Rone, an emcee from Philadelphia, loves words and poetry; he’s been writing, rap or otherwise, for his entire life, and currently freelances as a music journalist. He’s studied the rap greats from his hometown: “Guys like Freeway, Peedi Crack. I even borrowed some of my moniker from Peedi.” He’s brash, challenging rap stars like Charles Hamilton to go bar-for-bar, even just moments after those stars have filled an entire stadium with fans. He’s incredibly hardworking: “The rap shit is a day job and a night job. There is no aspect of the business that rests...” He’s got a stand-up comedian’s feel for humor and showmanship; he’s fully confident in his abilities; he’s even a true student of the game, saying, “I think there is something to learn from every type of rapper. Even when something might not be my cup of tea personally, I can take notes from that rapper.” 

You shouldn’t be too surprised if you eventually see Rone appearing in stories and articles right next to Kanye, Jay-Z, or Kendrick Lamar. But you have a great chance to save yourself some time later by finding out about this classic Philly rapper, right here and now. Today, Myspace premieres his video for “Committed,” the title track off his latest album, which dropped today (November 13). Watch above and read below as we chat with the emcee about the album, his impressive education and presence in the rap battle scene.

Hometown/Homebase: Philadelphia, PA

How did your rap battle with Charles Hamilton after one of his concerts at Penn State University, which kind of got the ball rolling for you, actually all come together?

I knew a DJ, Supernova, who was working the concert. He said sometimes Charles likes to have people from the crowd onstage to freestyle with him. He said to be ready. Charles didn’t have anyone up during the show I went to though, so I was a little salty, because I was ready to rap. Then Supernova called my cellphone and said Charles was around the side of the stage. I hurried around and just walked up to Charles and asked if he was trying to rap. He said, “You came up to me,” and I started spitting. 

You have some glowing academic credentials: You went to a private Catholic high school and then graduated from Penn State, one of the best colleges in the entire country. How does that kind of education influence what you write?

I always had a good vocabulary. When I was in kindergarten, I got the “Word Wizard” award, so I’ve been drizzling my vocabulary all over these suckers since I was in Pull-Ups. My education has surely been germane to my success, but everyone goes to college these days. And for a lot of my education, my attitude was, right or wrong, “When am I ever going to use this stuff?” So educating myself with applicable knowledge has always been a big part of it too. 

How has growing up and living in Philly shaped your music?

Growing up in Philly has definitely given me an appreciation for rhythm. The Philly rapping style, which I do my own take on, is a very rhythmic, bouncy flow. That has always been important to me, because a lot of dudes can rap, or put together some wordplay, but the rhythm of good rapping transcends the words. Old freestyle guys like Reed Dollaz, Slaughter Rico, and Joey Jihad really demonstrate that old flow. Guys like Freeway, Peedi Crack. I even borrowed some of my moniker from Peedi. In the old song “Flipside,” he says, “The prince of SP and soon to be the king.”  I started calling myself Roney Baby the Prince, Soon to be the King, as kind of a homage to that old style. 

What other emcees can be counted among your rap influences?

I think there is something to learn from every type of rapper. Even when something might not be my cup of tea personally, I can take notes from that rapper. Successful rappers, I mean. If someone might not have a flow or message that I necessarily fuck with, I can kind of look at them as an entire package and say, “Why is this guy popping?” There will usually be something that they do extraordinarily well, something on which I can take notes. So I try to pick up game from everyone at every turn. 

If you were going to suggest one first song for a new listener to check out, which of yours would it be?

It would really depend on what kind of shit you are looking for. If they were a rap fan and wanted a hard beat and some bars, I would suggest “Committed” or “Freak Show.” If you were trying to dance, maybe something like “Erase Me.” If you wanted something a little more pensive, maybe “Forgetting” or “Crazy.” If you wanted to feel great about yourself, maybe “Pockets Full of Gold.” Like I said, something for everyone. 

The name of your new album is Committed. Why did you choose that title?

