Assata Perkins (born December 28, 1981), known professionally as Sa-Roc (), is an American rapper. In 2016, she became the second female rapper to sign with the
Rhymesayers label.
Early life
Sa-Roc was born in
Southeast, Washington, D.C.
Southeast (SE or S.E.) is the southeastern Quadrants of Washington, D.C., quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located south of East Capitol Street and east of South Capitol Street. It includes the Capitol Hill a ...
on December 28, 1981. As a teenager, she was a student at City of Peace, an organization devoted to encouraging students to become active in their community through theater. She has been open about her history of
self-harm
Self-harm is intentional behavior that is considered harmful to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues usually without a suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-injury and self-mutilatio ...
as an adolescent, later referencing this period in her song "Forever". She attended the Nation House school and then the College of Arts and Sciences at
Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...
where she studied biology.
Career
In 2002, Sa-Roc met Atlanta-based producer Sol Messiah and the two began a long collaboration.
Although she recorded albums, Sa-Roc did not start performing on stage until a 2011 benefit for
Mutulu Shakur
Mutulu Shakur (born Jeral Wayne Williams; August 8, 1950) is an American activist and former member of the Black Liberation Army, sentenced to sixty years in prison for his involvement in a 1981 robbery of a Brinks armored truck in which a guar ...
.
[
In 2013, she released her album ''The Book of Light'' which included "Just Us" written in honor of ]Troy Davis
Troy Anthony Davis (October 9, 1968 – September 21, 2011) was a man convicted of and executed for the August 19, 1989 murder of police officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia. MacPhail was working as a security guard at a Burger King re ...
. In 2014, she collaborated with David Banner
Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor.
Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Ban ...
on the single "The Who?" for her ''Nebuchadnezzar'' album. She also performed with Black Thought
Tariq Luqmaan Trotter (born October 3, 1973), better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove (Ahmir Thompson). Regarded ...
at the 2014 A3C Hip Hop Festival. In 2015, she released her mixtape ''The Legend of Black Moses''.[ In May 2016, Sa-Roc signed with Rhymesayers. Her first official appearance on Rhymesayers is a collaboration with ]Brother Ali
Ali Douglas Newman (born Jason Douglas Newman, July 30, 1977), better known by his stage name Brother Ali, is an American rapper, community activist, and member of the Rhymesayers Entertainment hip hop collective. He has released seven albums, ...
on his ''All the Beauty in This Whole Life
''All the Beauty in This Whole Life'' is the sixth studio album by Brother Ali. It was released on Rhymesayers Entertainment on May 5, 2017. It is Brother Ali's first album in five years. Entirely produced by Ant, it features guest appearances fr ...
'' album. She also toured with Brother Ali on The Own Light Tour in support of the new album. In February 2018, she debuted her single "Forever". In October 2018, she debuted her single "Goddess Gang". The track was featured in the 2019 racing video game '' Need for Speed Heat''. Her first Rhymesayers album, ''The Sharecropper's Daughter'', was released on October 2, 2020. ''The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...
'' named it as one of the 15 best albums of 2020. Sa-Roc's song "Believe" was featured in ''And She Could Be Next'', a 2020 PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
documentary about the Squad.
Influences
Sa-Roc's influences include artists such as Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...
, Outkast, Bad Brains
Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this ...
, Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
and Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...
. Her name is a combination of her childhood nickname "Sa Sa" and a tribute to hip hop emcee Sha-Rock
Sharon Green (born 1962), also known as MC Sha-Rock, is considered the "first female rapper" or emcee. Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, she grew up in the South Bronx, New York City during the earliest years of hip hop culture. Within the ...
.
Discography
;Albums
* ''Supernova'' (2008)
References
External links
*
{{authority control
1981 births
Living people
21st-century American singers
American women rappers
African-American women rappers
Musicians from Washington, D.C.
Rappers from Atlanta
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American women singers
Rhymesayers Entertainment artists
Howard University alumni
Underground rappers
21st-century African-American women singers
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women
21st-century women rappers