Riky Rick chills with US rapper to record song
WHEN local rapper Riky Rick walked the red carpet of the BET Awards in Los Angeles in June, he was a man on a mission.
And he’s reaping the fruits — rubbing shoulders with US stars landed him an opportunity to get into the studio this week with Ain’t Worried About Nothin rapper French Montana.
Riky Rick (real name Rikhado Makhado) said he first “linked up with French Montana’s people at the BET Awards”.
His record label, Mabala Noise Entertainment, followed up on that network opportunity and sent them the track Sidlukotini — “and they liked it”, he said.
“You know how hectic red carpets get. I caught a glimpse of him [Montana] on the BET red carpet, so our studio session was the first time we formally met,” the Boss Zonke rapper said.
This week Riky Rick, 29, heard from Montana’s management, which led to him jetting off to the Big Apple. He landed on Thursday morning US time and immediately went into the studio to record the remix for Sidlukotini at Platinum Studios — the studio used by the likes of ’90s hip-hop trio The Fugees and Grammywinning producer Jerry “Wonder” Duplessis.
Speaking to the Sunday Times from New York on Friday, Riky Rick said: “My studio experience last night wasn’t just about recording French. It’s opened me up to other opportunities, so I’m extending my trip to cement those deals.
“I’ve always been a fan of French’s work and I followed his work closely, but him requesting me to pull through and be present in the studio with him just upped my respect for him.”
This is not the first time a South African rapper has featured a US star in one of their songs.
But the honour usually comes at a price.
In 2009, HHP featured Nas in his song Keledimo, which set him back a whopping R100 000.
Such collaborations usually involve the local artist sending the song and synopsis to the US rapper’s producer. He records his rapper’s verse and sends it back to South Africa. The singers usually never meet.
But in Montana’s case, things played out differently. While Riky Rick will cough up an undisclosed amount for the deal, the pair will also record a music video together to sweeten the deal.
“The industry status quo is all artists are paid for their talent, as they should be,” said Riky Rick.
“Even back home, artists are paid for their features, that’s part of business in the music game.
“The video is shot by Spiff TV, which has a longstanding friendship with French, and, importantly, his work speaks for itself, [him] having worked with the likes of Rick Ross, Drake and Lil Wayne, to name a few.”
The pair will also record a music video together to sweeten the deal