Rodney Ramone Hill Jr. (born December 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Rocko, is an American rapper. Rocko released his first and only major studio album, '' Self Made'', in 2008 through a joint venture with

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

. The album peaked at number 21 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, number 6 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 4 on Top Rap Albums. It spawned the single " Umma Do Me", which peaked at number 66 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 2010, Hill founded the

A1 Recordings Rodney Ramone Hill Jr. (born December 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Rocko, is an American rapper. Rocko released his first and only major studio album, ''Self Made (album), Self Made'', in 2008 through a joint venture with Island R ...

record label and signed fellow Atlanta artist

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

, who would come to achieve worldwide success. His 2013 single " U.O.E.N.O." (featuring Future and

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

) peaked at number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Future released his last album with the A1 label, ''

Hndrxx ''Hndrxx'' (pronounced "Hendrix") is the sixth studio album by American rapper Future. It was released on February 24, 2017, through A1 Recordings, Freebandz, and Epic Records. It followed the release of Future's eponymously-titled fifth album b ...

'' in 2017.

Musical career

1999–2008: Career beginnings and ''Self Made''

Rocko started out as a ghostwriter and producer somewhere around 1999. In 2002, he established his own label Rocky Road Records and began working with artists like rapper and singer, AL

Young Dro D'Juan Montrel Hart (born January 15, 1979), better known by his stage name Young Dro, is an American rapper. After gaining recognition with his regional hit song "Yes Sir", from his 2002 independent album ''I Got That Dro'', Young Dro aligned ...

,and

Dem Franchize Boyz Dem Franchize Boyz was an American hip hop group from Atlanta, signed to E1 Music. The group had four members: Parlae (born Maurice Gleaton), Pimpin' (Jamal Willingham), Jizzal Man (Bernard Leverette), and Buddie (Gerald Tiller). They were best ...

. He released several mixtapes before being signed by

L.A. Reid Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer. He is the founder and served as co-chairman of Hitco Entertainment. He also previously served as the chairman and CEO of Ep ...

Def Jam Records Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

in October 2006. He released his first studio album, '' Self Made'' on March 18, 2008. It featured production from

Drumma Boy Christopher James Gholson (born August 11, 1983), better known by his stage name Drumma Boy, is an American record producer. Early life Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Cordova, Tennessee, he was exposed to music at a young age. His mot ...

Cool & Dre Cool & Dre are a record production and songwriting duo from North Miami, Florida, consisting of Marcello "Cool" Antonio Valenzano and Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon. The duo are best known for their work with Terror Squad founder Fat Joe, first ...

, The Runners and

J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League J.U.S.T.I.C.E. (Just Undeniably Some of The Illest Composers Ever) League is an American record production team composed of producers and instrumentalists from Tampa, Florida. The group is made up of members Erik "Rook" Ortiz, Kevin "Colion ...

and contributions came from guest artists Lloyd,

Dre DRE may refer to: * ''Dre'' (album), 2010 by American rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, 2010 * Dre (name) **Dr. Dre, American rapper and producer * DRE voting machine * Digital rectal examination, in medicine * Director of religious education; for exam ...

Kevin Cossom Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicized from , an ...

as well as

Monica Monica may refer to: People *Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress *Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...

. The album spawned the single " Umma Do Me", his first single had managed to get on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

2010–present: Mixtape circuit

His second studio album ''One of One'' was originally meant to be released on

Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

. However, this never happened, as he parted ways with

, looking for better label situations. He subsequently formed his own label, A-1 Recordings. On March 1, 2010, he released the mixtape ''Wild Life'', as a result of the positive feedback for the mixtape, Rocko re-released it as an album. On February 9, 2011, Rocko released his mixtape ''Rocko Dinero''. On November 24, 2011, he released the mixtape ''Gift of Gab'', the mixtape spawned Rocko's single "Squares Out Your Circle" with his A1 artist

. On October 25, 2012, Rocko released the mixtape ''Wordplay''. On January 26, 2013, it was announced that Rocko was considering joining his old business partner

's label

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

which is also home to his friend and artist

, but intimating he was not quite sure. On February 16, 2013, he released ''Gift of Gab 2''; the mixtape is known for the controversial single "U.O.E.N.O." featuring

. The song made a "Hot Shot Debut" on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #44 and has peaked at #14. "U.O.E.N.O." also peaked at #20 on the Hot 100, becoming his first top 40 hit. Also On February 16, 2013, it was announced that Rocko inked in a distribution deal with

E1 Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had b ...

for his label A1, and that his believed mixtape ''Seeing Is Believing'' will now be his forthcoming second studio album and it will not be entitled ''One of One''. On March 25, 2013, Rocko hinted of a possible collaboration album between him and

. Rocko's next upcoming mixtapes to promote ''Seeing Is Believing'', is ''Wordplay 2'' and ''#IGNANT''. On February 7, 2014, Rocko released his mixtape ''Lingo 4 Dummys''. On May 29, 2014, Rocko released an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) entitled ''Poet'' in dedication of the passing of

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

. The EP, which features a

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

from

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

, was originally released for free online, but later added to the iTunes Store via A-1 Recordings. On October 15, 2014, Rocko released his mixtape ''IGNANT''. On November 27, 2014, Rocko released his mixtape ''FOOD''. On February 20, 2015, Rocko released his mixtape ''Expect the Unexpected''. On July 2, 2015, he released his mixtape ''Real Spill''.

Controversy

U.O.E.N.O. lyrics

In a line on Rocko's song " U.O.E.N.O.", fellow rapper

raps the line, "Put molly all in her champagne/ She ain't even know it/ I took her home and I enjoyed that/ She ain't even know it." A petition containing 72,000 signatures was presented to

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

, demanding they drop Ross as a spokesman for the lyrics which appeared to condone

date rape Date rape is a form of acquaintance rape and dating violence. The two phrases are often used interchangeably, but date rape specifically refers to a rape in which there has been some sort of romantic or potentially sexual relationship between ...

. Ross has apologized for the lyrics, claiming they weren't about rape. He was dropped by Reebok on April 11, 2013. Rocko later dropped the

verse in order to get radio play.

Lawsuit

In June 2016, Hill filed a $10 million lawsuit against his A1 Recordings artist, Future. According to Hill, Future breached his contractual obligation to release 6 albums under the label. Neither artist has announced the settlement.

Other ventures

A1 Recordings

A1 Recordings, formerly known as Rocky Road Records, is an

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

-based record label formed in 2010 by Hill. On February 16, 2013, it was announced that A1 Recordings will be distributed by

. ;Current artist * Rocko ;Former artist *

;Releases

Discography

* '' Self Made'' (2008)

Filmography

Films

* 2015: ''The Spot'' (as Lehgo)

Television

* 2009: '' Monica: Still Standing'' (guest stars as himself) * 2013: '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' season 2 (stars as himself) * 2013: '' T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle'' (guest stars as himself)

References

External links

Rocko
at the

Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Rocko 1979 births Living people African-American businesspeople African-American male actors African-American male rappers American male film actors American music industry executives Place of birth missing (living people) Businesspeople from Georgia (U.S. state) Def Jam Recordings artists Male actors from Atlanta Rappers from Atlanta Southern hip hop musicians 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people