Today we’d like to introduce you to Rickie B.
Hi Rickie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Originally born in So Cal in 1993, I was raised in North Las Vegas, Nevada. I got my musical start at the age of 16 mainly with the help of my brother Tiny G Beats. He showed me how to produce beats in Fl studio and his dad Darrell McKenzie (which was like a 2nd dad to me (RIP) took me under his wing and had us create our own label (which I still run today). I integrated rapping and singing and just recently started engineering music as well a couple of years ago.
Although music runs through my family, my interest in music sparked due to those high school freestyles with my peers and also the trend of how trash radio was becoming. So in turn, I started producing my own beats and dropped my first mixtape “The Entree” in 2011. I got a little buzz from that and dropped another mixtape in college “The Appetizer” in 2012. That one ended up on websites like Hotnewhiphop and it prompted my first major contract offer. That showed me right there that the sky was the limit for me. However, I made a promise to my Grandpa on my dad’s side that I would pursue college. So I turned down that contract and focused on school instead.
I continued on making music though and low-key spent more time on that compared to my studies. I did graduate, but you can definitely hear my progression musically as I continued to drop more projects. By 2017, I eventually got my stuff on both college and local radio stations. Once I graduated, I dropped my first official album “Small City, Big Dreamz”. That album landed gave me a shot at performing at the B.E.T. Hip Hop Awards through a music competition. I had traveled to Atlanta and performed in front of some of the biggest names in the industry. I placed fourth in the competition out of thousands of individuals and landed a touring contract.
From there, I ended up moving back to Vegas and took a slight break to focus on family. Once I found the balance between family, work and music, I got back in the swing of things, launched my own shoe line and I ultimately rebranded myself within the city. Currently, I dropped my most recent project “Get Mine” in 2022 & recently I just came from headlining my first concert in Victorville, CA. I also just launched some new merch and am still working on getting some new music out there. So yea, 2023 I’m expecting to go even bigger and just continuing to build from last year’s success.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has definitely been bumpy. Like I said before, balancing school with music was a true struggle. Even balancing family, work life and music could be a lil tough. But the biggest obstacle I’ve faced is with the marketing side of things and also the mental blocks I’ve had and put on myself.
I think it’s common knowledge nowadays that being an independent artist isn’t easy by any means, especially within a steaming culture. In order to truly see revenue you gotta see at least a million streams and go crazy on the merch, or be touring. It’s all in how you sell yourself though and that’s what I’m learning right now. The information and resources are out there though.
Then on the personal side, it’s just a big mental battle. Sometimes we get in our own heads about which songs will resonate with fans or focus too much on trying to get heard or seen and just forget the beauty of creating the music. But when you love something, you find a way & that’s what this journey has taught to me. To welcome all challenges and to learn every step of the way. That pressure is what helps create a diamond!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an artist and a creative in short. I rap, sing, songwrite, produce and engineer music. I help manage other artists and assist with their creative journeys as well. I’m an entrepreneur all at the same time and think outside the box with my ideas.
In detail, what sets me apart is my lyrical ability and my way around words; how I’m able to tell a story and be witty… to capture metaphors most people can hear and relate to (that most people wouldn’t think of).
What sets me apart is that I’m me. Nobody can say things the way I say them and bring my type of energy. I always find a way to stand out on a song. Production-wise, my beats give life and tell a story before the words get on it. Every time I play a beat for someone they always say they can hear my work in a movie. I always find ways to deliver a message all at the same time.
I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve remained me this whole time within my music career. Integrity and being real goes a long way in this business and you never know who is watching you and who you’ll impact by remaining true to yourself. The best part about that is that I support others and I love seeing others shine as well as receiving some shine.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The biggest lesson I learned with the whole pandemic is the importance of self-love and what believing in yourself looks like. I feel like Covid allowed people to settle and fall into the trap of depression. With me, my faith in God and the love I have for myself and my family really made me go that much harder. Before Covid I kind of just let the opportunities come to me, but with that, it created too much time for me to just sit and wait. Now I’m kinda attacking and manifesting opportunities through my actions. I go after what I want and if I’m turned down, I’m confident that another opportunity will present itself. The goal is to never stop and to continue to be aggressive. To trust my abilities and to be confident every step of the way. If I’m supposed to help others believe in what I’m doing, I first have to do it. It starts with ME!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Rickiebmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/Rickiebmusic
- Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/Rickiebmusic
- Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/Rickiebmusic_
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@RickieBMusic
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Rickiebmusic?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=b85a9b0a-22f2-4ba8-980d-7241a02b394b
Image Credits
Edgar Sierra (E. Sierra Media) Big Vic Media
