Features : L.A. based rapper Rosita teams up with P.U.R.P. and Akeem Ali for brand new single, “Jody”

Los Angeles based rapper Rosita has a vast amount of experience in the entertainment industry but music has always been her passion, and now she is making that a reality with her debut single “Jody.”

“Jody” is a collaboration with producer and engineer P.U.R.P. featuring rapper Akeem Ali. A music video complements the track. She explained that Akeem was open to working with artists and they sent him a beat with verses that she and P.U.R.P. rapped on. Being two guys and a girl, Rosita felt the best idea would be to rap about a bit of a love triangle situation.

Rosita admitted that it was nerve racking to get the ball rolling in her music career, but she absolutely loves the way the track came out and the work she did with the two artists.

“You know, I was scared at first,” she said. “P.U.R.P. is a great rapper and Akeem Ali, well, there are people over here comparing him to Kendrick Lamar and some of the best right now. But, I watched some of his interviews and Akeem said he doesn’t judge people, and that kind of gave me some confidence.”

They went on to record the track in P.U.R.P.’s hotel room and the rest is history: Rosita is on the map in the rap world.

Rosita was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and at the age of 2 she relocated to California with her mom and stepdad. She grew up in South L.A., in the Hyde Park area, but settled near Inglewood, where she went to school.

While at Inglewood High School she joined the marching band, which was under the direction of renowned band master Conrad Hutchinson III. He was one of the integral pieces for marching bands integrating jazz and hip-hop into their work.

“I didn’t realize how important it was until I moved to the south and saw how marching bands were part of a culture,” she said. “We were blessed and didn’t even know it. We had a living legend in our music department and we didn’t take full advantage of it. But it inspired me.”

She went to school at the University of Southern Mississippi to study music, and ended up getting into the journalism curriculum, which led to her to the film industry. Being so close to New Orleans, which was one of the top film markets, she started doing commercials and getting speaking roles in movies.

“But I always knew that music was my passion,” she said.

Even though she was working in film, Rosita had plenty of connections in music. After moving back to L.A., she ended up reconnecting with P.U.R.P., who was a producer and engineer who she met while studying at the University of Southern Mississippi.

“We got to talking and said, it’s now or never, let’s do this,” she said. “We teamed up with Akeem Ali and sent him the song we had. We didn’t know if he’d like it or not. I Facebooked him and said, ‘I’m just starting, please don’t laugh at me.’ He sent me a message just hours later saying he was done and finished the verse.”

Oftentimes you can hear the influences in someone’s music, but Rosita takes pride in the fact that she doesn’t really sound like anyone else. She has a unique voice and style with a steady flow.

“When I started doing music, people would ask me who I sounded like, and I could never really tell them,” she said. “When I rap it is higher pitched and when I sing it’s lower pitched, which is kind of weird. For most people, it is the opposite. It makes it unique. I didn’t do it on purpose. It just kind of turned out that way.”

Rosita wants to build up her fanbase, and says she knows that the sky is the limit in what she can accomplish.

“I want a Grammy,” she said. “Of course. I’ve wanted a Grammy since I was young. I want to be on the Billboard 100 and collaborate with other artists. I want to motivate people to not give up on their dreams and goals, too. As long as you’ve got a breath in you, you’ve got that chance to accomplish your goals. It’s all about making sure that passion stays lit.”

She is currently working on another track with Akeem Ali called “Fanned Out,” and she is excited for what is to come. Rosita said that Akeem’s popularity is soaring, and that just last week three women she knows of had his name tattooed on them.

“This was the perfect time to drop ‘Fanned Out’ after this debut,” she said. “We’ve got the video for it, and I do want to re-record and add a few things, but this will be my next track.”

“Jody” is out and available on all platforms for listeners to enjoy. “Fanned Out” does not yet have a release date, but the goal is to have it out by the end of the summer.

Be sure to check out Rosita’s music and follow her musical journey on the platforms below:

YouTube/VEVO
Instagram
TikTok