Photo credit: @soapboxmelodics (IG)

Before releasing his much anticipated solo debut album, Rock’s place in Hip-Hop history was already cemented. In addition to his discography on notable solo mixtapes, he is a card carrying member of Boot Camp Clik and, of course, released three acclaimed albums as Heltah Skeltah, alongside the late Sean Price. But it’s this project, Rockness A.P., that provides a fully formed look at the proud Brownsville native and what it means to move on with your career after suffering such a tragic loss (the “A.P.” stands for “After Price”).

If your first thought is to ask why this album took so long to come together, Rock addresses it directly on the straight-up flooring title track. Armed with his trademark bass heavy voice, the emcee unpacks exactly what happened in his career so far—the good, the bad, and the ugly—over a fittingly emotional instrumental from the Arcitype. “Rockness A.P.” is brutally honest, and it represents the best of what defines his artistry: no-bullsh*t lyricism delivered through an incredibly expressive lens.

You hear more of this, albeit with varied subject matter, on other standout tracks, most of which are produced by the duo of Ford Tuff & Pascal Zumaque. There’s the threatening bully talk of “Wishin’” featuring Kuniva (of D12), the grimy braggadocio of “FaxMachine” featuring fellow Brownsville natives M.O.P., and the cypher-esque hype of “Camp-Wu” featuring Inspectah Deck, Method Man, Tek, and Steele. These cuts highlight both the versatility of Rock’s subject matter and his cadence. He may have that unmistakable growl as his go-to weapon, but his arsenal includes a shape-shifting delivery as well.

To say the wait has been worth it for Rockness A.P. almost feels like an understatement. But it also feels as if we’re overlooking the fact that Rock’s career to date has been damn near untouchable. It may have had the ups and downs described on the title track—particularly the tragic loss of his longtime rap partner, Sean P—but one thing’s clear: Rock’s energy and passion for creating Hip-Hop has never wavered.

Rockness A.P., which was executive produced by Phil Anastasia, is available now on all major streaming services and digital platforms, and can be purchased on CD via Digital Déjà Vu Records. Vinyl pre-order are now available via Fat Beats for a Dec 15 release date. And be sure to check out the touching visuals for, “Shine Down,” which Rock dedicates to his eternal partner in rhyme, and other half of the Heltah, Sean Price, a/k/a Ruck.

Stream/Download (Smart URL): http://smarturl.it/RocknessAP

Rock Online:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/_ROCKNESS_
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocknessbcc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MrRockness

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The post #MusicMonday: Rock – Rockness A.P. (Album Stream & Video) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Fans of gully, hard-bodied Hip-Hop should consider today a damned holiday with the release of “FaxMachine,” an all-out banger from Rock that features none other than M.O.P.

While the three Brownsville natives have worked together before in varying capacities, “FaxMachine” may just be their finest—and toughest—collaboration yet. The track is fueled by some wild production by Ford Tuff and Pascal Zumaque, whose beat sounds like an epic fight between the Autobots and Decepticons.

It’s only fitting then that Rock delivers a clever nod to the Transformers franchise when he spits that he and M.O.P. are like “the cannon on Megatron’s arm/ And that ain’t gon’ change just ‘cause MegaSean gone.” It’s that sort of subtle reminder that point out not only Rock’s love for his lost partner-in-rhyme—Sean Price, of Heltah Skeltah, who passed away on August 8th of 2015—but also that he’s more than prepared to do his thing on the solo tip. It’s been a long time coming for the emcee’s full-length debut, Rockness A.P., which is finally set to drop this Friday, September 22nd.

“FaxMachine” is the seventh and final instant grat track available for download off the iTunes’ pre-order for, Rockness A.P. and is now available for stream in its entirety, right here courtesy of RESPECT. In addition to M.O.P., the 14 track LP includes guest features from Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Ras Kass, Kuniva (of D12), Ron Browz, and more, and is executive produced by Phil Anastasia (of Blood Before Pride). The album is now available for pre-order on CD as well as through the digital retailer of your choice via Digital Déjà Vu Records.

Pre-Order Rockness A.P. (Smart URL): http://smarturl.it/RocknessAP

Tracklist:
01. Just Rap
02. Wishin (feat. Kuniva)
03. GW BaG
04. Camp-Wu (feat. Instpectah Deck, Method Man, & Tek & Steele)
05. Rumble for Me (feat. Kofi Black & Ron Browz)
06. O.G.
07. FaxMachine (feat. M.O.P.)
08. The Purge
09. Poof (feat. Buckshot)
10. Declaration (feat. Raekwon, Ras Kass & The Last American B-Boy)
11. Rockness A.P.
12. F.A.M. (feat. Young Noble)
13. Shine Down (feat. Kofi Black)
14. Da Streets Want Blood (Ron Browz Remix)

Twitter:
• Rock: https://twitter.com/_ROCKNESS_
• Billy Danze: https://twitter.com/BILLDANZEMOP
• Lil Fame: https://twitter.com/FAMEMOP

Rock Online:
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocknessbcc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MrRockness

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The post RESPECT. The Collab: Rock (feat. M.O.P.) – “FaxMachine” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

*Photo by vshootz

The latest single from Rock’s highly anticipated solo debut, Rockness A.P., finds the Brownsville native getting brutally honest about his career, and what it means to record without his partner-in-rhyme (the late Sean Price).

