Rodney Hill has been analyzing the algebra of hit records for the better part of this decade. After trial and error, the man now known as Rocko is responsible for “Umma Do Me,” a brawny, brassy update of LL Cool J’s 1989 “I’m the Type of Guy” (Def Jam), in which the Southwest Atlanta native raps, among other things, “You make it sprinkle / I make it tsunami.” The club anthem’s boastful-yet-ambivalent catchphrase, and its somehow familiar mix of ad-libs and elastic delivery, are no happy accident: Since 2002, Rocko has operated both as a talent scout for Universal Records and as a behind-the-scenes liaison for local artists like Young Dro and Dem Franchize Boyz.
“I know a lot of rappers in Atlanta, and I’ve seen the lifestyle they’re living and the money they’re making off shows,” says Rocko, 29, from his Atlanta home. “I can write a rhyme, and I have the swagger to back it up.” After releasing a pair of mixtapes, 2003’s N.W.A. (No Wack Artist) and 2007’s Swag Season, he hopped in bed with Def Jam last fall.
But that’s all Rocko has to say about romance. After fathering two children with R&B singer Monica (they remain a couple), he’s eager to dispel the notion that he is an insignificant other. “Certain people get it misconstrued and think, Oh, yeah, that’s Monica’s such-and-such,” he says. “It’s cool if you already know, but as far as me trying to break through as an artist, I don’t care for my name to be in the same sentence as hers.”
Such concerns manifest themselves even in the title of Rocko’s debut, Self Made. But with guest stars like T.I., Young Jeezy, Ne-Yo, and producer DJ Toomp on board, it seems all Rocko can complain about is an embarrassment of riches. “I can call it good karma,” he says. “I’ve been looking out and trying to help other people for so long, I don’t question it.” Spoken like a true student of the game.
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