Revoluxon Rocky is a Liberian rapper who primarily makes TrapCo music, a genre that is considered a subset of HipCo and seems to have been coined by fellow Liberian artist Bucky Raw. The style of music came about with the joining of trap and HipCo styles of rapping. Trap is a subgenre of Hip Hop music that originated in the southern part of the United States and typically revolves around themes of drugs and violence. HipCo is a genre of Hip Hop native to Liberia that may have political undertones and often includes lyrics in Liberian English or vernacular. Together they make TrapCo, music that may have beats or lyrics reminiscent of trap music but with some aspects of social consciousness and in Liberian dialects.
Realizing the opportunity that such a new and unique field presents, Revoluxon Rocky has jumped in and quickly become one of the best. While the earliest videos on his personal YouTube channel only date back to 2019, a quick search will show that he has been making music since at least 2017. One of his more recent releases, and the focus of this blog, is his 2019 Pro Poor Freestyle.
Pro Poor Freestyle is truly a TrapCo song. Much of it is spent rapping about typical trap subjects, so fighting and killing; however, the second half of the freestyle starts to get into criticisms of the government. As there is no video, the lyrics provide the only point of reference but it sounds like he says “[there’s] no feeling for the suffering child” and “people [are] tired.” He is referring to the poor conditions Liberians are enduring under the government. Revoluxon Rocky even directly places the blame with Liberia’s ruling power by stating that the “economy causes damage and we’re drinking sweat”. This all expresses dissatisfaction with the way things are but since it stops shy of calling the people to action, this song rests firmly in the realm of protest music as opposed to combat music. Revoluxon Rocky’s ability to blend trap and HipCo influences results in surprising music that, while not revolutionary as of yet, may indeed prove to be inspirational.