Sa-Roc The Sharecropper's Daughter

Sa-Roc Sharecroppers Daughter

In one of her tracks, Sa-Roc(Options) exclaims that it took you until now to listen. She’s right. And I am ashamed that it took me this long. I’ve heard her name for many years and hearing about her being associated with Rhymesayers. A friend who has one of the dopest tastes in music also long ago recommended it as well. Everything in the universe was speaking to me and I was still like, “yeah, yeah I’ll check it out soon enough”. For this I am ashamed.

Sa-Roc is very much a lyricists’ lyricist and it really shows on The Sharecropper's Daughter. Though sometimes her reference points can feel overused to the point of seeming passé yet she somehow finds a way to use those references to manifest new sentiments and imagery. On the song (insert song here) she says “got folks jumping out the Matrix like a Ferrari”, on one hand, I feel like referencing the Matrix is something that has happened so often that it can feel very same-sie but seriously the thought of the induced urgency in the midst of careening by at high speed in an Italian luxury sports car which is in reality this thing, this all encumbering system that holds you back from a better and more actualized life in order to sustain itself is a helluva thought to just put in a rhyme.

“Y’all gon get it all, power and that pain too
Ain't never really loved the sun 'til I saw what that rain do
And it's becoming clear to me that every line don't have to have an angle
Rather inspire the truth than entertain you, and that's free”

Riding on the bus listening to this album and then I immediately hear this line. Without even a fraction of a second, I’m considering how while living in Atlanta I never wore shorts. There were days even in the midst of July or August when I would play basketball in cargo pants and Timberland boots without even a thought as to whether that was a good idea or not. Being in Berlin I had never experienced that degree of cold or that long of a Winter and grey skies. After that first Winter, the first thing that I did was buy 3 pairs of shorts and low-cut tennis shoes and seek out which days I could sit outside taking in all of the sunlight I could. And in these moments I knew how I had been spoiled by the sunlight of my youth… Considering this until somehow taps me on my shoulder, snapping me back into the matrix(see what I did there?) as my book bag is slightly leaning into the next seat and the tap is a clear indicator that this individual would like more room to sit. Officially snapped back I wait for my stop which is 3 more stops away.

I really appreciate the clarity in her voice and delivery. The enunciation is impeccable, even though sometimes her emphasis on vocal rhythm and pointedness leaves me wanting her to loosen up a bit from time to time. There are tracks where it feels like she is showing her lyrical skill and others where she is exhibiting her honesty as an individual and flexing her muscle as a songwriter. The main thing that I am left with after this album is that I really need to check out her back catalog and I can’t wait to see what she does next. And I promise that I won’t take so long to listen this time.

RIYL: Lyrics, pointy pronunciation