Ricardo Thomas, also known as Rick Rock, is an American record producer originally from

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

and based in

Fairfield, California Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Solano County, California, in the North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately fro ...

.Rick Rock at Discogs
/ref> He is a founding member of the former rap group

Cosmic Slop Shop Cosmic Slop Shop was an American hip hop group from Oakland, California. The group was composed of Antron "Big Lurch" Singleton, Marvin "Doonie Baby" Selmon and Ricardo "Rick Rock" Thomas. Their single "Sinful" from their only studio album ' ...

and the Federation with fellow rapper

Doonie Baby The Federation is an American hip hop group from Fairfield, California. The group was formed in 2002, composed by producer Ricardo "Rick Rock" Thomas and consists of three rappers: Anthony "Goldie Gold" Caldwell, Marvin "Doonie Baby/Doon Koon" ...

, and is regarded as a pioneer of the hip-hop subgenre

Hyphy The term hyphy ( ) is Oakland slang meaning "hyperactive". More specifically, it is an adjective describing the hip hop music and the culture associated with the area. The term was first coined by Oakland rapper Keak da Sneak. History The hy ...

Late 1990s

Rick Rock began to make a name for himself in 1996 when well known Vallejo Producer Mike Mosley invited him to come to the studio to meet

E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, a ...

. E-40 had originally planned on using a beat produced by Mike Mosley, however due to Mosley's tardiness, Rick Rock used that time as an opportunity to showcase his talents. He went on to produce two tracks featured on E-40's '' Tha Hall of Game'' including the song "Record Haters" a diss track directed to NYC rapper AZ and basketball player

Rasheed Wallace Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before declaring for the draft in 199 ...

. E-40 then introduced Rick Rock to

2pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

where he and Mike Mosley co-produced two additional tracks "Tradin War Stories" and "Ain't Hard to Find" from the album ''

All Eyez on Me ''All Eyez on Me'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac and the last to be released during his lifetime. Released on February 13, 1996, by Death Row and Interscope Records, the album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre, Sno ...

''. Around that time Rick Rock also contributed heavily to fellow bay area artist Spice 1's '' Immortalized'' album.

Early 2000s

Rick Rock's popularity grew in the early 2000s after Jay-Z released the hit single " Change the Game". From there, Rick Rock went on to produce "

Can't Deny It "Can't Deny It" is the debut single by American rapper Fabolous from his debut studio album ''Ghetto Fabolous''. It features Nate Dogg and uncredited backing vocals by Lil' Mo. The song was produced by Rick Rock. Its chorus contains similar lyri ...

" for Fabolous, and "I Don't Do Much" by Beanie Sigel. In 2002 Rick Rock reunited with Vallejo producer Mike Mosely and produced the songs "Godzilla" featuring E-40 and Pizzo and "The Sickness" by Federation. Both songs were featured on Mike Mosely's compilation album ''Major Work The Soundtrack''. In Spring of 2002, Rick Rock produced "Automatic" featuring Fabolous, which became the lead single for E-40's album ''

Grit & Grind ''Grit & Grind'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper E-40. The album was released July 9, 2002, by Jive Records and Sick Wid It Records Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an A ...

''. In 2003 Rick Rock gained more commercial success working with New York-based artists, producing hits " Make It Clap" for

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

If I Could Go "If I Could Go!" is the first single released from American rapper Angie Martinez's second studio album, ''Animal House'' (2002). The track features rapper Sacario and singer Lil Mo and was produced by Rick Rock; Sacario co-wrote the song. It i ...

" for

Angie Martinez Angela Martinez (born January 9, 1971) is an American radio personality, rapper, singer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice of New York" during her two-decade tenure at New York City station HOT 97 (WQHT), she left that position in 2014 to jo ...

and "

Breathe, Stretch, Shake "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" is the second single released from Mase's third album, '' Welcome Back''. It was released on September 14, 2004, produced by Rick Rock and featured P. Diddy on the chorus. "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" was slightly more succes ...

" for

Mase Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), better known by his mononym Mase (formerly Murda Mase and stylized as Ma$e), is an American rapper and minister. In the late 1990s, he recorded on the Bad Boy Records label alongside its founder Sean ...

