Rockie Fresh Notable Press Quotes ―From It's First Song (―Into the Future‖) to It's Last (―So Long‖), the Project
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Rockie Fresh Notable Press Quotes ―From it’s first song (―Into The Future‖) to it’s last (―So Long‖), the project has a smooth energy, and Rockie’s effortless flow proves to compliment the soundscape throughout. The tape’s vibe is often calming, and consistently melodic, as the newbie builds his story by placing slick rhymes around tales of striving to make it, ducking haters, chasing women and leaving school.‖ - XXL Magazine Review of “Driving 88” (XL Rating) http://www.xxlmag.com/reviews/2012/02/rockie-fresh-driving-88/ ―[Driving 88 has] earned-smart wordplay, dense sonic melodies and lots of head- bopping jams‖ WIRED Magazine – The Best Mixtapes of 2011 [The Otherside] http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/12/best-mixtapes-of-2011/?pid=5716 ―[Rockie] Fresh’s career is accelerating at high speeds and he has no intention of slowing down.‖ -Vibe Magazine http://www.vibe.com/posts/pardon-introduction-chicagos-rockie-fresh ―Driving 88 is sure to establish Rockie as a force to be reckoned with from the Chi, a city with a long history in hip-hop.‖ -Complex http://www.complex.com/music/2012/01/mixtape-rockie-fresh-driving-88 ―Don’t count the young guys out. If anyone is breathing new life into the game, it’s them. Case in point – Rockie Fresh.‖ -AllHipHop http://allhiphop.com/2012/01/23/rockie-fresh-takes-fans-back-to-the-future-with- new-project-driving-88/ ―[Rockie Fresh is] the Derek Rose of rap Chi-Town has been waiting for‖ URB.com http://www.urb.com/2010/12/10/rockie-fresh-wants-you-to-follow-him-and-not- just-on-twitter/ For Inquiries Contact: Andrew Gertler - [email protected] WEB LINKS http://www.rockiefresh.com http://www.twitter.com/rockiefresh http://www.facebook.com/rockieml Press Clippings Rockie Fresh, Driving 88 Rated: XL It’s been more than half a decade since a rapper popped off nationally from Chicago, one of the country’s largest cities. The last ones to experience that breakthrough, Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West, have proven to be two of the genres most artistically forward thinking and successful rappers in the time since. With the release of his latest mixtape, Driving 88, Windy City native Rockie Fresh looks position himself to carry on tradition, as he offers up the first project since the buzz on his name began to swell outside of the Chi. From it’s first song (“Into The Future”) to it’s last (“So Long”), the project has a smooth energy, and Rockie’s effortless flow proves to compliment the soundscape throughout. The tape’s vibe is often calming, and consistently melodic, as the newbie builds his story by placing slick rhymes around tales of striving to make it, ducking haters, chasing women and leaving school. “You A Lie” creatively samples 2 Chainz’s voice for one of the more amped anthems on the release, as Rockie boasts about the flame on his name. He also switches up the tempo of his flow here, proving there can be some versatility in his easy-sounding approach when he decides the time is right. “No Fear” is another highlight, as the 20-year-old buries his doubts over a dark, piano driven beat (“Your rules are irrelevant, I’ma just do what I choose/From the City of Wind, means that I’ll never lose,” he raps). There are only three rap features on the tape, but Rockie’s sonic partnership with each artist (Casey Veggies, King Louie and Phil Ade) is both complimentary on the track and reflective of a solidarity he’s forged with fellow up and comers. What happens next for Rockie Fresh—a major label deal, a co-sign from a fellow Chicago native, or continuing to do things on his own—remains to be seen. But with Driving 88, it’s clear that the young rapper has the hunger, determination and ear to find his own space. And while he does, just enjoy the ride. —Adam Fleischer July 13, 2012 http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/premiere-rick-ross-reveals-new- maybach-signee-rockie-fresh-20120713 Premiere: Rick Ross Reveals New Maybach Signee Rockie Fresh 'I feel like I'm ensured to take over the game,' says Chicago native With the bevy of new rappers sprouting up by the day, it's easy to get lost in the mix. Which is why when news hit yesterday that Chicago upstart Rockie Fresh inked a deal with Rick Ross's near-invincible Maybach Music Group, there was much chatter about the young MC, whose named still hadn't cracked certain circles. Whether the pundits were hip to him or not, Rockie's been buzzed about in label offices since his debut mixtape, Rockie's Modern Life, dropped in 2009, and he's been building a solid fanbase by blending the dense chords and atmosphere of alternative rock with quick-witted lyricism and an authentic Midwest twang. Having toured with artists as wide-ranging as Wale and Fall Out Boy, the 21-year-old MC is poised to make a major dent in the rap game, starting with his upcoming mixtape Electric Highway and a 20-city headlining tour. Rolling Stone caught up with Rockie to discuss the details of the deal, his relationship with Rick Ross, his dualistic sound and the explosion of hip-hop coming out of the Chi. The news of your deal hit like a whirlwind. What have the past 24 hours been like? It's been a blur. When I signed it was real late, and a lot of people asked why I did it so late but me and Ross wanted to make it something real. We had hung out that night, and that was the time that we felt it was appropriate. I ended up not getting any sleep that night and flew back to Chicago that morning. When I got back to my crib, my dogs was trippin' so I didn't get any sleep. By that time my friends had already got the news, so I was catching up with all of them and seeing all of the people that helped me make it possible. Last night was a long night, too. I haven't even had the opportunity to sit down and take it all in. It definitely feels crazy. At one point you were fielding interest from Bad Boy and Universal, and I'm sure other folks came knocking. Why Maybach? It made sense to be on a whole 'nother level. I toured with Wale before even really meeting with Ross. I actually did a show with Ross in L.A. – I'm not sure if he even remembers that, but I opened for him before. I did some shows with Meek [Mill] before. They were always around, but I never made the connection to think that we'd be able to do business together down the line. When the opportunity arose it made me look back at the situation and decide this was the place I needed to be at. What kind of deal is it? How many projects are we expecting? I got a multi-album deal, you can be expecting a lot of stuff coming from me in the next few years. I've got a lot to talk about and a lot of life to experience. It's real powerful. I feel like I'm ensured to take over the game real soon. We know Ross as the face of the label, and you mentioned you've performed with Wale and Meek. Is there anyone else in the camp that you've connected with? Not yet. I'm a real low-key dude. When the situation arises, I'll be cool with anybody, but I haven't crossed paths with much of the crew besides Wale and Meek. The relationship I got with Ross is real dope, so I expect it to be the same across the board. Can we expect some collaborations with those dudes on the upcoming Electric Highway? Yeah, definitely. We're gonna work out some crazy stuff. I'm gonna be dropping a record probably within the next two weeks. I wanted to give it time to settle in first. There's lots of different reactions and stuff like that, so I wanted to give it time to calm down just so people could hear the record from me and take it in. Let's talk about the music for a bit. You blend rock and hip-hop in really interesting ways, and you toured with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump last year. Can you talk about that experience? What did you learn from him? This is the cool part about every situation I'm in. People reach out because they really respect the music and the direction I'm going in. When I dropped the Otherside mixtape, Patrick reached out to me via Twitter and invited me to his crib in L.A. I always was a fan of Fall Out Boy, but just to see him working live and explaining to me certain things from an artist's perspective, that was crazy in itself. And then when I was on tour with him, I felt like it was an opportunity for me to really take rap to another level. He has a different sound, and when I was on that tour, a lot of people were not … they didn't dislike rap music, but it's not what they were used to listening to. It was a blessing to be on that type of tour.