Clarence Ronnie Keaton (born 1961), known by the stage name,
T La Rock, was an American old school rapper best known for his collaboration with Def Jam Recordings co-founder Rick Rubin and the 1984 single, "It's Yours".
Early years
T La Rock was born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City.
A former break dancer, he is the older brother of fellow old school rapper Special K of The Treacherous Three.
T La Rock stands 6'4" tall.
Rap career
In 1984, T La Rock and his brother Special K wrote "It's Yours", which was produced by Rick Rubin and his fledgling Def Jam production company. Often erronesouly credited as the first single released by Def Jam Recordings, "It's Yours" was actually released by Partytime/Streetwise Records, but was produced by Def Jam.
In a 1996 interview with
The New York Times, Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons commented about the effect T La Rock and "It's Yours" had on the early hip hop scene:}}
The influence of T La Rock's "It's Yours" has been seen in sampling by rap group Public Enemy in "Louder Than A Bomb" from their 1988 release,
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back; rapper Nas in "The World Is Yours" from his seminal, 1994 album
Illmatic; and by rapper and DJ Edan in "Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme" from his 2005 album
Beauty and the Beat.On the strength of "It's Yours", T La Rock was signed by Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records and released two albums:
Lyrical King in 1987, and
On A Warpath in 1989. Labelmate Kurtis Mantronik handled production on
Lyrical King, while Todd Terry produced
On A Warpath.
1994 Injury and recovery
In 1994, T La Rock suffered a traumatic brain injury that almost killed him, possibly breaking up a fight in front of his Bronx apartment building.
He spent part of his recovery at the Haym Salomon Home for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, where he recovered from memory loss and a loss of motor skills.
Now fully recovered, T La Rock began work on a film project about his life written by Antwone Fisher, in 2001.
Discography
Albums
References
External links
T La Rock
1961 birthsLiving peopleAmerican rappersNew York City musiciansPeople from the Bronx
