@OfficialSmitroc is a rising Fairfield born, Vallejo raised rapper who has loved hip-hop as early as he can remember. When he was only 4 years-old, he recalls dancing in front of the television and reciting songs from his favorite artists much to the delight of his father, who gave him his name. The moniker Smitroc refers to how solid a young Smitroc’s chest stood during playful boxing matches between him and his father growing up.
It seems that Smitroc’s destiny in music was set in motion at pretty early stages of his life. We got a chance to catch up with him about his new mixtape Roc Appetizers, a collection of records crafted over a number of years, intended to whet fans’ appetites before the release of his coming music. Read on below to learn more. (Promoted)
Thizzler: How long have you been doing music?
Smitroc: I’ve been doing this music thing for 20+ years, since I was 4 years old. So I’ve pretty much been doing it my whole life. Every time there was a music video on TV, I would jump in front of the it and start blurting the words. My dad would grab a camcorder and be like “Smitroc bust something”, and I’d [lip sync] whatever rapper was on TV. From then on out, even as I was doing sports or whatever, music just came along with me.
T: At what point did you decide, “I’m going to be a rapper”?
S: Ever since that moment when I was 4. I just thought, this must be a sign from God that he wants me to be a recording artist. I wouldn’t do anything else but jump in front of that TV every time I’d hear some artist. I could’ve been all the way in my room, and I’d run like a bat out of hell to the living room to rap those lyrics.
T: Tell me about the project.
S: Roc Appetizers, I dropped it on my birthday. You know it’s a 5 year comeback.
T: What do you mean?
S: It’s been 5 years since I dropped my first project. It’s pretty much a collection of songs I’ve had since I was 16 through the present. It sounds new to y’all, but it’s old to me. The reason I kept it in the vault, is because there was a lot of stuff I was doing behind the scenes of music. I crafting my skills of mixing my own songs and learning Pro Tools. There were a lot of people who would tap in about shows, but I was the type to say, “y’all can represent, I’m going to stay in the studio and work on my music.”
I came up with the title Roc Appetizers, because it’s like the salad round of what I got going on with my music. It’s just a little something something. I’m like 5 steps ahead with the main course. I’ve got surprise features and a whole bunch of stuff lined up.
T: Why end your 5-year hiatus now?
S: I figure it’s been 5 years. Way overdue. I feel like I’m ready to drop another project. My mixing game is better, more crispy with quality. I know all the ins and outs, and tricks of Pro Tools. I don’t want to keep the fans waiting. They’re still stuck on my first project, One Verse, No Hook that I dropped in 2013. That was certified Bronze on DatPiff.com!
T: What did it feel like to go Bronze on DatPiff?
S: It was a sign that I’m heading in the right direction. It’s not like a BET accolade, like Best New Artist, but I was like “that’s what’s up”. It was a pat on my back. I was lightweight juiced, but I knew it was just a start. Let’s get it to Platinum next time.
T: If the new mixtape is just an appetizer, what do you have planned for the main course?
S: We have big names coming out of the Bay. There are a lot of producers and artists that I have in mind that I’m going to tap in with real soon. Right now I’m trying to focus on music videos for Roc Appetizers. I’m sure you’ve heard of Ice Meez and Taj-He-Spitz. That’s my fam bam right there. So I got something with them. I got something with Infamous Kaboo. It’s a whole bunch of stuff I have on the table for the main course.
T: What do you hope to accomplish with Roc Appetizers?
S: I just want everyone to enjoy fresh new music to their ears. I want this project to get recognition. With all the hard work I put into this project, I want to push it to the limit. Even break the limit if I can. I want to actually engage people. Hopefully it’ll open doors for me to open up for well-known artists. I’m using this project to explore all opportunities. So far the feedback I’ve been receiving has been great.
T: Why should people listen?
S: They should listen because I’m an artist that just wants to make quality music that people relate to. If you want to turn up, I have songs for that. If you want lyricism, I’ve got a song for that. I just want to relate to the people.
T: What was your favorite song to write?
S: There’s a track called “16 Acapella Bars”. That one has no instrumental, I was just spitting that real. I was being woke. I was coming deep and hitting the brain with bars. It acknowledges what it’s like being black in America. I would say that’s my deepest song on the mixtape. There was a point when I was just tired of seeing my people dying over nothing, but their skin pigmentation. I wrote like 6 bars of it, and freestyled the rest. After I wrote that I felt good. Like I got it off my chest!
Check out everything from Smitroc right here on Thizzler. You can follow Smitroc on Instagram at @theofficialsmitroc. Get Roc Appetizers here.
