Roc C Interview

It’s been a minute since we’ve talked, but it’s been great hearing all your new music. Stoned Genius is the new album. How did that come about?

You know, the Ox City motto, we try to keep our foot to the pavement. I’m a bit of a workaholic with music. I’m all about it. I try to keep the fans with what they need, I try not to get to the point where they ask where I am or what happened to me. I try to give cats at least a project a year and hopefully with each project they’ll see how I’ve grown and I at least try to branch out and do different things but still stay Roc C throughout the whole movement.

Do you think that’s one of the keys to your success today, not taking time off?

I think what gets me by is that people see that whatever the movement is at the time or whatever the mainstream vibe is at the time, I tend to go to the left, to go to the opposite. I think that by me being relevant, All Questions Answered came out in 2005 and I’m still here doing my thing and it’s a blessing. A lot of people haven’t heard of me and to a lot of people I’m still a fresh, new artists and to the fans that have been riding with me, hopefully they haven’t gotten tired of me because I try to give them something different each time.

Stoned Genius features a lot of talented producers and MCs, from Madlib to Chali 2na. Do you think you do better working with a mix of other artists or a focused project with one producer like Transcontinental with IMAKEMADBEATS?

I think both ways work for me. With IMAKEMADBEATS, he was an up-and-coming young producer and not too many people have heard of him and I was really digging him. Mic Geronimo put me onto him and I was just digging his whole grind and what he was about and the best thing that I could do instead of just telling people about him was to do a project and get it out so people could actually hear him as opposed to doing something that’s just Roc C, each album, I work with a lot of the same people, but each album, I bring somebody new to the table and I like the challenge of my style and being featured with the producers. Each feature, they’re all my family. I don’t just do features because someone’s hot or they’re the most popular person at the time. These are people that are family and that I have day-to-day’s with.

You’ve worked with Madlib and Oh No for awhile. Do your styles change when working with them or do you feel they adjust their styles to you?

You know, each person is different. You have some producers that are just…I’m the type of person that doesn’t tell a producer exactly what I want. I like a producer to surprise me because if you don’t, they’ll always give you the same particular sound and the same type of beats that they think are good for you as opposed to you never know what you may hear me over. I like for people to do them. Whatever you think is butta, send it to me and whatever the beat tells me to do, I’ll do. That’s the beautiful thing about it.

Madlib is known for not doing interviews, so the only time we really hear about him is through other artists. What’s it like working with Madlib?

Aw, before there was a Stones Throw, there was Lootpack, myself, Oh No, Medaphoar, Dudley Perkins, God’s Gift, a whole bunch of people. We were already working. We had studios and we were already making albums together before we ever knew what Stones Throw was. Once they came along. we were already making the music a bit ahead of the game because dealing with such producers as Kankick to Madlib to Oh No all at once and dealing with all the rappers, you really had to come with your a-game to get that one beat and get the studio time. I think that work ethic kind of groomed us for when we actually got our record deals to keep us pushing.

What was it like recording with so many talented artists before the notoriety came along?

Even back then, we all had a plan. We knew Lootpack was going to be the forefront and let them set the groundwork and then have the trickle down effect. It just so happens that God blessed it that it worked out that way. Even back then when we were doing the songs and the albums we were doing it for each other and we were our hardest critics on one another. It was like, “All right, if I can impress Madlib or Oh No with this verse and this song, now I can get in and I might get two beats and so on and so forth.” We all did the same things and if you catch someone’s attention and if it’s the right time, you might record a whole album. You’ve got umpteen rappers and not so many producers. What are you going to do to stand out to get your time? Everybody works hard to stand out and you can’t be the cliche group where everybody pretty much sounded like each other. If you go down in our group, nobody sounds the same but we all have the same tendencies and we all like the same things but everybody puts their own stamp on what they do.

Was it more fun back then?

Honestly, I still feel like it’s still back in the day. I feel like no matter how many songs I may put out, I couldn’t even tell you. I couldn’t tell you about that because I don’t look at it like that. I look at it like when I finally hang up my microphone, then I’ll sit back and look at all of the accolades, but until then, I’ve got work to do so I’m trying to turn this 15 seconds into 15 years. THat’s the mission I’m on. Back in the day, it was fun. Now, it’s just as fun. I’ve just upgraded and I’ve had to make the relationships to be heard where back in the day it was just my group who I had to keep their attention. It’s all the same thing, just a different scale.

You were around before the internet boom and are still thriving now. How have you stayed relevant?

A few things. The first thing was I was a fan of the music since day one. Prior to even getting into the game, everybody that I looked up to, I watched the documentaries and read the books and saw what situations happened to them and where their luck fell hard. Once I got to that point, I knew what to look out for and what not to do. As far as staying relevant through all the booms and whatnot, I told you in our first interview, I don’t make music for the record labels. I make music for the people who feel they have no voice but have something to say, just the average, everyday cat. That’s who I do my music for and that’s who I rep for. I think they’ve grown with me and understand that I’m genuine in my quest and supported me.