. Following his commercial success, Rick Rock became a sought after producer on the West Coast producing underground tracks like

Keak Da Sneak Charles Kente Williams (Birth name, né Bowens; born October 21, 1977), better known by his stage name Keak da Sneak, is an American rapper from Oakland, California, Oakland, California, known for his scratchy, gruff voice and for coining the ter ...

's "T-Shirt, Blue Jeans, & Nike's", "Back it Up" by

Ras Kass John R. Austin II (born September 26, 1973), better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop Supergroup (music), supergroup The HRSMN, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is als ...

, "Whip Appeal" by Bambino Brown and producing over half of the songs featured on

B-Legit Brandt Jones (born January 13, 1968), better known by his stage name B-Legit, is an American rapper from Vallejo, California. Early life Brandt "B-Legit" Jones graduated from General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo Senior High School on June 17, 19 ...

's fourth album ''

Hard 2 B-Legit ''Hard 2 B-Legit'' is the fourth album by B-Legit. It was released on September 24, 2002 by Koch Records and was produced by B-Legit, E-A-Ski, Rick Rock and Studio Ton. The album peaked at #111 on the ''Billboard'' 200, #17 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop ...

''. In 2003 Rick Rock founded his own label Southwest Federation and signed the Federation featuring fellow Cosmic Slop Shop alumn, Doonie Baby and additional rappers San Diego Native Battle Locco and Harlem native El Dorado Red. El Dorado Red is the only rapper other than the Federation to release an album on Rick Rock's label with the release of ''East Side Rydah Vol. 1''.

Discography

Studio albums

Albums with Rick Rock production

*1996: ''

'' by

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...

*1996: '' Tha Hall of Game'' by

*1996: ''

Seasoned Veteran ''Seasoned Veteran'' is the third studio album by American rapper Richie Rich. It was released November 5, 1996 on Def Jam Recordings, and to date is the only major label release for the artist. The album was produced by Ali Malik, DJ Daryl, Dou ...

'' by Richie Rich *1997: ''

Unpredictable Unpredictable may refer to: Film and TV * "Unpredictable" (''Eureka''), an episode of ''Eureka'' Music Albums * ''Unpredictable'' (Classified album), 2000 * ''Unpredictable'' (Jamie Foxx album), 2005 * ''Unpredictable'' (Malik B. album), 2015 ...

'' by

Mystikal Michael Lawrence Tyler (born September 22, 1970), better known by his stage name Mystikal, is an American rapper. Early life and education Tyler grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana's 12th Ward. His father, who ran a small neighborhood store, d ...

*1998: ''

The Element of Surprise ''The Element of Surprise'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper E-40, released August 11, 1998, on Jive and Sick Wid It Records. The album features production by Ant Banks, Bosko, Mike Mosley, Rick Rock, Sam Bostic, Studio Ton & Tone ...

'' by

*1998: ''

Fearless Fearless or The Fearless may refer to: Psychology * Lack of fear * Courage or bravery Film, television and audio Film * ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi * ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...

'' by

Marvaless Marva Jean Cooks II (born August 28, 1975), better known by her stage name Marvaless, is an American rapper from Sacramento, California. Career In 1992, a year after finishing high school, Cooks got together with C-Bo to record her debut albu ...

*1999: '' Immortalized'' by

Spice 1 Robert Lee Greene, Jr. (born July 2, 1970), better known by his stage name Spice 1 (an acronym for "Sex, Pistols, Indo, Cash and Entertainment"), is an American rapper from Hayward, California. He began releasing albums in 1992. Career Jive Re ...

*2000: '' The Dynasty: Roc La Familia'' by

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

*2000: '' Loyalty and Betrayal'' by

*2000: '' Restless'' by

Xzibit Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality. Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...

*2001: '' The Reason'' by Beanie Sigel *2001: ''

Supernova A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when ...

'' by

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes Lisa Nicole Lopes (May 27, 1971 – April 25, 2002), better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper and singer. She was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besid ...

*2001: ''

Ghetto Fabolous ''Ghetto Fabolous'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Fabolous. The album was released on September 11, 2001 through Desert Storm Records and Elektra Records. The production on the album was handled by DJ Clue, The Neptunes, Rockwilder ...

'' by

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...

