Rosco – One More Time MP3 [Wide World]

This came with a special note to self: READ THE NAME OF THE ARTIST. Rosco: not to be mistaken with Rasco of Stones Throw, nor with dubstep artist Rusko, or indeed with Roscoe Dash who’s been making noise from the direction of Atlanta in the US (see weird Soulja Boy collaboration).

Rosco, also from Atlanta, hit a high in ’07 with “You Feel Me” featuring Akon and Jadakiss.

The qualities of the track are all in his voice, and the swagger as he speaks, rough and ragged, he throws his voice about, and though at times this a tiny bit sounds a bit forced, the flow’s confident and the way he switches intonation gives the tune real character.

The beat is probably in vogue, the psycho-shower-scene-style violin sample’s a bit overused, but I’ve got to say the popcorn style synth that comes in is nice.

Pleasantries aside, if you asked me to tell you why you should pick this tune over the hundreds of others like it I’d be lying if I said there was much to make it stand out.

Bottom line is this isn’t bad. It’s exactly that: not bad, but check out his Myspace if you want to give this guy a chance. There are so many better tracks on it, showcasing his voice. His earlier work is comparable to a lighter version of Cannibal Ox, and his voice occasionally has that gruff Method Man or Busta Rhymes feel to it.

Note to music in general: Using vocoders in modern hip hop’s more mainstream forms should be considered in the same way as an averagely good football team not shooting from a free kick, in that you might surprise everyone and it would probably work out better for you.

By: John Paul Simpson

• http://www.myspace.com/rosco419