By Shannon Sturgis Local hip-hop artist Rockst*r sits at home on his couch.

LITTLE ROCK — Following a shout-out to the producer, Little Rock hip-hop artist Rockst*r's newest single, "1 A.M.," kicks off with an explosive, banging bass drum beat. The deep, dirty sound is the rhythm of the tune, but the folds of the track produced by Smurf Da King are filled with sound effects burrowed between the echoing drums. As Rockst*r raps about a night at the club - "The night's young, you tight, huh?/So what's your plan?/Oh, you came in with your man?/Let's go!" - a phone rings, someone puffs on a cigar and police sirens scream.

The sound effects paint a scene within the tune, much like Rockst*r did with his 2008 single "Homecoming (Listen to My Drumline)," with its crowd noise, drum major's whistles and an airplane flying overhead.

"I try to make movies with my music," Rockst*r said. "I try to take you there. You may not notice it at first, but when you really listen to it, it puts you there. I want to surround the listener in the music.

"I definitely try to get the listener's attention. I want to have a sound that when you put it in your car it resonates. I want my music to be an experience. I don't want people to listen to it and then move on to the next song."

The newest single - mixed and arranged by Kevin "K.E.V." Cottrel, and mastered by Brian "Big Bass Brian" Gardner - is one in a series that has placed Rockst*r in the top echelon of Little Rock-based hip-hop artists. But Rockst*r's plan is for the single to open doors in the hip-hop world on a national level. The artist, who gives his age as being in the late 20s, is recently back from a promotional tour sponsored partly by MotionX-GPS and his own Fresh Goods Clothing. After stops in Memphis and Nashville, Tenn., Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, Rockst*r, manager Willie Bigs and a small crew arrived in New York City, making appearances and hyping "1 A.M" over the Memorial Day weekend.

"We just had the idea that we needed to push '1 A.M.,'" Rockst*r said. "We decided we needed to build a buzz so we reached out to the contacts that we know and decided to take a trip by car.

"We made great headway. The results will be seen in the next few weeks. We built up awareness. We made the contacts. A lot of this stuff is about the relationships. Especially with hip-hop it starts with the local tastemakers."

The self-marketing of Rockst*r is a natural extension of the marketing student who graduated from the University of Arkansas as Ra Hearne. Born in Toledo, Ohio, and a direct descendent of Roots author Alex Haley, Rockst*r moved to Little Rock at the age of 5 and graduated from Catholic High School where he was a member of the band, playing the alto saxophone. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta and the University of Maryland, before returning to Arkansas to finish a bachelor's degree in marketing and international business. ("I never flunked out or got expelled, but I just went to a lot of schools," Rockst*r said.)

Throughout his college career, Rockst*r's music career existed on the business side. He was a college DJ while in Maryland and was a street promoter for Sony and Def Jam in Washington, D.C. ("I was gearing up to be an exec," he said.) But a return to Arkansas shifted his attention to actually producing his own music.

"I didn't decide on a musical career until late," Rockst*r said. "I went from making tracks to writing hooks to writing full songs. People liked it so I kept at it. The past three years I've been serious about it. I wish I would have been serious about it when I was playing an instrument. I probably would be much further ahead."

What followed was a couple of mix tapes, including Instant Classic: The Prequel and Rockst*r for President with guest appearances from Mista Mayhemm, Epiphany and Sean West among others, and his collection of singles as Rockst*r quickly made a name for himself on the local scene.

Pre-production of most Rockst*r tunes begin at his home studio before shifting to larger studios for mixing. It's a self-described "bootstrap way of recording," with Rockst*r always considering the big picture as he builds a track, usually starting with a beat first.

"I think [my marketing degree] gives me an unique perspective on song production," Rockst*r said. "I look at the song as a finished product. Being from a business background I'm already thinking of how I'm going to market the song."

Rockst*r recently finished one year at the University of Arkansas School of Law as part of a backup plan, but discontinued his studies to focus solely on his music - a move that displeased his parents but a necessary maneuver as he continues work on his debut album and his music is featured in the locally produced indie film Lost Dogs, with Rockst*r playing a small role. (His single "Radio" is also set to appear on a Universal France compilation.)

With his booming, drum-driven music, Rockst*r understands the key to the hip-hop game is grabbing people's attention and never loosening the grip. And promotion trips to Atlanta and Los Angeles for "1 A.M." are in the works as Rockst*r scrambles for his shot at hip-hop music success.

"What it takes is me traveling outside of this market," Rockst*r said. "My biggest fear as an artist is to be irrelevant. My goal is to blow up.

"In the pass six months I've been blessed. I think I'm on my way. Things are looking up."

Sidebars:

Rockst*r will be updating his fans via his Twitter feed as he promotes "1 A.M." Follow him at www.twitter.com/whoisrockstar or on his blog at www.rockstaronline.blogspot.com.

Rockst*r will appear with the hip-hop live band of Epiphany & 1 Night Stand, the smooth R&B of Sean Fresh and Deeter spinning a mix of old-school and new-school hip hop records at the Sky High Peabody RiverTop Party on June 19. The Conduit/Foundry event lasts from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. with admission free before 9 p.m. and $5 after 9 p.m. A $20 cover gets patrons entrance and free draft beer all night.

The Third Degree with Rockst*r

What would your superpower be? "The ability to read minds. If I could do this, business and my social life would be so much easier!"

When you were a kid, what did you want to be? "I wanted to be Michael Jordan. I had the basketball jones real bad."

What would you eat for your last meal? "Grilled salmon, caesar salad, french fries [and] garlic bread. I eat pretty healthy."

What's the most played song on your iPod? "Currently, Drake's 'Best I Ever Had.'"

If you could duet with any artist living or dead, who would it be and why? "I would love to do a song with Michael Jackson (in his prime). I think that would be hot!"