T La Rock
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| T La Rock | ||
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 T La Rock from his 1987 Lyrical King album cover
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Clarence Ronnie Keaton | |
| Also known as | T La Rock | |
| Born | 1961 | |
| Origin |  Bronx, New York, USA |
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| Genre(s) | Old school hip hop | |
| Instrument(s) | Microphone | |
| Years active | 1984–1989 | |
| Label(s) | Partytime/Streetwise Records Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records |
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Clarence Ronnie Keaton (born 1961), known by the stage name, T La Rock, was an American old school rapper best known for his collaboration with Def Jam Recordings co-founder Rick Rubin and the 1984 single, "It's Yours".
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[edit] Early years
T La Rock was born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City.[1] A former break dancer, he is the older brother of fellow old school rapper Special K of The Treacherous Three.[1]
[edit] Rap career
In 1984, T La Rock and his brother Special K wrote "It's Yours", which was produced by Rick Rubin and his fledgling Def Jam production company.
In a 1996 interview with The New York Times, Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons commented about the effect T La Rock and "It's Yours" had on the early hip hop scene:
| “ | It ("It's Yours") was big, big in the underground. T (T La Rock) started the trend and a new direction in hip-hop. He used 40-letter words. He created a special poetry. LL Cool J was the second release on the label. He borrowed ideas and attitude from T. LL would agree.[2] | ” |
On the strength of "It's Yours", T La Rock was signed by Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records and released two albums: Lyrical King in 1987, and On A Warpath in 1989. Labelmate Kurtis Mantronik handled production on Lyrical King, while Todd Terry produced On A Warpath.[3]
[edit] 1994 Injury and recovery
In 1994, T La Rock suffered a traumatic brain injury that almost killed him, purportedly breaking up a fight in front of his Bronx apartment building.[2] He spent part of his recovery at the Haym Salomon Home for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, where he recovered from memory loss and a loss of motor skills.[2]
Now fully recovered, T La Rock began work on a film project about his life written by Antwone Fisher, in 2001.[1]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
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Lyrical King
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On A Warpath
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[edit] Trivia
- T La Rock is 6'4" tall.[2]
- Often erronesouly credited as the first single released by Def Jam Recordings, "It's Yours" was actually released by Partytime/Streetwise Records, but was produced by Def Jam.[1]
- "It's Yours" was sampled by rap group Public Enemy in "Louder Than A Bomb" from their 1988 release, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.
- "It's Yours" was sampled by rapper Nas in "The World Is Yours" from his seminal, 1994 album Illmatic.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d JayQuan (2001-09-23). T La Rock Interview. Magnetic Soundworx/JayQuan.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-20.
- ^ a b c d Radomsky, Rosalie R.. T La Rock and His New Posse. The New York Times October 13, 1996. The New York Times. Retrieved on January 20, 2007.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. All Music Guide Biography - T La Rock. AllMusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-20.