*2001: '' Thug Lord: The New Testament'' by

Yukmouth Jerold Dwight Ellis III (born October 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Yukmouth, is an American rapper from East Oakland, Oakland, California. He is the founder of The Regime, Smoke-A-Lot Records and Godzilla Entertainment. He is a mem ...

*2002: '' Blood Brothers'' by Kastro &

E.D.I. Malcolm Greenidge (born July 7, 1974), known as E.D.I. Mean and EDIDON, is an American hip hop artist and a member of the Outlawz. The name is a play on the name Idi Amin, former president of Uganda. While in the third grade, Malcolm became fri ...

Outlawz Outlawz (formerly known as Outlaw Immortalz) are an American hip hop group founded by rapper Tupac Shakur in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison. Collectively, they were best known for their association with Shakur. Most of the group m ...

*2002: ''

Ghetto Heisman ''Ghetto Heisman'' is the second solo studio album by American rapper WC. It was released on November 12, 2002 via Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place at Paramount Recording Studios, at Ameraycan Studios, and at Larrabee Sound Studi ...

'' by WC *2002: ''

If I Could Go! "If I Could Go!" is the first single released from American rapper Angie Martinez's second studio album, ''Animal House'' (2002). The track features rapper Sacario and singer Lil Mo and was produced by Rick Rock; Sacario co-wrote the song. It i ...

'' by

feat

Sacario Jamar Austin, also known as Sacario is an American rapper and songwriter best known for writing the song " If I Could Go" for Angie Martinez. ''Billboard'' named the song among the biggest songs of the year in 2002. It was featured on '' Totally ...

Lil Mo Cynthia Karen Loving (born November 19, 1978), known professionally as Lil' Mo, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, television and radio personality. She is best known for her 2001 single "Superwoman Pt. II", featuring then-unknown rapper ...

*2002: ''

'' by

*2002: ''

Animal House ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hu ...

'' by

*2002: ''

'' by

*2002: '' West Coast Mafia'' by

C-Bo Shawn Thomas, also known by his stage name C-Bo, is an American rapper. C-Bo, notoriously known for his relationship with law enforcement, was one of the first rappers to be jailed due to his lyrical content, a scathing critique of political off ...

*2002: ''

It Ain't Safe No More ''It Ain't Safe No More...'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Busta Rhymes. The album was released on November 26, 2002, by Flipmode Records and J Records. The album went Gold on January 6, 2003 – and has sold 605,000 copies as of ...

'' by

*2002: ''

React REACT or React may refer to: Science and technology *REACT (telescope), a telescope at Fenton Hill Observatory, New Mexico, US Computing * React (JavaScript library) , a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, from Facebook ** React Nati ...

'' by

Erick Sermon Erick Sermon (born November 25, 1968) is an American rapper, musician, and record producer. He is best known as one-third—alongside PMD & DJ Scratch—of 1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for his production work. Career Sermon started prof ...

*2002: ''

Born to Reign ''Born to Reign'' is the third studio album released by American actor and rapper Will Smith. The album was released on Columbia Records in the United States on June 25, 2002 and was considered a drop from his previous level of success, having on ...

'' by

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...

*2002: '' Man vs. Machine'' by

*2003: '' Street Dreams'' by

*2004: '' Tical 0: The Prequel'' by

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of t ...

*2004: '' Welcome Back'' by

*2005: '' Block Movement'' by

*2005: ''

Cash on Delivery Cash on delivery (COD), sometimes called collect on delivery or cash on demand, is the sale of goods by mail order where payment is made on delivery rather than in advance. If the goods are not paid for, they are returned to the retailer. Origin ...

'' by

Ray Cash Wardell Raymond Cheeks (born January 14, 1980) better known by his stage name Ray Cash, is an American rapper from Cleveland, Ohio. Early life and education Cheeks grew up in Cleveland. While in high school, he performed freestyle raps with his ...

*2005: '' Institutionalized'' by

*2006: ''

Everready (The Religion) ''Everready (The Religion)'' is the fifth studio album by rapper Tech N9ne. The album was released in 2006 as a "Collector's Edition" CD that contains a second CD featuring 14 songs from Tech N9ne as well as other Strange Music artists. "Jellysic ...

