If you haven’t copped, Driving 88, then you need to do so ASAP. These ill visuals are brought to us by Nem Perez. The video brings us something new and different than the over-saturated weed-smoke videos that we’re slowly getting accustomed to. And as you download the mixtape, you might as well check out the interview we did with Rockie.

“I don’t ever make excuses, homie, I just make moves.”

The post Video: Rockie Fresh – “Into The Future” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Though he missed his flight from L.A. to NYC that would have landed him at 3 p.m. (rather than midnight) the day before this interview, Rockie Fresh was in good spirits as he awaited his performance at Hofstra University. This would be his last show before he hit Austin, TX the next day to perform for his third consecutive year at SXSW.

Rolling shallow with only his manager and a producer named LPeezy, the Chicago MC is a simply dressed 20-year-old whose focus cannot be underestimated. Though his music may suggest a more boisterous persona, Rockie is a level-headed artist who admits to being more of a movie-watcher than a club-goer.

Andrew, his manager, leaves and returns to the janitor-like office during the interview with boxes of California Pizza Kitchen for the constantly traveling trio. It is here that Rockie Fresh details the reception he’s gotten from his Driving 88 mixtape, the direction he’s taking with his career and his take on Chicago hip-hop.

In terms of music as a whole, what gap do you think Rockie Fresh fills in hip-hop?

I feel like I wanna take that road of providing guidance for my young generation. That’s one thing I respect about Jay-Z – he talked about his struggle and his life, but at the same time he talked about what he learned from it. In a way, that helped people coming up underneath him and his listeners [gain] guidance throughout their path of life. So with my music, I want to take that approach with it. I don’t think there’s a young artist that’s doing that right now. So that’s something I wanna do.

As far as Chicago hip-hop is concerned, what would you say differs you from Chicago MCs past and present?

Well, I come from the suburbs, so I talk about that side of the fence more than the street shit. But at the same time, I live that life too. I got a lot of friends in it. That influences my music as well, but it’s more so suburban driven and has more of a alternative rock influence along with the urban sound. That makes me different across the board.

How would you describe your fans?

Man, my fans are real diverse. I got a lot of female fans. I got a lot of rich kids. I got a lot of kids living in poverty, because I’ve experienced all sides of life. My dad – he was a foster child and he got job at the Chicago Board of Trade which allowed him to gain a good financial base. Because of that I had a real nice childhood. Some people would say I was spoiled, because I had a lot of Jordans and stuff like that when I was coming up. But then when I got to high school, [my dad] decided to start his own business. And with that, he took some major hits financially which kinda switched up the pace of my lifestyle, too. And now that I’m doing music I’m able to make my own earnings and it’s also a different type of struggle. So with that, I talk about a lot of different stuff and it ranges from a lot of different people, because I’ve been in all their shoes.

What was the reaction when your parents found out that you were gonna pursue this full force?

At first they really weren’t with it, but they didn’t knock me because I wasn’t doing well in school. So they knew that my passion wasn’t there. They definitely didn’t expect it to be in music. They support me to the fullest now and they get it more than ever. It’s something that we grew together with and it’s running smooth.

You’re independent as of right now, you’re 20 and you’ve become relatively successful – what would you say is your next step is?

For me, I really wanna show progression with everything released. Right now I’m working on a lot of new records that I feel are better than the stuff on Driving 88. I feel like it should always be that way, especially with me being as young as I am. I got a lot of growing to do, I’ve got a lot more life to experience. This is the my first tour that I’ve really headlined. With that being the situation, it’s just giving me a lot more stuff to talk about. I’ve seen different cities and things like that. It just gave me new inspiration. Definitely the music is going to mature, but then also the type of project that I’m gonna release next… I don’t wanna say it’s not gonna be a mixtape, but it’s definitely gonna be an upgrade from the things that I’ve already put out.

Do you think you’re going to ultimately stay independent?

The independent life has been real good to me right now. At the same time, we’re always looking to make improvements, so if the label comes with the right ingredients to take my situation to the next level and we can see eye-to-eye on some things, then that’s something I’ll consider. But until then I’m rocking with the independent label.

What’s one thing you think you hope to learn in the coming years? As far as wisdom is concerned – something that an older MC would know that you wouldn’t have experienced yet?

It’s really just being able to touch people and be able to take the good and the bad along with that. A lot of artists now, they make urban records, but when they make a pop record, people take it as them selling out. With me, I want to be able to touch all sides of the fence and then be able to make easy transitions with any sound that I choose. You take an artist like Lil’ Wayne or Jay or Kanye, who have made that transition real seamlessly – and that’s how I wanna steer my career as well.

And you’ve had great review with Driving 88. Is the reception what you anticipated?

