A new artist signing to Rhymesayers Entertainment is always news. But last week, when the hometown indie-rap label announced that it'd inked Atlanta-based metaphysical rapper Sa-Roc to a deal, it felt major.
Sa-Roc has more than 10 albums to her name, making her one of the most established acts to be brought into the RSE fold. Her style is hard-edged and lyrical (she'd probably fit just as well in Carnage the Executioner's crew Hecatomb), making her something of a throwback to the label's tape-trading days.
And after the firestorm raised by former Rhymesayer Psalm One — the only female solo act in the label's 20-year history — Sa-Roc's presence as an unflinching female iconoclast on the roster rights a historical wrong in The House that Slug Built.
Sa-Roc has been in with Rhymesayers for long since before that dust-up, though. You may have seen her conjuring fits on the Soundset stage in either of the festival's last two editions or opening for Brother Ali at First Ave. You may've given the mixtape she just dropped, MetaMorpheus, a spin when the announcement went out.
But now that she's made her affiliation with the hometown hip-hop crew official, it's time to get to know the acrobatic rhymer on a more personal level.
City Pages: Congrats on the signing. How does it feel?
Sa-Roc: It feels amazing. I feel like it's the perfect fit. The artists on their roster have a lot of artistic integrity, and they're able to express themselves authentically, and that's what I am as an MC. I've been welcomed with open arms, and everybody's on board to create some great music, so I'm happy.
CP: You've known the Rhymesayers folks for a while, right? What's your history with them, and how did it lead to you eventually signing a deal?
SR: I was first contacted by them last year around Soundset. We had a lot of mutual acquaintances. I have affiliations with Brother Ali, and it's a very small world when it comes to hip-hop, so we're friends.
They asked me to come perform at Soundset, so we started talking from there and developing a relationship. They'd expressed interest in doing something with me, and it blossomed into this.
CP: You've had a pretty lengthy career to this point with over 10 albums. How is your career gonna change now that you're working with Rhymesayers?
RELATED STORIES
Dem Atlas teases MF DOOM collaboration — MF DEM
'It'd be nice to have a few vaginas onstage': Psalm One calls out Rhymesayers 20
Rhymesayers CEO says label 'failed' women, but not Psalm One
SR: With the album or albums that I'm gonna do with them, I would like to focus on more personal, intimate themes. In the past, I've just been trying to assert myself as an MC and prove that I can be in the same arena with the big boys.
As a woman who is a rapper, you have to work extra hard to prove yourself. My past 10 or so albums was doing that while also speaking on things that are important to me — social justice themes and metaphysics.
I have so much support behind me now, and all these resources I've never had before, and to have that is incredible. I've been doing it all in-house for eight years. There's a certain glass ceiling you hit without a cosign from the industry. Now, I think we'll break down those barriers.
CP: Signing to Rhymesayers also means that you'll be more or less adopted into the Twin Cities music scene. What's your familiarity with the rap scene here? Are you excited to be working with a label that's based here?
SR: I'm very excited. This is a whole new territory to me. I'm familiar with a lot of the artists that are already on Rhymesayers, like Brother Ali and Slug from Atmosphere, but I'm not really familiar with the scene. I only have Soundset to go on, but it seems like there is a really great appreciation for real rap.
I'm sure there's an influx of all types of music going there, but what I've seen from Soundset and performing at First Ave is a real appreciation for authentic, real rappers. So, I'm excited to show Minneapolis what I can do and to share my perspective, because I think the scene and the city will appreciate it.
CP: When you signed, you also dropped this huge, 20-song mixtape called MetaMorpheus. What was the message there?
SR: The title itself is obviously a play on the word "metamorphosis," tying in the character Morpheus from The Matrix. Morpheus questioned whether he was The One, and because of his self-doubt, he never became The One.
The idea of metamorphosizing as an MC and becoming the rapper, artist, or person that you wish to be, you have to rid yourself of doubt and fear and be able to convey your message to the people so that they can see your true self.
I feel like, in signing with Rhymesayers, I'm able to flourish from this relatively obscure MC to a larger platform, and the world at large will be able to see what I can do with a crew behind me. I just wanted people to see what lied at the heart of Sa-Roc.
