NERICHA

Ne' Richa---Heart of a Tigress

"Intense, animated, and philisophical". These are 3 words that singer/rapper Ne' Richa uses to describe herself during a familiar bus ride thrugh her hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. While she continues on her pursuit of happiness, ripping and running though the city, and stashing supplies (blank cds, books, and photocopies) to maintain her exposure. A few passerbys notice her from from another spotlight: as DJ Nilla on 90.5FM, a host of The Friday Night House party. "Yeah, I gained a great following just though deejaying. Its a radio station for a small community. People loved the fact that I played old school, and mixed it in with local music. Alot of underground acts got their first exposure on my show". Ne' Richa clearly sees her grind beyond the present-day. "I make every move with the anticipation like I already made it, but I keep my feet firmly on the ground. Women are expected to not be as strong or as knowledgable. Its a male dominated industry. That's why I make sure I'm up on my p's and q's."

Born Natalie Richmond, she was raised in Erie, PA, in the Franklin Terrace projects. She got her first notions to chase stardom from watching tv. By 11, she was already songwriting, producing, and dancing. "I think i was a pretty normal kid, I loved cartoons and sports. I actually pursued Basketball first. Then I realized that music was where my heart was at." As a sophmore at Central High School, Ne' Richa began to intern at 90.5FM/WERG under the alias "DJ Nilla". It was perfect timing. She promoted her music through singles throughout the city, and used her deejaying to get her name out there even more. "I had college pretty much staring me in the face, everyone telling me that my smarts were too good to waste, and asking me,"why not go to college?" I would think, "So you can't be smart and be in Hip Hop?" That was ridiculous to me. Besides, my love for music wasn't going anywhere." Opting to be happy AND smart, she continues to pursue music. This 21 year old singer/rapper/producer/songwriter has stepped up to take the reigns, with the intention to bring the "entertain" back into "entertainment". With a fresh mixture of bass heavy Hip Hop, classic soul, and electric funk to make a sound reminiscent of the New Jack Swing wave of the mid 90s, Ne' Richa has added her own flair, bringing the style back full throttle for the year '09. She has not sacrificed a clever lyrical delivery, as she sways from animated, Looney Tunes inspired punch lines, to sincere, philisophical thought, with a staccato flowstyle comparable to the likes of Rakim and Nas. Ne' Richa, nonetheless, reps for the ladies, and she carries the torch well. In an era where its commonplace to sell one's body for 15 minutes of fame, this young artist brings sexy back....through class, a street swag, and a commanding stage presence. She's a mysterious personality, a starlet who promises to take on the hearts, and even the minds, of Hip Hop and RnB heads in the near future.

In her song, "Color Me Bad", she recounts a fictious theft, a brilliant take on Hip Hop's new lack of intellectual stimualtion. She raps, "Trace my knowledge blooms back to the Nile, tomb raiders came for my scratch then left wit it/So I traced 'em back to modern day Hip Hop with a bone to pick/". Ne' Richa balances out the intellect with fun, subtle metaphors, "although I laugh at the haters, its always them leavin here in the stitches", as well as playful jabs to fellow emcess, "Pms keepin my interest/More than some of ya'll contenders on ya'lls best days, ya listenin?/". As if her wordplay and sexy, yet commanding voice isn't enough, Ne' Richa lights the stage through her own brand of breakdance. "I call it Street Theatricks. I've always been inspired by classic breakdancing. I'm also a fan of Cab Calloway, the energy he brought to the stage was amazing, electric. So I mixed the two. Broadway meets Breakdance." Just as sexy in a pair of tim boots as in a pair of jimmychoos, Ne' Richa doesn't see the need in expose all of her body to gain attention, and off stage rarely wears makeup, (and she has the skin complexion to pull it off). If there's anyone who's in the running to be the next "It Girl", its Ne' Richa. A new voice, an old school ideal, with a futuristic appeal. "TLC, Aaliyah, and Janet. They've inspired me the most. I wanna have the same positive effect on people as those 3 had on me. They always did it there way, and raised the standard every time." Its safe to say that her role models, as well as hometown, should be proud. "I'm repping for the projects, telling our stories of love and hate. But, its music for the masses, we all go through the same trials in life." But, what's different about this young lady's story is that it ends only with the quote, "to be continued..."