On “Rockness A.P.”, the gruff-voiced emcee puts aside his trademark tough talk and always-clever bars for an eye-opening look at why it’s taken so long for him to release a proper album on his own. Did you know that his career was put on hold at one point because of the beef between Eminem and Limp Bizkit? How about all that happened during his time away from Duck Down Records?

It’s rare to hear anyone get this candid on a track—nevermind a rapper known for delivering tough bravado with a smirk. But Rock puts it all out there as he learns how to move on following the tragic death of Sean P in August 2015. There’s a lot to unpack on “Rockness A.P.,” and the Monsta explains it all with sincerity and integrity. It makes for one of his strongest tracks to date, and only further builds the anticipation for his proper debut.

“Rockness A.P.” is the fifth instant grat track available for download off the iTunes’ pre-order for, Rockness A.P., and can be streamed in its entirety right here, courtesy of RESPECT. The 14 track LP includes guest features from Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, M.O.P., Ras Kass, Kuniva (of D12), Ron Browz, and more, and is executed produced by Phil Anastasio (of Blood Before Pride). The album, which is due out Sept 22, is now available for pre-order on CD as well as through the digital retailer of your choice via Digital Déjà Vu Records.

Pre-Order Rockness A.P. (Smart URL): http://smarturl.it/RocknessAP

Tracklist:
01. Just Rap
02. Wishin (feat. Kuniva)
03. GW BaG
04. Camp-Wu (feat. Instpectah Deck, Method Man, & Tek & Steele)
05. Rumble for Me (feat. Kofi Black & Ron Browz)
06. O.G.
07. FaxMachine (feat. M.O.P.)
08. The Purge
09. Poof (feat. Buckshot)
10. Declaration (feat. Raekwon, Ras Kass & The Last American B-Boy)
11. Rockness A.P.
12. F.A.M. (feat. Young Noble)
13. Shine Down (feat. Kofi Black)
14. Da Streets Want Blood (Ron Browz Remix)

Twitter:
• Rock: https://twitter.com/_ROCKNESS_
• The Arcitype: https://twitter.com/TheArcitype

Rock Online:
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocknessbcc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MrRockness

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The post Heltah Skeltah’s Rock Delivers More New Music – “Rockness A.P.” (prod. by The Arcitype) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

For the latest single off his highly anticipated solo debut, Rockness A.P., Hip-Hop veteran Rock (of Heltah Skeltah) connects with Kuniva (of D12) to deliver snarling and slick threats on the menacing “Wishin,” produced by Pascal Zumaque.

The two emcees make for an immediately compelling duo, partially because they’re both known for their show-stealing verses alongside their affiliated crews. And on “Wishin,” they spit venom-filled rhymes at their opposition.

For Rock, that means using his trademark growl to make clever pop-culture references amidst some crazy wordplay (the way he raps “Brownsville, aka the Wish-A-Ni**a Woods” is hilarious). Kuniva’s right there with him, though, as he dubs himself the “hood version of Eddie Haskell” and likens his rhymes to Ice Cube’s on Death Certificate.

It’s wild to think that Rock has been in the game for more than 20 years—as part of Boot Camp Clik and one half of Heltah Skeltah—but is only just now releasing his debut as a solo artist. But the rapper himself is aware of that, and its title, Rockness A.P., is a reference to his former partner-in-rhyme. The A.P. stands for After Price, a loving nod to the late Sean Price, who passed away in 2015.

“Wishin,” which can be streamed above courtesy of RESPECT., is the fourth instant grat track ready for download off the iTunes’ pre-order for, Rockness A.P. In addition to Kuniva, the 14 track LP includes guest features from Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, M.O.P., Ron Browz, Ras Kass, and more. The album, which is due out Sept 22, is now available for pre-order on CD as well as through the digital retailer of your choice via Digital Déjà Vu Records.

Tracklist:
01. Just Rap
02. Wishin (feat. Kuniva)
03. GW BaG
04. Camp-Wu (feat. Instpectah Deck, Method Man, & Tek & Steele)
05. Rumble for Me (feat. Kofi Black & Ron Browz)
06. O.G.
07. FaxMachine (feat. M.O.P.)
08. The Purge
09. Poof (feat. Buckshot)
10. Declaration (feat. Raekwon, Ras Kass & The Last American B-Boy)
11. Rockness A.P.
12. F.A.M. (feat. Young Noble)
13. Shine Down (feat. Kofi Black)
14. Da Streets Want Blood (Ron Browz Remix)

Pre-Order Rockness A.P. (Smart URL): http://smarturl.it/RocknessAP

Twitter:
• Rock: https://twitter.com/_ROCKNESS_
• Kuniva: https://twitter.com/KunivaD12

Rock Online:
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocknessbcc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MrRockness

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The post RESPECT. The Track: Rock (feat. Kuniva) – “Wishin” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

October 2010: Heltah Skeltah rock the crowd in D.C. as part of Duck Down Records 15th Anniversary tour, which are featured appearances from Pharoahe Monch, Buckshot, Smif N’ Wessun, Skyzoo and more. R.I.P. Sean Price.

The post PHOTO OF THE DAY: June 14th, 2017 appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

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