It’s definitely what I hoped for. I wasn’t specifically sure that it was going to get that [reception], but that was something that we were working for, as far as getting that acclaim from people. People were happy with the tape. With the other side – a lot of people took a different vibe from me as an artist. They took me more as a moody dude instead of a lyricist. With Driving 88, we wanted to kill all of that and kill those stereotypes. I feel like we were successful with doing that and to get those ratings from different sites was a blessing and it just put the icing on the cake.

How long was the process to make the mixtape?

It was like a year. We went through a lot of trials and tribulations in making the project – from producers taking beats from me because they didn’t think the project was going to be as big as it was…to me being in L.A. for two months and then coming back to Chicago. And my mindset kinda changed as far as the vibe that I wanted for the project. It was definitely a process, but with that some great records came out in each stage of the process. It helped make the project what it is, so it was worth it.

What would you say is the worst criticism that you have ever gotten?

I don’t know, man. People say a lot of wild stuff. People say I sound like certain artists that I feel like I don’t sound like. Some people say that the music is just not lyrical at all. That’s really the wildest one to me when people say that the music isn’t lyrical because if you really listen to the lyrics and break it down, I’m really saying some stuff.

As far as emerging hip-hop heavyweights building (or rebuilding) their own labels such as Young Money, MMG, Bad Boy – do you ever feel like you would fit into any of those groups?

Yeah, I can definitely see myself. It’s because one thing that artists have in respect for other artists is that creative control. Also, for an artist to sign another artist, it’s mainly based off of the fact that they respect what the artist does already. So I feel like if one of those higher-ups was to show that love for me, it would be because they already know what I can do and they just wanna give me the platform to do it on that higher level. I definitely feel like I can fit in one of those circles if the situation presented itself.

Do you feel like Chicago has a distinct sound? Or do you think the artists always attempt to redefine it?

I feel like it has a distinct sound as far as the hunger and it shows in the music. If you take Kanye, Twista, Common, Lupe, even GLC and L.E.P. Bogus Boys– there’s a real strong feeling of soul in the music, but at the same time all of those dudes are different. And I feel like that’s one thing that’s part of Chicago music, too; learning how to reinvent the Chicago wheel every time one of us makes it. Speaking on a different part of the city or having a different sound that brings out the emotion of the city…I think there’s a hunger that we all have, but we put it out in a different way.

A$AP Rocky addressed the critics that said that he sounded too Houston and less Harlem– he said that he reps Harlem wholeheartedly, but he doesn’t let it confine him. Do you feel like you’re actively seeking to redefine the Chicago sound?

I definitely feel like I’m redefining more than just the Chicago sound, but music in general. With my background and the way I came up with the alternative/rock influence – I really don’t feel like anyone has done that in rap with the urban. Just even with the groups that have reached out to me, such as Good Charlotte and Fall Out Boy and SBTRKT – those are people that are beyond rap music, they’re ahead of the musical curve, period. And that’s why people are fans of them. So for me to have that edge and be able to hit them up and ask ‘Yo, what’s the new sound?’ and being able to add that to rap music, I feel like it gives me the one-up in general.

What’s your relationship with SBTRKT? I’ve only heard the self-titled album, and it was super wild. How tight are you guys?

We don’t have a “big” relationship, but I sampled one of their records for the mixtape and a lot of times with the samples it rubs people the wrong way. But they showed a lot of love for my records – I found out that they liked it because they posted in on their Twitter. They said that they were fans of the project.

For SXSW you’re performing on stages sponsored by RubyHornet, MTV2’s Suckafree and VIBE. Do you have any plans besides performing?

Really, I’m just there to perform. I respect the performing aspect of the festival, but I’m not into going to see a lot of people perform. It’s not my thing. If there’s some artists that wanna link, I’d be down with that.

How many times have you performed at SXSW?

I’ve done it the last three years. I probably did 10 shows in the last two years. And this will be my third year there, I got five shows. So that’s like 15 total.

So we’re here at Hofstra now. On your schedule it says you’re performing at Howard on March 27th. When you’re performing at universities, do you ever feel like you’re missing out on the college experience?

Not at all, man. Honestly, I just really didn’t like school when I was in school. So for me to just pay visits … that’s the pace for me, especially when you get paid to pay visits. I remember going on college tours in high school and it was cool, but this is like going on a college tour where people are looking forward for you to stop by. I wouldn’t trade it.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed performing for festivals and colleges?

Nah, not really. When I do get that rare feeling of getting overwhelmed, it’s more so when I’m creating music and that’s because I take it so serious. I wanna make sure I say the right things and put the right message out there. And sometimes the way that I’m feeling may not line up with what needs to be put out from me. Outside of that, performing is super fun for me. I haven’t reached that point as an artist where I’m overwhelmed. It’s all about creating fans and giving the fans something that they’re proud to be a part of and with a performance you really get that platform to do that. So I love it.

