To some, July 31st is just the last day of the month, for others, it’s a day of celebration, triumph, and dominance for the bawse and his team due to Rick Ross’ release of God Forgives, I Don’t. One of the underrated, yet quickly-rising members in that MMG camp is Rockie Fresh, the newly signed MC from Chicago who recently inked a deal with Rozay and the MMG crew. After going through years in the mixtape circuit (most notably his Driving 88 ‘tape),  Rockie is still staying true to his game by treating the fans with another upcoming mixtape entitled “Electric Highway,” complimented by a two-month tour throughout the U.S. Ross recently commented saying everyone can see a little bit of themselves in the young 21-year-old rapper, which is true as Rockie tells the world about his upbringing, and path to success in his stories combined with unique, futuristic, avante-garde-sounding records with chilled-out vibes that you can listen to as you’re cruising through the streets in your Delorean. KarenCivil.com caught up with the newly signed member of Maybach Music to talk fashion, details on his Electric Highway mixtape, his top-five rappers list, his parent’s thoughts of him rapping, and more. Check out the rest of the interview after the jump.

Interview by Michael Nguyen

A lot of your music has to do with that futuristic vibe. Is that sort of your trademark style? Making like avant-garde music and experimenting with different sounds that other rappers don’t typically use?
Oh yeah, totally. That’s what I’m all about. I love doing different stuff and add different instruments to my music. Because I’ve been doing it for so long, I’ve been able to tailor my own sound out of it. Yeah, that’s me.

Sort of like you and Fall Out Boy working together?
Yeah. I’ve been working with Patrick (lead singer) a lot for the past year and a half. It was just a real organic thing. I wasn’t forced by anyone. He reached out to me because he liked my mixtape and we just went from there. Now he’s like a big brother to me.

Because another Chicago guy who’s known to do crazy, unique stuff that not a lot of people are accustomed to is Kanye West. How much influence does Kanye have in your sound?
I mean he had a lot starting out. He was one of the first rap albums that I bought. It was one of those things where I had a lot of respect for his style and wanting to be different. It’s something I want to add to my own career.

Is that one of your goals? To one day collaborate on a track with him?
Yeah, potentially. That’s something I would definitely be happy with. If it didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be mad either. I would love to work with him sometime if he was down.

If you were to drop a track and music video together, what would it look like? I’m sure y’all would come up with some crazy visuals and some Deloreans here and there.
Man, probably. It would be some real insane stuff. I take my visuals real seriously. I know he does as well. It would be something real crazy for sure.

And in a few of your music videos, you have close-ups of your sneakers. Is that the strongest part of your fashion game?
Yeah, I like sneakers a lot. I’ve been rocking them since I was real young. My parents used to buy me Jordans when I was a baby. It was something I naturally liked. I dress really simple but yeah, I’m a sneaker guy.

What do you think of the Yeezy’s?
They’re dope. They’re one of the dopest shoes that came out in a long time. You have to have a lot of respect for the design of the shoes. I like them a lot.

When Kanye made that line, the “Yeezy’s jumped over the Jumpman,” I wanted to ask, do you prefer Yeezy’s or Jordans?
I definitely prefer Jordans. They’re both dope shoes but I like to stick with the classics. I feel like the representation with me being from Chicago and all the great games MJ had, it can’t really be replaced.

Do you think fashion is becoming more and more influential in hip-hop? Like with the whole A$AP movement, Kanye West, Pharrell, and all that going on?
I feel like it has always been a strong part of hip-hop. I feel like there are a lot of new brands that are rising because there are a lot of new artists coming into the game. I feel like it’s at the same level and people value it a bit more than they should. I feel like it’s a strong part of hip-hop and everybody needs it.

I want to move onto Rick Ross. He was quoted saying, “”Everybody can see a little bit of themselves in a Rockie Fresh, and that’s how he presents his music.” What makes so many people easily relate to your music?
I’ve just been around so many different types of people in my life. I’ve been in the hood, the suburbs, I’ve been around adults –I got both my parents in the household so having that around me has just made me a well-rounded person. When I rap, I just be myself and talk about the things I experienced. Naturally, I think that relates to people.

But when you were growing up, your parents weren’t into rap music.
They weren’t. My parents are strong Christians and they never listened to rap. That’s what made Kanye really dope to me. He was one of the first artists I could explain to my parents and make them understand why I like him through the stuff he talks about. It made me want to have substance in my records, too.

How do they feel about your rap career now?
They’re happy. They’re happy I found something I can stick with, progress in, and make a living. They understand what I’m doing and they’re happy with it.

Has that feeling sunk in yet? After signing with MMG.
Nah, not yet. I’ve been working in the studio non-stop. I want to make my next project a classic. I’ve been so focused now that I have a huge platform to release it through. I feel like with all the work I’m doing, it’s hard to come to that realization.

What was the first thing you did after signing?
I went back home to Chicago and went to work on the project. I had a couple of my homies, told them it was official and that was it.

Do you feel like you’re now a representation for all the young kids out there trying to make it?
Yeah. It’s definitely becoming one of those situations and it’s something I’m happy to have on me. I want to be a real representation of people. It’s something I’ve noticed, and I’m real comfortable with it.

How do you stay motivated to keep making great music? Because a lot of times, people work so hard for that record deal that when they get it, they get complacent.
I always explain it like a sport. A lot of people work just to make the NBA or NFL, and then there are certain guys who become MVP’s. It’s all for the love of the sport and wanting to see themselves at the top. With me, I’m happy I got signed but I want to be a top-five rapper down the line. I want to have platinum albums, win Grammy’s and see my parents have a good life. That’s always going to keep me motivated to making great music.

You said top five. Do you have a top five list of rappers right now?
Yeah. I think I do. Right now I would say Jay-Z, Nas, Ross, Kanye and Eminem.

You also used a sports analogy previously. So if this were a sport, do you look at Rick Ross as sort of the head coach who keeps the whole team on point?
Yeah, definitely. I feel like he’s a player coach in a Bill Russell-type of way because he’s still in the game. His album God Forgives, I don’t is a classic. I feel like he’s a definite major player but he’s also the bawse so he keeps the whole team on point.

What does he do to make you guys better?
Just his spirit, energy and presence. He keeps everybody humble. With him being a big figure in the game and the way he treats people. His personality just makes people respect him and he keeps it humble. He wants to keep us on the right track with things so we can focus on the music.

So tell us about Electric Highway. Who’s going to be on it, what’s the story you’re trying to tell and anything else you want to mention.
That’s going to be my fourth mixtape. It’s about progression and motivating people to go out there and do what they want to do. With that being said, it’s going to be a lot of me. I’m not going to have too many features. I still want to tell my story and speak on the behalf of the young people in my age bracket. With the tour, it’s going to be a crazy experience. I’m putting a lot into the set. It’s going to be a lot of back to the future-related so it’s going to have people talking.

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