me, because as a female artist, I always have to keep my own personal life at a distance. There’s this whole double standard of being a woman in a male dominated industry. I know the challenges of that. For me to be able to channel that kind of inspiration from these different women on such an emotional beat was such a way for me to get in touch with my emotions and my own history, without really revealing too much of myself and my private life. It was a way for me to put myself in their shoes, and really think about their struggles. The things that made it possible for me to do what I have to do today. 


Whether it’s Dolores Huerta, whether it’s Angela Davis, whether it’s Gabriela Silang, or whether it’s cocaine QueenPin, Griselda Blanco. These are women’s stories that need to be told. These are important stories. I feel like I’m a storyteller. As a journalist, I’m a storyteller. I am the vessel in which their stories come back to life. I would take that role, but at the same time, it’s not the only thing that I do.

For the full interview, have a look here.

For good measure, here's Rocky track "Heart".  Like I've said before, I'm a sucker for those four-bar soul samples.





peace.

Reverend Tyson and General Colbert

I can't think of a better duo.



I'm pretty sure Dr. Tyson has been the most frequent reoccurring guest on Stephen Colbert's Colbert Report on Comedy Central. However, Stephen never has a chance to interview folks out of character, which is what makes this clip so fantastic. And as you will see, Colbert is just as brilliantly funny here as he is on his show. This is a wonderful interview.



peace.

Emcee of the Month: Murs

They couldn't find a tripod some decent lighting for this?

There are two more parts (here and here). Please have a look.

Obviously, I didn't choose to post this video because of the production value. Nevertheless, of all the interview clips of Murs I found this one is by far the most insightful. It's always fascinating to hear these artists give these kinds of accounts describing their thoughts and beliefs on their music and the surrounding society. So many times these interviews are unable to illuminate all but the most pedestrian elements of an emcee's inspiration. This is quite refreshing.

I'll have a few more thoughts on this interview tomorrow.

peace.

Emcee of the Month: Black Thought

I thought I'd post an interview tonight. I haven't done one of these for some time.

Black Thought is one of hip hop's more private artists, which is what makes this interview so wonderful. Here he discusses what keeps him inspired to write and perform, possible writing projects other than rap lyrics (c'mon Thought!), and the synergy between he and Questlove. It's a wonderful seven minutes allowing a glimpse behind the curtain of one of hip hop's greatest emcees and showmen. Check it out.

peace.

Emcee of the Month: MF Doom

I have to admit. Part of the reason MF Doom is this month's emcee is this video right here.

I first came across this video about a year and a half ago. I believe my homie Marcel sent it to me when I told him I'd been underestimating MF Doom's influence in hip hop and requested he point me in the right direction to explore the world of the Metal Face. After watching this, I knew I had to play quite a bit of catch-up.

For me, the most delightful aspect of this video is that fans like us rarely have the opportunity to witness our musical and cultural heroes responding to their peers with this amount of admiration. My friends and I spend what seems like hours throwing song quotes at each other, completely amused by the absurdity, cleverness, or aggression of the music we love. To see that one of hip hop's most successful and acclaimed performers experience this art in the same way confirms that we truly are a community. That's something special.

peace.

Emcee of the Month: Eternia

Why is she talking so fast!?



Eternia's got a very sophisticated sense of hip hop music, and it's evident she's given a lot of thought to her place in the culture. I'm especially appreciative of her mention of growing up on '90s rap like Busta Rhymes and Onyx. It was during that era when I became aware of my attraction to hip hop music and culture and I very much identify with that sense of the music. Check this interview.

And if anyone has a lead on one of those "My Favorite Rapper Wears a Skirt" t-shirts, get at me.



peace.

Emcee of the Month: Joell Ortiz

I watched quite a few Joell interviews, and I was trying to find something that was as recent as possible. But the thing about Joell is that he's very good at "shifting his code" to appeal to the given interview environment, much better than his outward show may appear. That's a good thing. It means he's aware of his audience and has learned how to make himself and his work available to them. However, due to interviewers hastily making their way to requests for Joell to rhyme, I feel we miss a lot of who Mr. Ortiz actually is.

So it took me a while to find a clip of him speaking that felt like I was seeing and hearing the purest story about who he is and what have been the important events and influences during his career.

I finally found an interview from a documentary television series called Mr. Dante Luna. Now, maybe I haven't searched enough, but I haven't found much information about this series; when it was made, its length, or its intention. Nevertheless, this interview with Joell is wonderful. There's no interviewer, no gang of dudes wallflowering the recording, and no pressure for a freestyle. Joell simply tells us about his life and career in very honest, simple terms. From what I can tell, he's quite an individual. Have a look.

peace.

Emcee of the Month: Jean Grae

I've been listening to Jean Grae interviews on youtube for about an hour now and honestly, I could listen to her all night long. Really. Rarely have I seen an emcee who can converse with such a balance of wit, intelligence, humility, insight, and confidence. Most stick to their shtick and have limited ability to communicate the subtleties and nuances of their personalities. Perhaps it has something to do with a fear or apprehension of seeming vulnerable or weakened.

Not Jean.

She invites us into the frailties and idiosyncrasies of who she is just enough to keep us wanting more. We get a sense of how she observes her world and what drives her. It's actually incredibly enticing. Since the business of hip hop music is such a male driven industry, the usual pattern of women emcees is to mimic the way the dudes navigate the culture. But Jean embraces her femininity, which allows her to seem much more grounded in life and work.

There is a lack of recent interviews featuring Jean on youtube (I wonder why.) but I was able to find clips from what seemed to be many different moments throughout her career. I was fascinated to see how she's evolved in the way she talks about her art and life. Here I'll be posting the most recent video I found, but I encourage you to scroll back and check out some of her earlier words. She's a sophisticated person and her journey is wonderfully colorful.

peace.

Emcees of the Month: Pac Div

This week, I'll let the members of Pac Div speak for themselves. Interestingly enough, one of the discussed topics is their tour with January's Emcee of the Month, Asher Roth. Don't you love it when everything comes together?

P.S. There's something I love about the "handheld video camera in the radio station" style. Maybe I'm just cheap.

peace.

Emcee of the Month: Asher Roth

So I took a day off yesterday, primarily because I took a 4 1/2 hour nap from 6:30pm-11pm. After I woke up, the evening had turned into midnight and my interest and attention was waning. So let's just chalk it up to a "slow news day."

This is week two of highlighting Asher Roth this month, and I thought I'd offer an interview he did with Hot 93.7 in Hartford, CT. I'm especially impressed with not only the topics of conversation in this interview, but the informal comradery. This conversation looks and feels very much like many I've had with friends of mine; in parking lots and backyards curious about each other's opinions. I even like the occasional plane flying overhead.

Also, there are some really wonderful topics here. Asher talks about the future of hip hop as he sees it, acknowledges some very talented and underrated emcees, and how he's building his artistic base. I hope you enjoy.





Tomorrow: A Journey to the Broken Angel
peace.