You were on Asher Roth’s Pabst & Jazz on “Insurance.” How was that experience?

They sent the record to me, actually. I was out in L.A. over the summer and the producers, Blended Babies (who have some records on my mixtape), they were like ‘Yo, Asher fucks with you.’ And I was like ‘Alright, that’s cool. We need to do a record.’ Then they were like, ‘if you record something, we’ll have him get on it.’ And the Blended Babies are dudes that I respect and I trust their word, but on that situation I was like ‘Ehh, I don’t know if Asher is really gonna get on it.’ So I did a record with one verse, I don’t even know if he’s heard it or whatever. I was chilling at the crib and I got a text message that read ‘Yo, I need you to do this verse in less than 24 hours. Asher wants you on this new project.’ So, I went in the studio, laid a verse and that’s how it went down.

I read that you were on your debate team in high school.

Definitely.

How has that helped at all, as far as your career is concerned?

It helped a lot, because that was one thing that I was passionate about in school. I actually was really successful on the debate team. I won my school at least four trophies in one year. It was fun, man. And with that, it just helped me get my point across in a professional way. That’s something I wanted to take into the music. So, I don’t have to be this in-your-face dude for you to respect what I’m saying. And it gave me a lot of knowledge on certain political things that I wouldn’t even have known about if I didn’t have to study that paperwork for the debates.

Do you know how far your music reaches, geographically-speaking?

I have no clue. I get tweets from all over the place – from Africa, Denmark. Crazy places. But because I never been overseas before, I don’t know how strong that base is, but I would love to see real soon, though.

What are you currently working on right now?

Just new music, man. We really found a sound that we’re comfortable with, with Driving 88. So it’s about continually taking that to the next level. So we’re just working on new records and trying to push some boundaries and give the people some fresh shit.

What’s your current state on hip-hop and its newcomers, its culture and its criticism?

Honestly, I feel like hip-hop is in a good place. There’s a lot of new artists that are making some real original music. I really feel like there’s a lot of biting going on with relevant artists. You take an artist like 2 Chainz who’s very relevant right now. So when somebody uses his type of sound, it’s real obvious. But outside of that, the fact that a 2 Chainz is relevant right now and is making the trap sound that he’s making – that’s a dope thing for hip-hop. Or Somebody like A$AP Rocky who’s bringing back that Houston vibe, you have to respect that. I feel like it’s a good place for a new up and coming artist to make some noise.

Do you have an aspiration to be on the XXL Freshman cover?

Honestly, I really don’t care either way. If they ask me to be on the cover, that’s something that I would do definitely. If not, that’s not gonna change my mindset about XXL or my music career.

What is Rockie Fresh doing outside of making music and performing music?

Just watching movies and chilling with my homies. I really like being inspired by real life. And I take the music so serious right now because I still am in a stage where I can completely fall off. Also, there are places in the world where people have no clue who I am. With that, I eat, sleep and breathe the music thinking that everything that I do is somewhat involved with that, even when I’m not actually recording. So outside of making music, I’m trying to get inspired to make music.

What would you say your biggest goal is in 2012?

I definitely wanna start working on my first album. My biggest goal, period, in music, is to have a #1 rap album. I wanna work and build my fan-base and my music to the point where people can make that happen for me.

The post Exclusive Interview: One-on-One with Chicago’s Rockie Fresh appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Rockie Fresh is a Chicago rapper on the verge of gaining nationwide acclaim, for a pair of mixtapes, The Otherside, and The Otherside: Redux, and an upcoming mixtape, Driving 88 – named after Marty McFly’s souped-up DeLorean from Back to the Future.

When I got on the phone with Rockie, I was immediately impressed by how he handled himself, humble yet confident, assured while still remaining genuine. Coming from a city which branded an egomaniac like Kanye West, Rockie Fresh still has a long way to go to convince us Chicago isn’t just about Mayor Daley’s spineless agenda or more brainless electro-house-hip-hop-fusion music, a la Na Palm. That being said, some of us truly believe Rockie Fresh could pull it off in a city so cold as Chicago.

Interview after the jump.

You just dropped the video for “No Fear”. It’s on all the blogs. What were your expectations dropping that record?

Everything I release, I want to do better than what I dropped before. Seeing how I’m a growing artist, I like to see an increase in my fan-base every time I drop something. I wanted “No Fear” to be the most successful video that I dropped, even if it was just by one view or a million views. It turned out to be the most views I’ve ever had for a video, in like two days.

“No Fear” is on your new mixtape, Driving 88, correct?

Correct.

When’s that dropping?

It should be dropping at the end of October, or early November. I haven’t picked the exact date yet because I still have a couple more records to finish up. We’ll see.

You said Driving 88 would be a lighter project, but “No Fear” is pretty gritty. What can we really expect?

