...And We're Back!

So, I've been gone for a bit. Pardon the interruption. And if you've visited since I took my hiatus and read some of my old stuff, I really appreciate it. Thanks for stickin' with me.

So let's see. Where were we?



How about this for some fun ridiculousness?

I'll finish up with Rocky Rivera at the end of the month, then on to March!



peace.

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.

Emcee of the Month: Rocky Rivera

For reference to these comments, see here.

As I've mentioned many times before, the first hip hop that really inspired me arose from the efforts of northeastern and southeastern rap artists. So whenever I heard hip hop from the west coast, it always struck me oddly. I just couldn't wrap my ears around the sound of west coast dialects, and I feel I missed out on a lot of good music due to that barrier.

What makes this track so fun for me is that, for the first time I can remember, I am attracted to the west coast speech sounds in a completely new way. It doesn't feel nearly as foreign as it did 12 or 13 years ago. And I don't know whether it's Rocky Rivera's doing or simply the development of my sense of hip hop performance, but it sure is nice discovering the ability to enjoy west coast hip hop.

Thanks Rocky.

peace.

Emcee of the Month: Rocky Rivera

There's nothing like a bunch of lowriders on hydraulics in a hip hop video.

Here's the homegirl Rocky Rivera featuring Davinci in the clip for "SF CITY RETROSPECT".

I'll be back on the next one to make some comments. I hope you enjoy!

peace.

Emcee of the Month: Rocky Rivera

Yea, I knew this was coming.

Since then, I've learned that Rocky is a Filipino Bay-area emcee who is also a mom. Her career as an emcee is relatively new, although she's been writing for a long while. She's been a hip hop journalist for Mass Appeal, The Source and XXL.

And she's super-fresh.

I've been listening to Rocky Rivera's Pop Killer MXTP for the last week or so and I have to say, I haven't heard too many emcees with the type of exquisite aggression Rocky puts on wax. She rhymes with an elegant relentlessness that is difficult to shape. I'm also incredibly impressed with her ability to construct a rich image life in her writing, a skill that's been developed by all of the best emcees in hip hop history.

I'll be listening to more Rocky in the next few weeks, because I'll most certainly be buying her album in the next couple of days. She doesn't have too many interviews or freestyles on youtube, so I'll be researching that a little more to see if I can find something along those lines. For now, I'll leave you with my favorite track from the Pop Killer MXTP called "Daydream" featuring Nitty Scott.

I'm a sucker for those two-bar soul samples.

peace.

Uhhhh...

Where did THIS homegirl come from!?

All I know at the moment is that her name is Rocky Rivera and she kicks rhymes like an absolute animal. I'm off to investigate.

I wonder if we're looking at December's Emcee of the Month.

peace.