The millennium hip-hop world is all about the pride, the culture, and the experience of the South. As the time ushered in a new age, so did it also ordain southern hip-hop, particularly that of Atlanta, as one of its most fertile breeding grounds for producing crops of prolific rappers. These artists flip a mellifluous vernacular and drawl when articulating some of the most colorful stories about growing up in southern ghettos - be they city or rural. No matter how edgy or boastful some of these tales might be, most of the time they are necessary for redefining and broadening the musical landscape. Adding his chameleon-like style to the Peach State’s field of offerings is Atlanta, Georgia-born Yung Joc. After grinding in the streets and doing what he had to do to maintain his rap credibility, the College Park/SWATS-bred MC is getting his chance to shine through the tutelage of Block Entertainment/Bad Boy South. Poised as Atlanta’s next big hip-hop star, Yung Joc is set to break topsoil and emerge fully-grown into hip-hop culture’s mainstream.
Yung Joc, aka Jasiel Robinson, was “a mischievous child,” as he puts it. “I had a smart mouth,” he laughs. His fair share of trouble ranged from fighting in school to getting kicked out of one and having to graduate from another. He’s also been arrested, a hic-up that resulted in a stint of jail time. On the flipside, however, Joc is extremely passionate and determined to make a better life for himself, his family, and his comrades. “I’m not scared of anything so I never back down.” His commitment to hip-hop culture is also unwaivered. Joc was ten years old when artists such as Run DMC, Dana Dane, Ice-T, Slick Rick, and LL Cool J sparked his interests in rap music. “Once I got a little older, my hip-hop inspirations came from Outkast, Goodie Mob, Tupac, and the Notorious B.I.G. By then,” he explains, “I realized that I could do some of the same things these cats were doing and use my situations to catapult me into other opportunities.”
The door to that opportunity opened one fateful night when word got to Block Entertainment that a young 23-year-old rapper named Yung Joc was bringin the house down at the historic Royal Peacock, the same place legends like Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin took the stage. Interested in observing the unsigned hype’s original presence and rhyme delivery, Block attended Joc’s show. “He had everybody leaning and rocking side-to-side,” Block vividly remembers. “I signed him immediately.” “Block assured me that he would give me the space to become a star,” Joc concedes. “Since making everything official, I been on the grind even more than I was before.” His album, New Joc City, is set for a summer release.
Joc’s celebrity is already on the rise. He has e’rybody and dey grandmamma chanting, “It’s goin dooowwwnn,” an anthem that he recorded so that the young, the old, and the southern thug with a swagger could all feel. Other destined-to-be hits include “Patron,” a hyped, but mid-tempo track that finds Yung Joc sampling himself throughout the song’s hook. Another is the Chino Dollar-produced “Dope Boy Magic,” on which Joc delivers poignant verses about upgrading one’s hustle and flow. He relies on first-hand experiences to make his points clear and penetrable. “First Time” presents Joc’s intimate side. Produced by Carlos and DaDa, the track is a slow-tuned arrangement that dances around Yung Joc’s reflections on a first love.
Joc’s distinct voice and remarkable ability to shape his flow has won him respect among hip-hop fans and aficionados alike. He’s been on the bill with artists such as 8Ball and MJG, Slim Thug, Young Jeezy, and Keyshia Cole. It is with an unyielding spirit and energetic presence that Yung Joc will step into a promising music career that is destined to bring him fame and fortune.
