Feed Your Eyes: The Riky Rick Edition.
–Us All
Titi – I never personally knew the guy. Might have met him a few times at best, but I was constantly inspired by him – music, the fashion, the hustle spirit, his presence in general – I like to think we all were.
If the South African industry was ever really in your sights, you would have heard of Riky Rick one way or another.
Following the very jolting news of his passing, about a month ago, I spent good time binging all things Riky; interviews, music videos, show clips, fashion looks and so much more. I knew I wanted to do something in his memory but I didn’t quite feel rightly placed to carry it alone the way I envisioned. So, I reached out to a few friends I knew LOVED and continue to be inspired by him to help me put this together.
So here’s to nostalgia for some, and discovery for others in a special compilation of our videos to watch review dubbed “Feed Your Eyes”.
Stay Shining ft. Cassper Nyovest, Professor, Major League, Alie-Keyz
Riky Rick has always championed the theme of family; the ones you’ve been given and the ones you choose. With the title “Riky Rick & The Gang,” the ‘Stay Shining’ visuals begin with Riky standing with his wife, showing the ideal family living in the “hood” in a time set around the late 90s/ early 2000s.
True to the song’s lyrics and a trait we all came to know and love Riky for, he flaunts his designer-label-strewn clothing from the ‘90s in full swag and style!
They invite us to their living room to sit by the television as a family as they flip through channels watching what is essentially the music video broken into different shows.
The first channel is showing a scene based on TKZee’s ‘Dlala Mapantsula,’ with cameos from Major League DJs and Alikeys clad in boxing robes identical to those worn by TKZee in the original video.
Flip! We enter a fresh report scenario as Riky Rick and Professor give over to Cassper Nyovest, who is casted as a weather reporter. His delivery? Bars!
Flip! A news clip shows Riky Rick instructing a bunch of young boys in the ghetto, demonstrating his love for his fans and the neighborhood.
From Riky reading a newspaper outside the yard to the gold robes they wear in the boxing ring to the weather forecast that shows the sun shining over the country, the notion of “Stay Shining” is present throughout the music video.
You And I ft. Mlindo The Vocalist
As established, Riky was never shied from expressing his love for family through his creative works; songs, interviews, or even IG content. In that vain, all 4mins of this song You & I, was dedicated to his wife. The lyrics discuss their difficulties, his transgressions as a spouse, and the impact of negative judgment on their relationship. The visuals complement the words by transporting us to a night out with Riky Rick at the club, contrasting the effect of alcohol and women, with a night with Bianca, his wife, at home with their children.
Ungazincishi
Generally translated as ‘don’t deprive yourself’, Ungazincishi is a song that perfectly encapsulates Riky Rick’s sense of style, his passion for designer brands, and, of course, his love for i-nice life, i-nice time, nje i-vibe. The visuals, which are set in a South African township, perfectly convey the words, from flaunting off money to pouring alcohol as a flex to Focalistic driving about in a fully pimped-up 325i convertible.
UNGAZ’NCISHI I-NICE TIME
I Can’t Believe It (Macoins)
This video is so powerful for me man. The rebellion, the thrill of it all. It’s so well executed, it feels other worldly to me. It’s giving London vibes, it’s giving central Africa vibes, but also giving grungy parts of American streets. How Riky & the cinematography teamed managed to make this video look so hard yet delicate is beyond me. I also loved how he intertwined this video with the then campaign with Okapi & MaXhosa where they partnered to release an exclusive bag capsule. The opportunity is so brilliantly used here with how he plugged the bag and also used visuals from this music video as part of the launch campaign of the partnership. This man was so brilliant, truly a forward thinking creative god we had the pleasure of experiencing.
Boss Zonke
This was definitely a tipping point for him with regards to cross over appeal & certifying himself as an undeniable rockstar. I love the CULTURE in this video. This one was definitely “for the culture”, all the core cotton eaters are here & a majority of his friends are culture shifters in their own right. We also see that unity Riky was all about with the likes of DreamTeam, L’vovo & them being in video – giving us a united Durban front. It’s almost like he sent an open invite to everyone in the industry in Durban to say, “Listen, we’re shooting eMlazi please pull up of you can”. You gotta love this visual for bringing us “home” to where Riky raps about. If feels like a homecoming type of thing. Never mind the fact that song itself is just unforgettable. Who doesn’t know the lyrics? I feel for them shame.
To wrap up this special edition, we have to give kudos to the entire SA industry for keeping Riky’s legacy going with the most recent Cotton Fest! Here’s to all the cotton eaters!