“You can hate on me all you want to, but regardless, umma do me.”  

Taking a personal mantra and flippin’ it into the swagger filled single "Umma Do Me" was natural for ATLien Rodney "Rocko Da Don" Hill.  Although his debut disc Self Made has introduced his sound to a national audience, Rocko was already a proven taste-maker on the southern rap scene. 

His label, Rocky Road, started out in 2002 as a development company to give Rocko a chance to cultivate his growing interest in music production. “I was infatuated with the way people produced music from scratch, how you go in and make something out of nothing,” Rocko said.  He found success with one of his first signees, Sammy Sam, with the release of "Step Daddy" and went on to sign with Universal. Rocko’s next project involved working with childhood friend Young Dro who moved on to sign with T.I.’s Grand Hustle imprint.  Rocky Road also found success producing hits for dirty south staples Dem Franchize Boyz, Pastor Troy and Lil Flip.

Deciding he wanted to make the move from A&R and production for his label to becoming an artist on it, Rocko recorded the Drumma Boi-produced "Umma Do Me" and self promoted the cut locally.  Two years later, in the middle of finalizing a deal, Def Jam’s Shakir Stewart reached out. Once Stewart convinced him to fly up and meet with L.A. Reid, the deal was sealed in a day. “There were no negotiations. They had their mind made up,” according to Rocko’s Def Jam bio. “I couldn’t even leave the building.”

In the middle of promoting Self Made, the man who has declares himself “the best thing since the microwave” gets personal (minus much discussion about his relationship with the mother of his children, R&B songstress Monica) with HipHopDX about being self made and how charisma mixed with flow will take him straight to the top. 

HipHopDX:  What is Hip Hop missing that Rocko is bringing? 
Rocko: Swag. Rocko is bringing swagger to the industry.

DX: In what way?
Rocko: Charisma. I’m so charismatic to where I’m nothing like you’ve ever seen before.

DX: Young Dro, Dem Franchize Boyz, and Lil Flip. Some might say you brought attention to them from the majors. What do you say?
Rocko: I say I concur.

DX: Titling the album Self Made means what?
Rocko: [It] means I’m a self made entrepreneur.  Self made person. Self made everything. Everything I did I did it on my own. No one gave me anything. I got out and bust my ass getting where I am today. That’s why I consider myself self made.

DX: You don’t like to be asked about your personal life because….
Rocko: Because I don’t want to mix my personal with professional.  Right now it’s about Rocko as an entertainer. As a rapper. Professionally.

DX: Why do you think it was necessary for you to come out on this whole swagger style? Do you think there aren’t a lot of people trying to do them?
Rocko: I think it’s a lot of hating going on.  A lot of people let off a lot of negative energy rather than focusing on themselves. Rather than focusing on themselves, they focus on what other people are doing and not doing them. Don’t worry about what other people are doing. That’s where the song comes in.  Just do you. Don’t worry ‘bout nobody else.  Don’t worry about what this man doing. Don’t worry about what Cindy Lou got.  Don’t worry about what Ray Charles got. Whoever. Do you. That’s what the song means. You could take it for what its worth. Take it for what it is. You do you. 

DX: Your swag comes across in your music. Why was it important for your swag to come out? 
Rocko: I feel like it’s important because I want you to be able to feel me through my music. I want you to listen to my music. I want you to be able to feel that this is nothing you have ever heard before. You never met a person like me. You never heard a person like me. I’m me. Real talk. This is something I want people to know. I’m the last of a dying breed and they better try and clone me.  There is no one out here like me. I’m the future. I’m the new south. 

DX: And what’s separating you from the old south?
Rocko: It’s because I am, like I said, self made. I can’t really speak on all the rest of these people, but there are a few people that’s rapping that I know for a fact that it’s not them. But they are good rappers and artist.

DX: When you say them you mean their real personalities?
Rocko: Just them period. They are not who they say they are. I’m not the type of person to put them on blast, but at the same time, that’s what I mean when I say that. I’m me. And you can get used to it. 

DX: So nobody put you on. You had to put your own self on.
Rocko: I came from nothing to something. That’s what self made means. And even if someone tried to give me something I wouldn’t take it. I wanna work for it. Continued on page 2 »