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.

The Rhymes of Our Lives

I honestly can't think of a bigger hip hop dance record than this.

I won't wax and wain about this song tonight. I have a 12-hour rehearsal in the morning and I need to get to bed. However, I will say that I do a pretty good Humpty impression if I do say so myself! So if you ever run into me at a bar or other appropriate social environment, and the moment is just right, I'll let you be the judge.

Enjoy!

peace

Emcee of the Month: Murs

Murs may be one of the best rappers you've never heard of. In fact, I would go so far as to say he may actually belong in the No Wack Verses Club. Honestly, I've never known Murs to write anything other than outstanding stuff.

Here's a freestyle like you've never seen (for all of my folk guitar-loving friends).

This is going to be a good month.

peace.

Lordy, Lordy

Yup, he's 40.

Man, I'm getting old.

peace.

The Rhymes of Our Lives (Morning Edition)

I fell asleep. Sue me.



This track came out when I was in the middle of the sixth grade, and it was absolutely everywhere. During these years in my town, it was fashionable for kids my age to learn the words to all the latest music to prove we were in the know, especially in regards to impressing the ladies (Really? What what were we thinking!?). With this particular tune I was determined to know every line inside and out. So began learning Ice Cube's lyrics diligently.

The only problem was that my parents weren't into buying hip hop tapes for me at the time. The lyrics coming from the west coast were simply too vulgar and abrasive. And to be honest, I wasn't too interested in much of it either for the same reason. So I had to learn this track by chance encounters on the radio and television.

I got pretty good, too. By the time the track had been around for a two weeks or so I had about 85% of the lyrics down and could, more or less, fake it the rest of the way. So I was eager to flaunt my proficiency for all the beautiful women! However, there was one lovely lady that stood above the rest, Courtney Daniels: my first crush. Ask anyone attending A.G. Cox Middle School during 1993 and they would tell you Courtney was FOINE! I don't know too many cats who wouldn't give their left eye to receive a coveted mid-lunch love letter from Ms. Daniels.

So I was keen to show off my knowledge of "It Was A Good Day" for her as soon as I could. I had to get the jump on the rest of the guys! So as soon as I had a chance and Courtney was within earshot, I went in. The first verse went swimmingly, and I could tell the circle of listeners was impressed. But when I started into the second verse, my most difficult section, there was some improvisation that had to be done; I figured no one would know the difference.

I was abruptly corrected, and subsequently trumped in my lyrical recitation by Courtney Daniels herself. She knew the song like the back of her hand; way better than me. She proceeded to finish what I had started, leaving me silently dumbfounded at her excellence of lyrical recall. All I could do was listen in shock as she rattled off the entire track then whisked away down the sixth grade hallway. She completely stole my thunder.

One of these days, there will be a rematch. :)

peace.

The Playlist

So I've spent the last two and a half hours working on a playlist of nineties hip hop tracks for my homegirl Mariana's party in Brooklyn next week. (By the way, it's 4:50am.) There's so much! I've had an interesting experience working on this. I'm remembering how old I was when each of these songs came out, in which neighborhood I lived, who my close friends were, where I was when I heard the song, and many other memories and feelings inspired by this music.

I've also been watching Coming to America all night. "I am a loyal citizen of Zamunda!"

If you want to hear the list, be at the party.

peace.

Emcees of the Month: Pac Div

A few months ago my homie Marcel sends me a copy of a mixtape from these new southern California rap cats named Pac Div (short for Pacific Division). He says, "You need to check these cats. They for real." I'm like, "That's what's up. I'll get to it."

However, it's no secret to Marcel that I'm notorious for sleeping on new music. If I'm listening to music, I'm usually playing stuff from three or four years ago, if not longer. I think I might have played the Trinity album by Slum Village for an entire year and half. There's something comforting to me about listening to familiar lyrics and instrumentation. I like to rap along with the track, move to musical elements I can anticipate, and search for hidden nuances in established material.

I'm also pretty lazy about putting new stuff on my iPod.

So as I was trying to figure out which emcee(s) I'd like to highlight this month I thought back to that Pac Div mixtape sitting on my desktop. So I unzipped the file, threw it on my Pod, and had a listen on my way to work Tuesday.

Man, am I glad I did. 'Cause these cats are solid.

Pac Div is a hip hop group from Palmdale, California consisting of a pair of brothers, Like and Mibbs, along with their longtime friend BeYoung. Hip hop duos or trios are becoming a rarity in hip hop these days, so it's refreshing to see new groups emerging with a emphasis on collaborative longevity. Usually when I listen to emcees from the west coast, I'm hindered by the difficulty of adjusting to the west coast dialect, which isn't frequently heard in my music catalog. It's a challenge I need to address. I grew up listening to east coast and southern hip hop, so the west coast dialect almost sounds foreign, demanding me to give particular attention to the textual elements of the rhyme.

However, with Pac Div I found it much easier to listen to them without my habitual response to California rappers. Their dialects aren't any less pronounced than most of their west coast counterparts, but the arrangement of their instrumentals coupled with their exceptional lyrical ability allowed me to fall into the pocket of their music in very natural, organic way. I'm sure people in traffic were wondering what had me bobbing my head so hard!

Check out this freestyle session with Pac Div on The World Famous Wake-Up Show with Sway and King Tech. Yea, these cats are ill.

peace.