Rikko 009, an emerging hip-hop artist from Harlem is repainting the picture of the way we receive music.
“Why not put the songs to the art,” Rikko 009 said.
He was introduced to the world of art and music at a young age. His family background includes him being surrounded by novelists, visual art, musical instruments, and different genres of music.
Rikko 009 uses his drawing talents to inspire his music and he is not limited to hip-hop beats, while gospel and rock beats are some of his favorites as well. He discovered that he could use his drawings to inspire his music.
“When I was a kid, my pops would listen to a lot of rock and so I kind of went through a rock phase,” Rikko 009 said. “I guess it’s coming back around.”
He was also introduced to gospel music at a young age.
“My mom would listen to a lot of gospel music and that’s a lot harder to find beats of or make the beats for, but that’s really where I attend to go next as far as my sound and everything,” Rikko said. “I love the gospel sound with a heavy bass like a Kanye, ‘Donda’ type of thing.”
Around the same time he purchased his music kit, he was working at his previous retail job and that’s when he got inspired to connect his drawings to his music.
Rikko 009 brought a vertical notebook and wanted to draw something from the top to bottom of the page. He wasn’t pleased with the drawings in the first notebook, so he decided to purchase another one.
“That turned out to be the whole level of accent,” Rikko 009 said.
This discovery led to him creating a series of drawings called The 00X Project that includes 10 drawings that played a part in him finding his voice.
Fans can look forward to diversity in his newest project. It will include all things hip-hop, but he wants to expand his talent and see what he can become if he really puts his mind to it.
“I’m really looking forward to more of me and seeing how I grow,” Rikko 009 said.
Fans can stream Rikko 009’s newest single “Aint the Same” on all platforms.
Follow him on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rikko.009/ to stay up to date about his latest project.