Richard

“As letras significam Transtorno de Apego Reativo, que é um distúrbio que se desenvolve desde uma infância interrompida. Se você prestar atenção na música, o refrão mostra como eu sou diferente de um membro da família em particular que eu acredito que desempenhou um papel importante em me moldar, mas também bagunçando minha infância. As letras também representam as iniciais dos primeiros nomes de pessoas que eu sinto que desempenharam um papel importante no meu desenvolvimento, que eu meio que menciono na música também, especialmente no segundo verso“, o músico Richard descreve as inspirações para o single “Crazee“. - Andy Santana

Richard’s track “Unstable” is an emotional song dedicated to his brother who passed away from an overdose a year ago. At first listen, “Unstable” may not sound like a sad song, with the sudden changes in tempo and Richard’s hard-hitting vocals, but these elements were actually very carefully crafted by Richard to highlight how quickly things can change in life from huge events such as someone’s death. .......... - Melissa Cusano

The abrupt life changes always caught us off guard. A seemingly normal day might alter your life forever. “Unstable” starts with a luscious soundscape and laid-back beat. Smooth melodic vocal, vibing with the flow. The track took a gradual but sudden turn when the distorted alarm set off in the background: intensified rhythms and increasingly aggressive lyrics in a field of dissonance.

Without notice, the rich, smooth, laid-back vocal has shifted into the complete opposite. The distorted alarm keeps on screaming in the background till the end. Like the way loss and trauma affects and haunts the living, nothing will ever be the same.

“This song is dedicated to my brother, who passed a year ago via drug use. The name, the instrumentation, and the vocal all represent how things can be altered abruptly in life, which is what his death meant for all of his loved ones as it was so unexpected,” said Richard, “at the same time, it is also a homage to him as he always informed me of how I should always live fearlessly and with minimal regret. The lyrics are also a bit raunchy and aggressive highlighting things I try to hide in my music, but now I am bringing them to the forefront.”

“Unstable” is a masterpiece with great emotional depth. Being one of the first openly gay rappers in St. Louise, Richard is setting off to challenge the misleading orthodoxy around sexual orientation and one’s skillset. “I want to prove that gay dudes can rap rap, “ he said. - Phork

Describe your sound in 3 words

My sound would have to be exploration, haphazard, and old school

How many beats do you listen to before you end up using one? Tell us a few things about your creative process.

Whew the number can vary depending on what I am sent or what I come across. Sometimes I listen to twenty something beats before a flare of inspiration strikes.

For which lyric you are most proud of?

From this record, I think the most standout to me is probably, ummmmmm “couldn’t see past they greed geez Louise, not even a sorry or please”. That’s from the most lyrical track on the record I feel called “Shopping Cart”

Do you think there is a true underground hip hop sound today?

No, everyone is going for A sound and it is very easy to tell, nothing ever really is underground. I miss the days where you could find an artist and be so amazed by their sound instead of a Tiktok or trend

Why is sexism, and even outright misogyny, so pervasive in Hip Hop culture?

That is a question I ask myself daily. It is almost like an expectation to be a certain way when you rap or else you can’t “sit with them”, but I do think it is changing because females and gay rappers are dominating which is indicative of change.

In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?

I don’t know, I hope when they are ina mindful state. I share my story to get people who share the same experiences to reflect on how they can manage or coexist with whatever problem. So yeah defintely mindful and reflective.

What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?

Most trouble, depends haha. I sold some dope once and got arrested for that. That’s bout it tho. - Hip Hop Paranoia

Richard brings with him a refreshing flow on contemporary rap. His brilliant use of percussive instruments matches his soulful vocals. Unstable is one of those tracks that has you thinking, “damn, that goes hard”, by making use of double entendres to get his point across and he builds the tempo by adding more elements to the track. The St. Louis based artist captures the essence of old school rap, hitting out at his haters and hyping himself up. He doesn’t want any beef but he does know what he’s worth and won’t be slept on. Unstable is exactly what it says it is, an unpredictable track. Richard shows his skill in how unpredictable the track flow is. However, with the added reverb and echoes, Richard’s vocals stand out as stable as ever, much like Punjabi-Canadian Hip-Hop artist Nav. He uses introspective lyrics that tell his story, much like his earlier works, and he makes use of 808s and 909s that hit hard and are what gives the track its punchy nature. All in all, Richard has the groove that we’re all looking for in contemporary hip-hop. I’d highly recommend listening to Richard at the gym or just to hype yourself up. Richard brings the sauce! - Rohaan Palaparthy