By Monica Morones
The Neighborhood Twerp is what they call him. David Duvigneaud also known as Twerp Rocski is a local undergound DJ and M.C. known for being one of the only DJ’s to spin records still in the valley. With crates stacked on crates, Rocski’s collection is impressive which he says is nothing, “You should have seen it before the fire in 2002, before I caught my room on fire. I lost half of my collection. I was devastated. It’s not like I can just go out and buy the same ones again.”
He isn’t the request kind of DJ. He only plays records from his collection and is known for playing at underground Hip Hop shows. He isn’t one of those glorified rappers either. He raps about food, booze, everyday living in the most realist way, and some weird shit. A new album is in the works with artist Mic Legg called Yeti and the Crates which Rocski describes as “Throw back, good time Hip Hop that’s FRESH.” There is no pretending, he is who is he and his choice of music is a reflection of that which I find admirable, well that and his porno mustache.
MM: How old are you and where are you from?
TR: I am 33 years young and I am from Palm Springs CA, but reside in Palm Desert.
MM: How did you get the name Twerp Rocski?
TR: The twerp part came from my father MICHAEL DUVIGNEAUD R.I.P. As a kid whenever I acted up or just plain didn’t listen to him he’d call me a little twerp (laughing). Growing up I thought it was cool and when I started rapping in high school with my crew The Bad Meat Eaters, I called myself the Neighborhood Twerp, but after a while I took it down a notch and came up with Twerp Rocski, which would wind up being my MC slash DJ name. It just fit perfect.
MM: How did you get into music?
TR: Mainly through middle school and High School listening to gangster rap rock and R&B, then finding underground Hip Hop in High School, and also through my parents. My mom always played the radio in the house or in the car, a big power radio fan since way back and my pops was a huge Bobby McFarhen fan, “Don’t worry be happy” and Paul Simon. We always had records in the house growing up.
MM: You are a DJ and an MC, do you like one better than the other?
TR: It’s all the same to me. I get to do what I want on both formats, whether it’s playing some tunes or kicking some rhymes. I have freedom and control and just have fun with it because that’s the key to all this music, it’s to have FUN.
MM: Who were your favorites growing up?
TR: Growing up as a kid the radio; Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre, Mack Ten, Ice Cube, The Dove Shack, Bone Thugs. A lot of gangster rap in middle school. Some Primus, then high school hit and it was De La Soul, Pharcyde, Camp Lo, Wu Tang, Tribe Called Quest, Hieroglyphics, Living Legends, Peanuts and Corn, and the list goes on and on.
MM: What would you describe as your style?
TR: Dope, gritty, lo fi, jazzy funk nasty, tape hiss, 4-track loops with a cool attitude, never rude.
MM: What do you think of the music scene in the Coachella Valley?
TR: The scene has most definitely grown over the past decade within all genres and the amount of shows that go down throughout the valley, is a great thing. There’s an audience for everybody.
MM: Do you feel there is a stigma with DJs that don’t play top 40’s music?
TR: Yeah because most times or at least for me, I won’t have what you want to hear. My sets are always records pulled from my personal collection, which can go in any direction and sometimes you get a person coming up asking for that new shit or pulling out there phone like, “Hey play this.” No requests allowed!
MM: What is your biggest struggle as musician?
TR: Being a musician… time…money…life…being your own worst critic.
MM: Where can we hear your music?
TR: You can find my music at soundcloud.com/twerprocski. I got a digital mixtape up for free download or physical copy on cassette just hit me up on the instagram.com/twerprocski for one, also….bandcamp.com/Sasquatchandthecrates a group I’m in with the homie MIC LEGG yeti and breaks coming soon. Peace to Sourdough Records and Little Red Spiders.
Photos courtesy of Twerp Rocski
