By Sirion
Sewell
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s DJ Roc’Phella spinning on
the 1’s and 2’s every Monday night at Club Contour during
“The Genesis.”
He’s the one and only, West Coast music making’
representative: DJ Roc’Phella.
Growing up in California, a home to many musical icons, he
watched his father Marvin Craig, a member of the world
famous R&B/Funk group Lakeside, succeed in music. Young Roc
knew what he wanted out of life and it was to pursue a
career in the music industry.
To
differentiate him from the norm of rapping and dancing, Roc
decided to be unique and try his hand at DJ’ing. At 12 years
old he acquired his first turntables and taught himself to
set them ablaze.
In a quest to find a fitting name, young Roc, known to
others back then as “Ozroc,” became enchanted with the
well-known New York based family, The Rockefellers.
After admiring their fame, power, prestige and money
for quite some time, Ozroc took on the name DJ Roc’Phella
and set out on a mission to replicate their actions through
his music. In the early 90’s, a young DJ Roc’Phella made his
way to Seattle via the streets of Los Angeles on a mission
to hone his gift and master the art of turntablism. You
could say Roc’Phella got his “big break” in the Northwest
when he hooked up with Keek (The Ghetto Prez) of Sea-Sick
Records, who back then was busying himself with throwing
parties. The two met up at middle-college and over time they
vibed and Roc’ was put on the team. With his medieval
talents combined with Keek’s network of resources, together
they blew up the Seattle Party scene. Being involved in
music at such a young age, Roc’Phella become a fine-tuned
musician which eventually led to producing. If Roc’Phella
isn’t in the studio recording, he’s most likely somewhere
nearby sharpening his skills on the guitar, keyboard, or
turntables. Roc’Phella, who has demonstrated his skills on
the wheels of steel for mentor Kid Capri, takes what he has
learned from him and incorporates it into every show. He
suggests that like Capri, all he needs are his skills, a
microphone and two turntables to rock the crowd. The
energy, the rush, helping others to have a good time, having
an ear for what moves the crowd and of course, the positive
feedback, is what Roc’Phella loves most about DJ’ing.
If you’re looking to get into DJ’ing, Roc’ warns that while
it is a competitive field, don’t be discouraged.
There’s no “hating” going on between DJ’s in the Northwest.
“You just gotta do you and let the public decide who they
wanna hear,” Roc’Phella said. “If this is something you want
to do, focus on it, don’t push it to the side as a hobby,
and take it as serious as I did. You get out of it, what you
put in.”
“The ideal five year goal is to have landed a major
recording or production deal and be somewhere with a hit
record,” Roc’Phella said.
When catering to an audience, Roc’ doesn’t play his favorite
tunes or the Top 40, he strives to give the people what they
want. His goal is to satisfy all in attendance. Musical
influences like: Lakeside, Funkadelic, Cameo, Jam Master
Jay, and The Ohio Players lend an old school flavor to his
harmoniously blended mixes. By continuously mixing the old
with the new, he’s not afraid to break new ground while
remaining true to his audience by giving them the best of
both worlds.
At age 28, he’s already become an accomplished DJ, musician,
producer and certified “baby’s daddy.”
While you won’t find out his given name, due to an intricate
game of secrecy, what you will discover upon speaking with
him is what it takes to excel in his profession. Stick
around long enough and you may just bear witness to the
making of a future Northwest legend. Projects Future Funk
Productions CEO DJ Roc’Phella is featured on are: Nocturnal
Rage, Central Intelligence, Double Odd, Young Drey, Gangsta
Nutt, and 8-3-1. Not to mention a promising solo album on
the way.
While he hasn’t received any awards for his hard work, it’s
the realization of talent and the respect of others he seeks
most.
He would like to be known as the Dr. Dre of the Northwest,
but only DJ Roc’Phella knows what the outcome will be.
Those are pretty big boots to fill, but someone has to do it
and with his tenacity, drive, perseverance and poise, DJ
Roc’Phella can definitely achieve anything he wishes. DJ
Roc’Phella is cool, affable, humble, motivated, focused,
sharing, has a great personality, and sets high, realistic,
achievable goals.
He is the ROC’!
