“Always listen to your gut,” Sa-Roc tells HipHopDX. “You never know where life is going to take you.” The Washington D.C. native was well on her way to a biology degree from Howard University with aspirations of being a veterinarian when she realized something didn’t feel right.
With her eyes set on the music mecca of Atlanta, the burgeoning artist dropped out of school and traveled the roughly 640 miles to the ATL. There, she linked with producer Sol Messiah and a music career started to unfold.
On Friday (October 2), Sa-Roc released her 10th studio album and first for Rhymesayers Entertainment, The Sharecropper’s Daughter. The 15-track effort boasts features from The Roots’ Black Thought, The LOX’s Styles P, Saul Williams and Chronixx but still allows Sa-Roc’s gritty, fire-filled bars to take center stage, something she’s finally used to doing.
The 38-year-old MC didn’t start performing live until 2011 and three years later, her performance skills were put to the ultimate test when Black Thought pulled her up on stage during the A3C Hip Hop Festival.
“That was actually our first time meeting too,” Sa-Roc recalls. “We had a mutual friend who’s close to him and had been sharing music or whatever. He was anticipating meeting us there and Thought, being the Hip Hop icon who went through the fire and came up doing cyphers and freestyles, he completely believed in making sure an MC is up to par with going through that cold trial-by-fire thing.
“So, I didn’t know he was going to call me onstage. I thought it was just us meeting and that was it. I’m standing on the side of the stage and he says my name, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, what is happening?'”
But as an MC, Sa-Roc knew she always had to come ready, so she confidently hopped up there and gave it all she had.
“If you get called as an MC on stage, unprepared or not, you better get prepared,” she says. “So I’m rushing through security, trying to tell them, ‘That’s me. I’m Sa-Roc!’ I get up there and do my thing.
“It’s funny, because when I first started performing my mic levels weren’t where they needed to be and I felt like the crowd couldn’t hear me so I was like, ‘Just cut the beat.’ I did that joint acapella and that was what got everybody’s attention, and the rest was history.”
Six years after that fateful night, Sa-Roc has become a commanding force in her own right and occupies a unique space when it comes to women who rap. It’s easy to look at the mainstream landscape and conclude there’s not a whole lot of diversity, but Sa-Roc is optimistic that’s something that could change.
When the topic of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” single is brought up, she made it clear she’s never one to condemn another woman’s art, but she did make note of the timing of the song.
“There’s a lot of music out there that’s really not on brand for me,” she explains. “It’s [‘WAP’] not something I would necessarily listen to and that’s fine; everybody has their own personal taste. I just feel like there are certain things that get pushed for a reason. I feel like the timing of that was just so interesting. Right when all of the Breonna Taylor stuff was happening, right when the George Floyd protests and all of that were happening, and these cities were riddled in this conflict and at odds with police and buildings were burning in some places, and that comes out and the attention is diverted.
Sa-Roc Opens Up About Self-Harm, Self-Doubt & Ultimately Self-Love
“I feel like it’s interesting there are artists who have songs that are actually speaking to things that are socially relevant and they don’t get the same promotion, they don’t get the same push as that song. I’m not judging the song one way or the other because, to me, I’ve already made my statement at the beginning. People make what they make. That’s the beauty of being an artist. You’re able to express yourself whatever way you see fit. But this lack of diversity within women in Hip Hop seems like a concerted effort to maintain.”
Sa-Roc also explained this perceived formula for success for female Hip Hop artists — which often relies on minimal clothing and a sexed-up image — puts pressure on them to conform.
“This is sensationalism though, and that’s reflected across all genres, right?” she continues. “It’s that whole sex sells idea. We’ve seen that reflected in Hollywood. It started to become harder for the independent art house films and one-off films that are more thoughtful or whatever. These films really don’t get the funding they need. People want these blockbuster hits. They want Fast and Furious 25 [laughs].
“So it’s not new, but I do understand they’ve set up this precedent that makes this formula for women in rap — this is what sells — and I feel like a lot of women are willing to conform to that for success, because it really is more difficult. It’s a more challenging road for women in general. Then, when it comes to Hip Hop, there are limited resources, limited access, limited visibility for us to be able to make our mark. For women who are like, ‘Whatever. I want to do my thing. I want to be an MC. I want to be popular,’ there’s more of a likelihood they’re going to be like, ‘OK, this is what I’m going to do. This is what sells.'”
In an interview with DX last month, Jermaine Dupri was asked about his controversial “strippers rapping” comment and insisted it was on the fans to make more conscious Hip Hop popular. Sa-Roc agrees — to a certain extent. Fans don’t have the luxuries a major record label does to be able to propel their favorite artists forward.
“With social media, there’s the ability for an artist to go viral with fan support,” she concedes. “But we have to understand a lot of this is programming through radio. When I used to go to work and turn on the radio, I would hear the same song over and over again. It’s not because of fan requests — they don’t be answering the phone like that. They’re playing it because they were given incentive by these companies to spin these records this many times. Even I would find myself singing along to songs that were not normally my cup of tea because they were programming that in my mind.
“We’re taught there’s varying levels of groupthink. When it becomes a cultural moment, a cultural movement, we get swept up in that. Then we say, ‘This is it. I kind of like this song.’ Whereas maybe two years ago, we wouldn’t have given it the same kind of energy. It’s just these moments are created and very cleverly cultivated by branding machines and industry machines. There’s something to that — the people supporting and it’s up to the fans — but we can’t play naive and act like there aren’t multi-million dollar, maybe billion dollar machines not planning this assault on the public.”
Sa-Roc Joins Rapsody's 'A Black Woman Created This Tour' & Drops 'Hand Of God' Video
Sa-Roc’s brand of Hip Hop may be in a more niche realm, but she always has her finger on the pulse. She referenced the Tory Lanez shooting incident involving Megan Thee Stallion and applauded Cardi B for her political efforts.