It’s definitely a brighter project. I wanted to drop “No Fear” first because I felt it would re-introduce me back into the scene, as far as me releasing records. I felt like it showed a little bit of progression. It had some of the same sounds as my other mixtapes, but it was more crisp, a higher level, you know? With the next releases, people will definitely be able to see a difference though.

What about the title?

The title of the mixtape, Driving 88, is based off of Back to the Future, the DeLorean had to go 88 mph to reach the future, so I felt this project was going to be the one to put me in the position I want to be in. That’s why I wanted to name it Driving 88.

The Otherside, your first project, it was partly put together by DJ Ill Will. Ill Will claims he’s extremely gifted when it comes to identifying talent. What does he see in you?

He’s from Cali. I got the Cali sound going. I feel like it’s pretty refreshing for him. Ill Will has definitely helped me out a lot as far as insight into hip-hop and promoting my music. I got a lot of respect for Ill Will. Just off the strength of the music he’s posting, I totally agree with him. He knows talent.

He knew Drake would blow up, when he put out Heartbreak Drake.

Yeah, I remember that. Yeah, definitely. [laughs]

You also have the track “A.C. Green”. Do you think you look like him, or was there another reason for the title?

Naw, naw. I’ve never got that before. That’s crazy. I got to check again, see if I look like him. I named it that because the hook says, “This is what you’ve all been waiting for, ain’t it?” It took a long time for me to drop The Otherside. That project took a year to make. We were just doing a little satire, being funny by naming it that, telling my fans it was worth the wait.

You rap, “It’s important to be absorbent when advice is given”. Who are some of the people responsible for having shaped your perspective, both musically, and in terms of your business sense?

For me, musically, I’ve taken a lot of advice from regular people, because that’s who I make music for. I like to expose people not in the music biz to my music, when I first make my records, because that’s the most realistic opinion I get on them. That’s where I get a lot of my inspiration from. On the business side, my dad, he works for the Chicago Board of Trade. He has an incredible way of going about things, business-wise, and he’s planted some things in me that I’ve been able to use in my rap grind, which is unexpected.

When did it click that hip-hop could put food on the table?

When I did my first mixtape release party, it was also my first rap performance period, really. It was at a 500 capacity venue, and we sold it out. At that point, when I realized people appreciated the music enough to come to a show, it motivated me to stick with it and realize this could possibly be a career for me.

You recently tweeted a photo of what looks like Cap’n Crunch cereal and pancakes. But I also noticed the Jay-Z Decoded book in the background. You a Jay fan?

Oh yeah, 100%.

What did you think of Watch the Throne?

I felt Watch the Throne was a really good album for me as a fan of Jay-Z and Kanye. I could see why people wouldn’t like it of course  because a lot of their subject matter wasn’t the most relatable stuff in the world. But at the same time, those two dudes, they gave a lot of rap fans some of the realest albums that you could have, so I felt they deserved to have fun on the joint, and that’s what they did with it. I liked it though.

They had some incredible sounds, production-wise.

Yeah, the production was amazing.

You have unique sounds on The Otherside. Which producers do you like to work with?

I have two producers out of Chicago, who produced the entire first mixtape. Those guys have like five records on my new project. I’ve been working with these other producers, Oak & Pop, they produced “Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay” for Big Sean, and “Your Love” for Nicki Minaj. I’ve been reaching out to a lot more producers, accepting more beats while still trying to stay true to my sound, but take it to another level.

You’ve got some Chopped & Screwed on The Otherside. Kids these days love Chopped & Screwed. Why do you think they like it?

I don’t know, man. It just sounds really cool to me. I was definitely a fan of UGK. Even when I was coming up, there was a time when you had Mike Jones, Paul Wall, and Slim Thug doing it more commercial. With me being from Chicago, I didn’t get into the deeper aspects of Houston rap until I was much older. I always felt like it sounded cool. When I find something that sounds cool, I want to pay my respects to it, while still adding the Chicago feel to it.

Do you still live in Chicago?

I’m currently in L.A. right now. I bounce back and forth. Chicago is always going to be my home. As far as getting music done, being in L.A. is a way better setup for me. I’m back and forth.

Where’d you go to high school in Chicago?

I went to Homewood-Flossmoor. It’s in Flossmoor, Illinois, like 30 minutes out of Chicago.

I ask because I went to school in Madison, Wisconsin, which is only like two hours from there.

Ah, that’s tight. I did a show there earlier this year. It was really crazy.

Will you work more with Rich Hil, or was that a one-time gig?

Naw, that’s going to happen again. I don’t know if it’s going to be on this next mixtape, because he’s busy working on his album, and we haven’t crossed paths in a minute. That’s one of my closest homies in the game though. I talk to him a lot. Once I find something that fits him, or if he finds a record for me, then we’ll definitely get it done. That’s something you can expect.

The post Interview: Rockie Fresh – Driving 88 appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.