T La Rock
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| T La Rock | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Clarence Ronnie Keaton |
| Also known as | T La Rock |
| Born | 1961 |
| Origin | Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Old school hip hop |
| Instrument(s) | Microphone |
| Years active | 1984–1989 |
| Label(s) | Def Jam/Partytime/Streetwise Records Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records Virgin/EMI Records (Europe) |
| Associated acts | Kurtis Mantronik Nice & Smooth Just-Ice L.L. Cool J |
Clarence "Terry" Ronnie Keaton (born 1961), known by the stage name, T La Rock, was an American old school emcee best known for his collaboration with Def Jam Recordings co-founder Rick Rubin and the 1984 single, "It's Yours."
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[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 emcee Special K of The Treacherous Three.[1] T La Rock stands 6'4" tall.[2]
[edit] Rap career
In 1984, T La Rock and his brother Special K wrote "It's Yours," which was the first song ever produced by Rick Rubin and his fledgling Def Jam production company. The song was the first single to feature a Def Jam Recordings logo, but it was released through producer Arthur Baker's independent label Party Time, which was the hip hop division of his dance music label Streetwise Records.[3] The recording was never part of Def Jam’s collection of master recordings.[1]
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 [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] | ” |
The influence of T La Rock's "It's Yours" has been seen in sampling by hip-hop group Public Enemy in "Louder than a Bomb" from its 1988 release It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back; emcee Nas in "The World is Yours" from his seminal 1994 album Illmatic; by many sample-based house-music tracks by Todd Terry, and by emcee and DJ Edan in "Fumbling over Words that Rhyme" from his 2005 album Beauty and the Beat. The song was later in the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto IV, in the old school hip hop radio station the Classics 104.1.
On the strength of "It's Yours," T La Rock was signed by Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records and released two albums: Lyrical King (From the Boogie Down Bronx in 1987, and On a Warpath in 1989. Labelmate Kurtis Mantronik handled the majority of production on Lyrical King, while Todd Terry produced On a Warpath.[4]
[edit] 1994 injury and recovery
In 1994, T La Rock suffered a traumatic brain injury that almost killed him, possibly 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,[citation needed] T La Rock began work on a film project about his life written by Antwone Fisher in 2001.[1] He also began to record new music.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album information |
|---|
Lyrical King (From the Boogie Down Bronx)
|
On a Warpath
|
[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. (1996-10-13). T La Rock and His New Posse. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-01-20.
- ^ Guerasava, Stacy (2005). Def Jam, Inc. : Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin, and the Extraordinary Story of the World's Most Influential Hip-Hop Label. One World, pp. 28–29. ISBN 0-345-46804-X.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. All Music Guide Biography - T La Rock. AllMusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-20.
