Rocco: A Young Philly Star in the Making

ATB Studios
Aug 2, 2023
3 min read

Updated: Aug 11

The 21-year-old singer/rapper from Philadelphia is making hit after hit, and he's just getting started...

Vibe Seeker: A mix of melodic R&B and hard-hitting rap punchlines

Listen Before You Read: Times Changed by Rocco on Soundcloud

Nate DiRocco, better known as Rocco, began his music career on Soundcloud in 2018. Hailing from Philadelphia, Rocco is looking to set himself apart in a city filled with great music. As of August 2023, the rapper/singer has 55,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and just over 35k followers on Instagram.

Rocco is an extremely talented young artist. His melodic ability and his witty songwriting allows him to create tracks that feel well-established and credible, despite his young age and minimal experience. The Philly musician refers to his fans as 'The Wxlfpack', and has created a strong brand using this imagery. To date, Rocco has released two EPs on streaming platforms: Wxlf Pack I & Wxlf Pack II, but has yet to release a full-length album or project. He transitioned from Soundcloud to streaming in January of 2021, and has released 12 singles since. Some of his singles have seen success, with certain play counts reaching almost 1M on Spotify & Apple Music. One single, though, outshines the rest, due to a key co-sign that has begun to lift Rocco's career to what appears to be a forthcoming boom.

A Breakthrough feature

On November 18, 2022, Rocco released arguably his biggest song to date. The track, titled 'On The Low' features the red-hot Kentucky songwriter and recording artist, Vory. Vory, who was coming fresh off of a Grammy-Nominated Album Songwriting credit in DJ Khaled's God Did, as well as three features on Kanye West's Donda, gave Rocco a blessing that would undeniably grow his career. The song is a masterful melodic rap piece, with a chorus that interpolates Drake's 2013 platinum hit 'Furthest Thing'. The single also features some of the best production quality that Rocco's catalog has to offer. The sound is clean, the writing is both productive and simplistic, and the hook is as catchy as it gets; Take a listen here:

A Stage performance worth commending

In March of 2023, Rocco landed an accolade that many up-and-coming artists dream of: a performance at Rolling Loud Los Angeles. Due to the success of several singles in late 2022, the internationally-known Festival invited the rapper/singer to join the lineup and perform for the largest crowd of his short career. This performance served as another breakthrough moment in the then 20-year-old's careeer. After the performance, he sat down and recapped what it was like being in the spotlight. Watch the full interview below:

"I Used to come here as (a Kid), thinking one day I'm going to be on that stage"

-Rocco, after Rolling Loud LA, March 2023

Just three months later, on July 22nd, Rocco got the call to run it back. This time, he would be performing at Rolling Loud's Miami Festival. With more experience and confidence this time, Rocco delivered an incredible performance, and one that surely helped to expand his Wxlfpack fanbase. Accomplishments such as these don't come easily, and Rocco's dedication to making music has certainly begun to be rewarded.

There's no denying that Rocco has the talent and the tools to be a mainstream success story. The talent and work ethic appears to check out, but he still seems at least a year or two out from being a household name.

Here are a few things going in Rocco's favor:

Rolling Loud Performances
Feature with Vory
Featured on Soundtrack for Netflix Original 'You People'
Relationships with Philly Artists & Producers

Here are a few things to keep an eye on for Rocco as they grow:

55k Monthly Listeners (Spotify)
35k Followers (Instagram)
177 Followers (Twitter)
Not Currently Featured on Any Major Apple Music or Spotify curated playlists
A Full-Length Album or Project

For those of you looking for a new Hip-Hop/R&B artist for your playlist, Rocco is a great addition. For those of you looking to say "I knew him before he boomed", this is another perfect opportunity. Rocco's music has been fantastic in the last two years, and we look forward to seeing how he can progress in the years to come. To keep up with his progress, check the Fuse Meter tab at the top of our website. The tab is updated weekly to reflect any breakthroughs or setbacks in artist's careers.

To keep up with Rocco, all of his socials and streaming are listed below:

Thanks for reading! See you soon.

-ATB