US Rapper Fat Joe Pays Tribute To Riky Rick As He Reveals Love To SA Music
US Rapper Fat Joe Pays Tribute To Riky Rick As He Reveals Love To SA Music. The untimely death of South Africa’s most influential rapper, Riky Rick, did not just rock Mzansi; Riky’s death was felt far beyond the borders of South Africa.
US rapper Fat Joe who was the host at the 2022 BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta, Georgia took time to pay tribute to Boss Zonke. In an interview with TshisaLIVE, the veteran US rapper also expressed his condolences following the passing of Riky Rick as he addressed the issue of mental health affecting many communities.
“First of all, I want to say ‘rest in peace’ to Rik [Riky Rick], you know, [with] suicide, you have to be in a really dark place to do that,” he said.
“It’s not talked about enough in our community and it’s really happening. And so, we have to shine a light on [mental health] and tell anybody because you never know what anybody’s going through.“
“So if you need help, please seek help, please tell your friends, please tell your family, ‘hey, I need a life preserver’, ‘c’mon somebody come talk to me’, that’s first of all.”
The US rapper went on and revealed his love for South Africa as a country and the music that come out of Mzansi. “SA’s one of my favourite places on Earth, it’s top three…So when people ask me there’s an island called Cat Cay in the Bahamas, there’s Dubai, and then there’s SA,” he added.
“Those are my three top places in the world. And the beauty…they got the water that crashes into the mountains and you drive down to the Cape of Good Hope which is one of the most beautiful places, breathtaking…and so Africa is my home.
“I’ve been a fan of African music, and the drums, and you know in Brazil they’ve got this style of music called Le Funk [Brazilian Funk], which comes from Africa. I love amapiano beats.” He said.
The 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta honoured Riky Rick with the first-ever Global Visionary Award. It was not a great night for other SA rappers who were in contention for the BET Award. Blxckie was nominated for Best International Flow, but Somnyama lost to French rapper Benjamin Epps.
