Rocca

Similar to MC Hammer, Jesse Jaymes, J.J. Fad, and Vanilla Ice, Rocca ranked among the commercial pop-rappers working in Los Angeles during the late '80s and early '90s. Untouched by the violent, profanity-drenched gangsta rap then dominant on the West Coast, the little-known white rapper from L.A. delivered straight-ahead crossover pop-rap, and his radio-friendly tracks remained so even though they never generated substantial sales. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Rocca signed with the independent AVC Entertainment in 1990. Producer Jay Warsinske, also known as Jim Warsinske and James Warsinske, had founded the modest label, which focused on hip-hop alongside rock and urban contemporary sounds. AVC later became Solid Entertainment and then Activate Entertainment, a name still in use in 2003. Although the company also released early-'90s hardcore rap, most notably from Madrok, it positioned Rocca as a crossover act and targeted pop/Top 40 and urban contemporary outlets with his debut single, "In 2 the Night," in 1991. That track was never intended for listeners of N.W.A., Ice-T, Above the Law, or Compton's Most Wanted; instead AVC believed Rocca could attract the same pop and urban contemporary fans embracing crossover rappers such as Hammer, Salt-N-Pepa, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and Young MC. AVC issued Rocca's first album, Sexy Smooth, in 1993, but the project failed to achieve the commercial breakthrough the label sought. Rocca subsequently left AVC and receded into deeper obscurity.