Riky Rick: SA Hip Hop’s fave middle child — and most supportive OG
Four years ago last week Riky Rick dropped his debut album “Family Values”. It was the beginning of his role as South African hip hop’s favourite middle child
South African fashionista, songwriter, rapper and producer, Riky Rick’s time in music began in 2006. It was, however, 2014’s “Nafukwa” that properly introduced him to South Africa’s mainstream. This set the stage for him to champion his brand of music — hip hop with a dash of EDM, house and kwaito. Riky struck gold again in 2015 when he dropped a song along those lines in the “Amantombazane Remix”.
That record was released through the label Riky was signed to at the time, Motif Records, which headed by industry stalwart Tumi Molekane. It came a year before his critically acclaimed 2015 debut “Family Values”. Fast forward to 2016 and Tumi now goes by Stogie T… an reintroduction accompanied by a self-titled album. That album closes with “Clean Stuff,” where he raps the following lyrics:
“So what happened to Riky?
same thing that happened to Reason;
He was touched by a god
I gave him the plate, now he eating
I’m not some old bitter nigga
Name dropping ’cause I need em
I don’t fight with my children…
I feed ‘em”
The context of these words is Riky Rick’s premature exit from the Motif Records and the inevitable accompanying rumours. Those lines may be considered light jabs or, at the very least, a statement of authority; but they betray an ethos that Stogie T’s carried throughout his career: assisting upcoming talent.
Riky Rick could’ve taken those jabs to heart — instead of on the chin — gone his own way and proverbially shunned the gods. Such a move would have inevitably alienated the idols of yesteryear from the congregants of the temple that is South African hip hop. Instead, and thankfully, Riky has followed the blueprint of extending your starpower to other talented, younger artists. He not only ‘stays shining’ but proceeds to shine his light on the world. He has, in effect, turned a potential foe in Stogie T into a sage Umi. He’s filtered the gist of the words on “Clean Stuff” and ignored the combative nature of their delivery. Once the unwitting understudy, Riky has become a god in his own right. Now he touches the nascent careers of the youth and helps them eat too.
It’s been a winding journey to celestiality, replete with a striking sense of dejavu. Riky’s foray into being signed once again happened through the now defunct record label Mabala Noise. The artist, born Rikhado Makhado, began his transformation in 2017 and it involved a seemingly pre-meditated tirade at one of South Africa’s foremost award shows, the Metro FM Awards. Despite his song “Sidlukotini” being recognised as “Best Hit Single” of 2017, he criticised the rigging of awards, payola and the systemic overlooking of young artists.
“Shout-outs to the kids that never get on radio — they can’t get their songs played on radio because they don’t have enough money,” he said.
Shout-outs to the kids who put out music videos. They never get their videos played because they don’t have the money.” — Riky Rick, 2017
His fiery speech concluded with him encouraging the youth to shun radio and use the internet to bypass traditional gatekeepers. More than just a tirade against industry politics, in hindsight Riky Rick’s “listen to the kids” moment is just as important for South African hip hop as Kanye West’s was across the waters.
Riky Rick’s moniker ‘Sidlukotini’ — or the cotton eater — denotes a fashionable or stylish person. More than his impact on fashion choices, he influences a generation of musicians blooming after him. Over the past couple of years South Africa has witnessed a rise in young artists making it purely off the strength of their online presences. And while this can’t solely be attributed to Riky Rick, it’s clear that the kids are actively listening to him. He’s become a cultural focal point, through every slang term he popularises and every idiosyncratic outfit he adorns.
More pointedly, the establishment of his Sony Music Africa-backed label ‘Cotton Club Records’ sees the 31-year-old take a seat at the table. In the same vein, his inaugural CottonFest — a gathering of the fashion forward and musically attuned — is him quite literally putting his money where his mouth is. What Riky Rick has done is provide a platform for the ‘kids’ he so passionately addressed at the Metro FM Awards. He’s matched his fighting talk with tangible opportunities for them to pursue viable music careers. The CottonFest line up was an exciting congregation of young rappers including BABYFACEDEAN, Willy Cardiac and J Molley who all initially gained traction through impressive numbers on SoundCloud. These artists are benefitting from a platform created specifically for them in much the same way artists have benefitted from a Riky Rick co-sign. Riky has jumped on records by a number of rising artists like Moz Kidd, The Big Hash, Espiquet, Rowlene and Frank Casino.
As natural to him as his sense of style is, Riky seems to instinctively offer help to his youngins. This is a trait that makes him the perfect prototype for a hip hop OG. By bucking the trend of established artists sidelining younger artists — and actively rooting for them — Riky Rick has ensured that being “touched by a god” is an experience shared by many more young artists.