How would you describe your growth as an artist through the years?

Let’s take it back before Stones Throw. I came from the era of lyrics and beats, not so much lyrics and not just beats. The lyrics had to be as banging as the hook and the beat and everything had to be on the same level. With a banging beat and a banging DJ, your A-game had to be super, super, super. I’ve always gravitated towards artists that told stories about them and what it may be and with my music, I try to do the same thing, but at the same time, I try to keep the elements of rawness and hip-hop in it. I try to keep it rawcore! (laughs) I still got the story rhymes and all that stuff, but people say if you got good stories, you’re not a good battle rapper. They say if you’re a battle rapper, then you can’t make good songs. I try to show all of that. That’s what I think I really work hard at.

You and Chali 2na traded verses on “Bar Catchers” off Stoned Genius. The chemistry sounds pretty natural.

That’s what’s up. I’m a fan of this music and at the end of the day, I want to feel like I didn’t cheat myself out of anything and to do a song with somebody is cool, but I’m not really into that. It really has to be something that I believe in from the person to the whole situation. As far as the “Bar Catchers” joint goes, me and Chali 2na was just chopping it up one day and I was telling him, other than Jadakiss and Styles P, who do you really see going hard back and forth like the stuff we grew up on? Nobody! I told him I thought we should go in at it. “Bar Catchers” is what came out of it. A couple of blunts later, there you go! It just felt like that hip-hop feel as my homie Chino says, the Golden Era, when everything was real intense. That’s how “Bar Catchers” came about.

And you guys have a full-length project you’re working on, right?

Yes! It’s called Ron Artiste! I feel everybody has a little Ron Artest in them. The man is very intelligent all the way down to where he can let you know what it is. I thought it’d be a fun project to do because I respect him as a man, not just as a basketball player. We know a bunch of people who have a little Ron Artest in them. We came up with the theme and got some homies down. That’s how the project came about. We leaked out a song on DJBooth called “I Will,” so that’s been floating around and “Bar Catchers” is the first introduction to us. From here on out, it’s go-time. 2012 is ours.

How’s the project coming?

We’re like 25 songs deep! We’re going to keep going and shoot some more videos. You’ll probably hear a song with Krondon on it soon. That’ll probably be the first official single. We’ll probably run out with that one and you’ll probably have the album out or at least a few songs by the end of the basketball season because we’re trying to capitalize on everything but at the same time we really want to make sure everything is right and potent and catches the theme of things. We have everybody on there from Rapper Pooh to LMNO to Edo G to Oh No. I can keep going! (laughs) It’s real crazy. I think it’s something that people wouldn’t expect but at the same time, I think it’s something that hip-hop needs.

Where did you guys shoot the video to “Bar Catchers”?

(laughs) Out in Camarillo, there actually used to be a mental hospital that burned down. The story is when the mansions were going up, that’s one of the areas where they used to hide out at. It was a real crazy mental spot with a lot of abuse and it burned down and they say it’s a haunted spot so I thought it’d be ill to capture that effect and try to have that ‘80s, ‘90s video look to it and do something that most people wouldn’t do. A lot of people wouldn’t even go into that spot. Just to break the stereotypes and do something fun.

In the past you’ve talked about albums with Oh No and Pete Rock. How’s those coming?

It goes back to the same theory of before we had the record deals. Sometimes we make albums just to listen to with each other. That was the beautiful thing about music. There’s projects that I just give out for free. There’s albums for sale. There’s albums that i just do for myself and there’s albums that I do for the homies to enjoy and there’s albums that I do strictly for the fans. That’s the beautiful thing about it through the years is that I”m still able to create music and hopefully it doesn’t sound like the last song that I did. The Pete Rock album is done. That’s just something that we listen to amongst each other. Me and Rapper Pooh, we have an album. We’ve been leaking songs but that’s going to be an album that’s going to end up being free. The Ron Artiste album is definitely going to be out. The album with Chino XL and Oh No, the Street Crucifixion stuff that we’ve done, we play a couple jams at parties and here and there. I’m trying. I’m trying, brother.

What are your plans for 2012?

I started my Cash Roc Ent label two years ago and Fine Print Ent. My Cash Roc is for more established artists and Fine Print is for artists I’m trying to up and groom and get to that point. I’m trying to do my projects and I got the boxer Victor Ortiz signed to my label. I got Lee Bannon, a young producer from Sacramento that’s real crazy, coming out with a joint venture I did with Plug Research. I’m just on my grind and trying to be here. This is what I’ve done before I even knew I could do it. It’s me!

@rocc805

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