I like words, phrases that can mean more than one thing. To me, it’s about being committed to this life, this lifestyle and everything that comes with it. When you first get out of college, the world is your little oyster and everything seems possible. Everyone is on your side and everyone is so optimistic. As life goes on, people start to kind of peel away and veer off in their own directions. People make safe plays; do things for personal reasons. I stayed committed to this chase and pursuing the life I wanted to lead. Sometimes it made me feel crazy, like I needed to be committed myself, but it’s a multifaceted meaning. 

Your first album had some pretty big features, including Dice Raw, a member of The Roots family, on “Against The Wall.” What features can we expect on this album?
RThe album is once again primarily produced by Rick Friedrich, who did [the debut album] The First Story. He made all but three of the beats too. Rick is a genius. It’s a pretty simple fact. The other producers on it are Hunter Torosian, who worked on “Ride Through Your City” and “Crazy”, and Colin Wixted, one of my closest friends with whom I went to high school; both supremely talented. As far as rappers, I kept it pretty in house. You’ll hear Azar of Ground Up on there a little. I got a lot of talented singers I know to flesh out the hooks. Talents like Kriss Mincey and Evan Rotunno blessed me with hooks, and I have my mainstays Fabian Akilies, Lilydelphia and Rick all over the record. 

What kind of beats do you love to flow over the most that we can expect on your new project?

I like to flow over something that has a soul. Rick has a sticker on one of his guitar cases, one that I have seen a lot of places, that says, “Drum Machines Have No Soul.” I kind of agree with this. Even though some of my beats were made digitally, they all have that soul, that balance. 

A lot of battle rappers have had trouble making the jump from the ring to the recording booth. What differences in style do you try to outline between your battles and your studio songs in order to avoid being pigeonholed into, “Oh, he’s just a battle rapper”?

Many of my fans, especially ones who see some of my music and videos, are unaware of my battle career. My parents must have sung to me in the womb a bunch, because I just have always had a musical talent. I grew up singing in choirs, performing in competitions all over the country. I have never been “just a battle rapper.” I’m kind of like Fulton Reed from the Mighty Ducks. Coach Bombay kind of just caught me in the back alley firing snapshots at an eye-opening speed in a back alley one day. Just a talent I had that got discovered. Fulton Reed definitely never worried about being “just a hockey player,” because he was already a badass on his own. He was just shooting in that back alley that day cause he liked it. I was just battle rapping ‘cause I like it, but I am independently still a bad ass. Like Fulton. 

What is your favorite insult an opponent has ever thrown at you?

I’m never truly insulted by anything my opponents say. There is nothing that they can discredit me with because I wear my true colors everywhere I go. When people say funny stuff, like Real Deal saying I had “male flight attendant swagger,” stuff like that makes me laugh. When people say clever stuff, like when The Saurus said to me, “This is a real test tossed to Rone, now man up,” stuff like that I really respect, ‘cause it’s clever, good writing. 

When you go back to your first battle rap against Eleagle, it’s clear that, if you watch them, the people in the audience who are there know that they’re witnessing something special, but that they might not know what it is yet. Did you realize then what you had embarked on, when four years later you’re traveling all over the country and continent for battles?

I really didn’t know what I was stumbling upon because I was so nervous that I was going to fuck up. I was really just relieved that I had made it through my rounds. Finishing strong and that feeling after a resounding win was a pretty cool new feeling. It was better than having sex for the first time. Just a new powerful feeling. And by the way, I mean that it was better than having sex for the first time. The first time having sex is awkward and you don’t know how to do everything. Since then I’ve gotten better at sex. 

What’s your day job?

Full-time hustler. The rap shit is a day job and a night job. There is no aspect of the business that rests, and especially since I’m doing all of this on my own without any team or manager, I’m always trying to spin a lot of plates. And the battles are a whole different world of preparation, performance and promotion. I like to stay busy though. I produce content for a website called oogeewoogee.com. I do interviews for battlerap.com. I do improv comedy, I just got into standup comedy, I have a bunch of TV things on the table. The idle brain is the devil’s playground, so I try to stay busy. 

What is your biggest goal in Hip hop?

Just to try everything I have ever wanted to do. Outside of being a professional athlete, every dream I have ever had is pretty much still in play. Hip hop is about following your dreams and being yourself, so my goal is to never find myself doing something I hate. There are so many goals to chase and they all look attainable.