Roach Gigz

Roach Gigz
Birth name Orlando Campbell
Also known as Roachy Balboa
Born (1988-04-25) April 25, 1988[1]
Origin San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genres Hip hop, hyphy
Occupation(s) Rapper
Years active 2006-present
Labels Goomba Records, Thizz City
Associated acts Lil 4Tay, E-40, Iamsu!, Jay Ant, Problem, Messy Marv, Philthy Rich, Kreayshawn, Marlow
Website http://roachgigz.com/

Orlando Rinaldi Campbell (born April 25, 1988), better known by the stage name Roach Gigz or Roach, is an American rapper and hyphy hip hop artist from the San Francisco Bay Area. Gigz released his first independent album in 2012, entitled Bugged Out. He is signed to Goomba his own record label.

Biography

Roach Gigz was born in San Francisco, California. His father was an Italian supporter of the Sandinista National Liberation Front during the Nicaraguan Revolution in the 1980s. His American mother was pregnant with him while in Nicaragua, before returning home to San Francisco, where she gave birth to Gigz. Roach first met his father when he was eight years old.[2][3]

Career

Early career

While a student at Leadership High School, Roach Gigz was involved with Youth Radio, an East Bay Area nonprofit youth organization, and then started to develop an interest in rapping. In 2006, Gigz started rapping in his closet with a microphone, and started to create his own hip hop songs, which were liked by his peers.[2] He first gained fame locally after forming a hip hop duo called Bitch I Go (B.I.G.) with rapper Lil 4Tay. Roach Gigz was given the nickname due to his resemblance to a character from the movie Next Friday named Roach, and "gigz" due to his frequent performance at gigs around Northern California.

2010-present

In May 2010, Gigz released his first major mixtape entitled Roachy Balboa, which received much airplay on Bay Area radio station 106.1 KMEL. Pitchfork music critic David Drake described the mixtape as "one of the most energetically fun rap records released this year."[4] Gigz was selected to be KMEL's Top 10 Freshman Rappers of the Bay Area.[5] In November 2010, he released his single "Can I Rap". A music video for the song was uploaded onto YouTube and has received over one million views.[6]

Mixtape Roachy Balboa 2 was released in January 2011, and the mixtape Bitch, I'm a Player was released in August 2011.[7] Gigz was featured on the track "Golden State" with Bay Area rappers Bobby Brackins and Iamsu!, which was released in November 2011.[8]

Roach Gigz's first independent album, Bugged Out, was released on iTunes on September 4, 2012. The album features fourteen tracks, and a digital booklet.[6]

Discography

Studio Albums

Collaborations

Mixtapes

Influences

Gigz cites rappers 2Pac and Mac Dre as his musical influences, who are both artists that grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He also states Lil Wayne, Andre 3000, and Eminem to be among his hip hop artist influences. He claimed that the first rap song that he heard that got him interested in wanting to rap was "Summertime in the LBC" by The Dove Shack, a Long Beach hip hop group. Gigz first heard of it in elementary school and described the fact that it was a "California song" made him feel connected to it.[3][9]

References

  1. ↑ "Roach Gigz – "Make It Happen"". Sitfu.com. April 24, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Dovey, Rachel (March 9, 2011). "Meet Roach Gigz, hip-hop's half-Nicaraguan hope". Bohemian. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Boy Smith, Davey (May 27, 2011). "Interview With Roach Gigz + 'Roachy Balboa' (Mixtape)". Southern Hospitality. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Roachy Balboa Review". Pitchfork Media. July 6, 2010. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  5. ↑ "KMEL Announces the Bay Area Freshman 10". Thizzler.com. June 4, 2010. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  6. 1 2 "iTunes - Bugged Out - Roach Gigz". iTunes. September 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Roach Gigz MySpace Profile". MySpace. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Bobby Brackins ft. iamsu!, Roach Gigz - Golden State (Official) [Thizzler.com]". YouTube. November 11, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  9. ↑ Mlynar, Phillip (September 11, 2012). "Roach Gigz Would Recommend Kreayshawn's Babysitting Services". MTV. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
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