Rocko

Born Rodney Hill, Atlanta rapper Rocko started in the music industry as a producer and ghostwriter in his cousin's studio around 1999, then afterward for small indie Triple A Records. Based on his success with label act <a href="spotify:artist:6RhzdrHfuZEMnZTNRjbTpz">Hitman Sammy Sam</a>, he ventured out on his own, establishing <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rocky+Road+Records%22">Rocky Road Records</a> in 2002. Under the imprint, he had a hand in developing artists like <a href="spotify:artist:3ZooCJzNMTLpmJaIRUEorI">Young Dro</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0VKTLKamj4IH8OfQbUL0kq">Dem Franchize Boyz</a> before they graduated to the majors. In 2003, Rocko penned rhymes for himself and released his first mixtape, NWA (No Wack Artist). However, the attention-grabber was his second mixtape, Swag Season (2007), which boasted features from 2006 breakout rap stars <a href="spotify:artist:6AMa1VFQ7qCi61tCRtVWXe">Jim Jones</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1sBkRIssrMs1AbVkOJbc7a">Rick Ross</a> and sold all over Georgia and in neighboring states.

After a front-page feature in Southern rap magazine Ozone, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Island+Def+Jam%22">Island Def Jam</a> signed Rocko and his imprint for an exclusive deal, which was helped along by an acquaintance of his (through then-girlfriend <a href="spotify:artist:6nzxy2wXs6tLgzEtqOkEi2">Monica</a>), <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22IDJ%22">IDJ</a> urban division president <a href="spotify:artist:6nfYGe7IIuuP5bMY1jkJP6">Jermaine Dupri</a>. Taken from Swag Season, "Umma Do Me" reached number 66 on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Billboard%22">Billboard</a> Hot 100 and also acted as the lead single for Rocko's major-label debut, Self-Made (2008). The album debuted at number 21 on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Billboard%22">Billboard</a> 200 chart. Plans for a second <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Def+Jam%22">Def Jam</a> album were scrapped when the label and Rocko parted ways. Rocko subsequently established <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22A1+Recordings%22">A1 Recordings</a> as an outlet for mixtapes such as Wild Life (2010), Rocko Dinero (2011), Gift of Gab, and Wordplay (2012), as well as <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Epic%22">Epic</a>-supported releases from <a href="spotify:artist:1RyvyyTE3xzB2ZywiAwp0i">Future</a>. Gift of Gab 2 (2013) brought "U.O.E.N.O.," featuring cameos from <a href="spotify:artist:1sBkRIssrMs1AbVkOJbc7a">Rick Ross</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1RyvyyTE3xzB2ZywiAwp0i">Future</a>. After Rocko dropped <a href="spotify:artist:1sBkRIssrMs1AbVkOJbc7a">Ross</a>' controversial verse, the song became a Top 20 pop hit. Another mixtape, Lingo for Dummies, was released in 2014. ~ Cyril Cordor, Rovi