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Cue Roc |
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To read the FULL interview
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BIOGRAPHY
Cue Roc was born and raised in Queens, New York. For as long as he can remember he has always loved music. Cue says "I feel every song, whether you like it or not, is a bookmark in our lives".
Cue started writing rhymes at the age of fourteen, freestyling with his friends at 38 St. Park in Astoria, Queens. The constant cyphers he engaged in with his peers gave him the desire to make beats. He badly wanted a drum machine, with no knowledge of how to use one, but with the confidence that he would make great head-bopping hip hop with the rawest street talent.
CueRoc's father bought him a keyboard (Yamaha psr190) and encouraged him to learn the fundamentals of music. At the same time Cue's mother sent him away to Bolivia (South America) to live with his aunt because of his disorderly conduct. In Bolivia Cue was tired of listening to the same Nas, Wu-Tang, Lost Boyz etc. As much as he loved albums like 'It Was Written', 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx', 'War Report' etc. he needed to feed his ears with something new. Cue*Roc started tuning in to the radio in Bolivia, and discovered Latin rap (Sandy y Papo, Proyecto Uno, Illegales, Big Boy etc.).
Since he was learning how to read and write at school he figured he would create his own lyrics in Spanish. The first verse he ever wrote asked his mom for forgiveness for how he had misbehaved, telling her how much he missed her, and how he would attempt to go to school and do the right thing.
Everyone loved the lyrics for being so real and honest, and the flow for being so melodic, like Spanish reggae. He kept writing and reciting his lyrics in class at recess time and after school. One day Cue was in class, unprepared for an important presentation, when the teacher got really upset and yelled at him "You know you can't go back to New York if you don't pass! Why don't you show just a little bit of interest? What do you wanna do with your life?!". Cue just stayed quiet while the whole class recited one of his verses from beginning to end, proving that he should be a rapper.
It was an unforgettable moment in Cue's life, realizing everyone enjoyed his work and was really paying attention. A year passed and Cue flew back to New York. When he arrived and his block started asking him "What did you do out there?" he said "I learned how to rhyme in Spanish". They all laughed, so he recited a few verses, and they wowed and respected it. Cue's friend Julio took a real liking and commented "That was hot because it was true, that's how you really are and what you do", so he took Cue to his cousin DJ 456 (now known as Heavy Hitter Dj C-lo)'s house to record a demo/mixtape called 'Mira Mira'.
At sixteen Cue bought himself a pair of turntables and a mic and called himself "DJ Cue", like GQ from the movie 'Juice', because of the relevance it had to his life. It was whilst DJ'ing and making mixtapes with local rappers that Cue realized he possessed a skill much greater than the average rhymer. Cue*Roc was a poet expressing himself, inspired by day-to-day experiences. He wanted to pursue a career as an MC. In 2000 Cue recorded his first original track called 'Dismantle Anybody', followed by another song 'Fake Niggaz', and used these as a demo. He then started performing at local shows, in NY City clubs and out of state.
In 2001 Cue released a CD titled 'Legacy' with Cardiac, named after the group they had formed together. As Legacy they dropped another CD called 'Whatever It Takes' in 2002, and in 2003 Cue featured on 11.55's 'Recognize It's a Movement' EP under his alias Cue Laze, so-called because of his laid back, nonchalant attitude. In 2004 Cardiac dropped an album called 'Ya Git Me' featuring Cue. Soon after that Cue*Roc came up with the theme 'Infinite Barz', and he put out a CD with sixteen, 16 bar verses every month of the year, calling it 'Strickly 16'. In 2005 he continued with the same concept and made a 'Strickly 16 vol.2'.
In 2006 Cue*Roc featured on DJ Mello's 'East Meets South' mixtape. The following year he featured on another 11.55 recording - 'The Underground Album'. In 2008 Cue met with the CEO of 3P Productions (Ray Hoursey), and recorded a single called 'Spinnin' that appeared on the 2010 'Truth Be Told' compilation album. Also that year Cue*Roc featured on DJ Divine's 'Selective Few' mixtape and DJ Exile's 'Top Of New York' mixtape. In 2011 Cue wanted to step out of the box, to broaden his target audience and create a buzz in the latin market too, so he released 'True Jefe' (translation: 'True Boss') the Spanglish mixtape.
Cue Roc's goal as an artist is to bring hip hop back to where it was when it was about skill, as opposed to a LOOK and a CATCHY HOOK as it is today. His most influential artists are Notorious B.I.G, Black Moon, Mobb Deep, Nas, Wu -tang, Lost Boyz, and Big L. |
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Selective Few
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Top of New York
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True Jefe
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