New West Coast Spotlight: Roccett

New West Spotlight: Roccett

Written on March 24, 2008 Wood Audio, New West, Roccett

Gangsta rap. It’s what the West Coast does best. Sure we’ve got our backpackers, lyricists, and punchline artists, but we do Gangsta Rap like no other region. The West is often imitated, but never duplicated . Roccett is living proof of that fact. Hailing out of Carson California, Roccett is one of the most promising up and coming artists out of the West. Singed to Young Jeezy’s CTE label, Roccett has an ear for grimy west coast gangsta beats, and a risky swagger that makes him stand out. Keep an eye on him because with the right backing, he’s going to be going places.

I’ve included three of my favorite Roccett tracks below. If you like Gangsta Rap, you owe it to yourself to listen to these songs.

First up, we’ve got Ride with a G from the Colors Mixtape. Roccett starts this song off super angry and it gets better from there. If I were to pick one song to show people how West Coast Gangsta Rap should sound in 2008, this would be it (Even though this track is from 2006). The beat is sinister and hits properly in a nice system. I’m not sure who produced this, but I’d love to hear the producer and Roccett collaborate more often. Roccett brings fresh ideas and lyrics to the genre, and the hook is memorable and easy to follow. Everything comes together perfectly to make this one of my favorite Roccett tracks.

Next up is another track from the Colors Mixtape called Got Guns. Over a slow tempo, grimy beat, Roccett raps about his love for firepower. From Tek-9’s to glocks, Roccett raps about nearly every major gun out there today. Partly scary, partly exciting, this is the type of Gangsta Rap that no other region can do. Roccett raps about how he keeps guns with him everywhere he goes. We’ve heard this before, but Roccett takes it to another level talking about having his gun with him while his daughter plays in the flowers. Scary stuff. The hook is great as well, where Roccett names the various guns he has. This is another must listen.

Finally, we’ve got a track called Respect my Gangsta from DJ Ill Will’s Rap or Die Vol 5 Mixtape. You can download it here for free and I highly recommend it cause it’s a heater. Repsect my Gangsta sounds like something from a gangsta rap land of the lost. A lot of new artists have tried to capture the swagger and feeling of early 90’s gangsta rap, but never really got it down. Roccett shows people how it’s done on this track. Memorable lines and a catchy beat come together to make this song one of my favorites of 2008.

I can’t wait to hear more from Roccett. Since he’s singed to Young Jeezy’s label, I have a feeling he’s going to get the right push. Hopefully people will take notice because he certainly deserves the success based on his current work. Sytles over at raptalk/allhiphop recently completed an interview with Roccett, so look out for that in the near future. Roccett also has a NEW mixtape that he recently released called Corporate America. You can buy it on Roccett’s MySpace or check out a few tracks over at raptalk by clicking this link. When people tell me Gangsta Rap is dead, I just chuckle. Roccett is living proof that Gangsta rap is alive and well, people just aren’t listening.

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