“No knock on Cardi B or Megan Thee Stallion,” she continues. “I love how Cardi B has been using her voice and platform to talk about political issues and social justice issues. With everything that was happening with Megan Thee Stallion, too, I totally support her and her recent challenges. I felt like because she’s a woman, we see how women are unjustly treated and our tribe is silenced in favor of the popular man or whatever.
“I support them being vocal and standing up for themselves and speaking out about things they believe in. I don’t want it to seem like I’m tearing down another woman or whatever, because I’m not doing that. I’m all for it. I just want a diversity of expression. That’s all I’m saying.”
Throughout The Sharecropper’s Daughter album, Sa-Roc has no trouble telling her truth and expressing exactly who she is — a strong woman who has tackled adversity, stood up to her oppressors and emerged victorious. Whether it’s “Forever,” where she opens about struggling with her appearance in the past, or “Grounded,” where she finally makes peace with herself, the project proves once and for all just how comfortable she is in her own skin. No longer is she trying to fit some conventional form of beauty set for women eons ago.
“We be breaking our backs for these unrealistic expectations, especially when these societal standards are just based on falsehoods,” she says. “They’re based on airbrushed, manipulated images of people. You do you, but I don’t have to break my back trying to fit this ideal.”
The Sharecropper’s Daughter is currently available on all streaming platforms and the RSE website. A special album listening event goes down via Facebook on Friday (October 2) at 9 p.m. EST.
You know she is good because she doesn’t need to take her clothes off and doesn’t twerk
She doesn’t need to ? Yet she crying that she ain’t as big as her peers, saying they r deliberately pushed and she isn’t . The last thing I want is dust. I hope we ain’t gonna be “pushed” dusty corny hotep ish. Fashions are cyclical
We need less people like you to fix this world and fix society. That’s what you got from her comments? SMH
How is she “crying?” You really can’t grasp that there are intelligent, classy women out there, huh?
I totally agree with her…unfortunately tho, that’s why nobody knows who she is. She can think WAP was a “distraction” all she wants…the reality is, it seems like at 38 y/o and 9 years in the game she fails to recognize the business she’s in. There’s a reason people have no idea who Jean Grae is, but anybody older than 5 knows who Cardi B is
That’s what she’s saying. Needs more representation.
She a snob “my ish too intelligent n superior” “the masses don’t appreciate my excellence” “I’m special better than my peers” blah blah blah “I’m better cus I cover up my titties”
She knows what business she is in, she doesn’t mistake that.
This album is incredible and came at a time where diversity is being accepted a tad bit more as far as female rappers are concerned.
STFU hotep. Shading all her female peers. Think u special n woke n special. “Things pushed for a reason as a distraction” wow u deep aint u.
People like you are the reason. Straight trash!
It’s ashame she’ll never get the love Cardi, and Meagan gets cause their thots While queens like this and Rhapsody get little mention.
it ain’t going to be you sweetheart on that billboard 100. i know how this business really works. it is fucking disgraceful i know. power gone mad. you want to be in that new york scene. but, you might just prove me wrong.
it ain’t going to be you sweetheart on that billboard 100. i know how this business really works. it is fucking absurd and disgraceful i know. power gone mad. you want to be in that new york scene you want to be signed with the big record labels you don’t need them to be successful. there are thousands of people doing what you are and you and them will not make it. but, you might just prove me wrong.
Yo if y’all posted more females like this instead of that WOMP ..the integrity of this site would go up and Also with female rappers showing integrity the word BITCH would subdue within the culture. You can get respect if you don’t respect yourselves.
You know people need to stop saying the BUSINESS won’t allow integrity to thrive..it starts with having the proper outlets but a lot of these blog site just cater to ignorance unfortunately. They go with what they think the masses will enjoy not thinking well maybe if you introduce the masses to refreshing articles such as this that shows another side the reals will gravitate to it. The real ones don’t come out cause they’re aren’t feeding that audience..instead it’s a lot of pandering to ignorance and idiocracy..
the business organised crime has a large part to play. now if these people have their way besides what is politically correct creativity will be sucked out of the whole art and you are going to see and hear lamer after lamer. the pirates who hate copyrights and hate capitalism are full steam ahead. they think the internet should be a human right for crying out loud. along with freebies here and there and just everyone copying each other in some way time and time again. also diversity but the left can’t make up their minds. people will then be complaining about mediocre to do with piracy and when we see a black woman such as this with a funny name or some resemblance a lot of us will be complaining. just look at the j.i. article the future of rap hip hop new york city everyone was shitting on the brother. do we want that to happen to the music we love? i don’t.
Hell yeah! Finally someone speaks the truth I respect that. We need music with substance.
People have been saying this shit forever, but the mainstream (including this site) silences those voices.
Your album is whack sorry rapsody would destroy u on the mic
No need for this European divide-and-conquer bullshit. Rapsody is dope, Sa-Roc is dope…let’s support both of these queens instead tearing one of them down.
I thought Sa-Roc dropped this album like 3 times already lol why she keep dropping the same album?!!
Funny how last year, when Jermaine Dupri said all female rappers are strippers, even though he was talking about mainstream, people bring up Rapsody, Tierra, and others but, in the same year, NO FEMALE RAP ALBUM got nominated but 21 Savage and Young thug do.
Amazing album, i never really f’d with female rappers before but this shit is straight lyrical fire
Isn’t the sexism a statement of feminism? That what is being said, by all these femenist who are applauding crap like WAP?
Isn’t the sexism a result or product of femenist expression? At least this is what femenist say as they applaud productions like w a p?