'' by

Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two m ...

*2006: ''

Tha Blue Carpet Treatment ''Tha Blue Carpet Treatment'' is the eighth studio album by West Coast hip hop recording artist Snoop Dogg. It was released on November 21, 2006, by Doggystyle Records and Geffen Records. It is also the final album to have Nate Dogg featured on ...

'' by

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

*2006: '' My Ghetto Report Card'' by

*2007: ''

Ultimate Victory ''Ultimate Victory'' is the second studio album by American rapper Chamillionaire. It was released on September 14, 2007. The album debuted at number 8 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 79,000 copies in the first week. It is notable fo ...

'' by Chamillionaire *2007: '' T.H.U.G.S.'' by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony *2008: ''

Ego Trippin' ''Ego Trippin' '' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on March 11, 2008 by Doggystyle Records, Interscope Records and Geffen Records.

'' by

*2008: '' T.O.S: Terminate on Sight by

G-Unit G-Unit (short for Guerilla Unit) was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released t ...

*2009: ''

Custom Cars & Cycles ''Custom Cars & Cycles'' is the debut and only album by Miami-based hip-hop group Triple C's. It was released October 27, 2009, by Maybach Music Group and Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances by Birdman, Bun B, Gucci Mane, Yo ...

'' by

Triple C's Triple C's, also known as Carol City Cartel, is an American hip hop group founded by Rick Ross in 2005. The group takes its name from the Carol City neighborhood of Miami Gardens, and consists of Gunplay from Miami, Torch from the Bronx, New Yo ...

*2009: '' Before I Self Destruct'' by

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

*2010: '' Revenue Retrievin': Night Shift'' by

*2011: ''

Doggumentary ''Doggumentary'' is the eleventh studio album by American West Coast hip hop recording artist Snoop Dogg. It was released on March 29, 2011 on the Priority Records record label. The album was produced by Battlecat, The Cataracs, Gorillaz, Dav ...

'' by

*2012: '' The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil 1'' by

*2012: '' The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil 2'' by

*2012: '' The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil 3'' by

*2012: ''

Napalm Napalm is an incendiary mixture of a gelling agent and a volatile petrochemical (usually gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel). The name is a portmanteau of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: coprecipitated alu ...

'' by

*2012: '' History: Function Music by

Too $hort Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by the stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper and record producer. He became famous in the West Coast hip hop scene in the late 1980s, with lyrics often based on ...

*2012: '' History: Mob Music by

*2013: '' Demonstration'' by

Tinie Tempah Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu (born 7 November 1988), better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He has been signed to Parlophone Records since 2009, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his own entertainment compa ...

*2014: '' Sharp On All 4 Corners: Corner 1'' by

*2014: '' Sharp On All 4 Corners: Corner 2'' by

*2015: '' Mudface'' by Redman *2016: '' The D-Boy Diary: Book 1'' by

*2016: '' The D-Boy Diary: Book 2'' by

*2017: ''

Neva Left ''Neva Left'' is the fifteenth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on May 19, 2017, for digital download and July 7, 2017, for purchase on CD, by Doggystyle Records and Empire Distribution. Snoop Dogg also enlisted a va ...

'' by

*2017: ''Trillionaire Thoughts'' by

Droop-E Earl Tywone Stevens Jr. (born February 18, 1988), better known by his stage name Droop-E, is an American rapper, and producer. He is the son of the Bay Area rapper E-40. Biography Droop-E was born Earl Tywone Stevens Jr. on February 18, 19 ...

*2019: ''Rick Rock Beats'' by Rick Rock *2019: '' Madden 20'' by

*2019: ''

I Wanna Thank Me ''I Wanna Thank Me'' is the seventeenth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on August 16, 2019 by Doggy Style Records and Empire Distribution. The album features guest appearances from Rick Rock, Chris Brown, Anitta, Jerm ...

'' by

*2019: ''Black Man In America'' by Redman *2020: ''Summer of Sam'' by

Serial Killers A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

*2020: '' Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God'' by

*2021: ''Blue Castle'' by Battle Locco

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rock, Rick Living people Record producers from California Year of birth missing (living people) Musicians from Alabama Place of birth missing (living people) People from Fairfield, California Musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area