Roc Marciano Ice Cream Man

Roc Marciano never left the 90s. Not to say his sound is dated or a throwback, but the Long Island rhymer never strayed from the gutter. There are no hi-hat rolls or electronic influences in any Roc track to date. You will find no R&B chorus in his work.

After a breakout 2012, Roc announced he was taking an executive position at Man Bites Dog Records and announced a third solo LP, Marci Beacoup to follow. The LP is arriving in December but the stone-faced lyricist just blessed his congregation with The Pimpire Strikes Back mixtape. It carries Roc's longstanding tradition of east coast slick talk of the grimiest of samples.

I characterize Roc's style as a quiet storm. Rarely raising his voice, Roc is able to convey an intensity with the right word choice or inflection. He makes fans pay attention to details and he always delivers, this tape serving as a prime example. With references to sauciers and 'yee-haw!' adlibs, Roc focuses on his core audience as a means to expand his reach. So far it's worked.

After Pimpire premiered, Roc retweeted a fan who noted that his vocalizing on "Ice Cream Man" was like that of Max Biggavellz, aka Max B. Perhaps my favorite moment on the tape, Roc's grimy crooning does share some of the deadpan charisma of Wavy Crockett and hints at Roc's potential as far more than a niche rapper.