What a refreshing sound from the South African Hip-Hop environment. It’s been too long since we’ve seen an artist tackle the genre with this unfamiliar kind of angle, and man, did it not disappoint.

Richi Rich, a gifted creative from Gomora, now based in Cape Town, released his newest tape, titled “RICHB4FAME”, breaking away from traditional Hip-Hop tones, and instead, infusing those recognized elements with those of the Rock genre.

In all honesty, we weren’t sure what to expect from the project, but the second we hit play on the intro, titled “Extortion” featuring Ewiva!, and heard the loud riffs of the electronic guitars before the 808s kicked in, we immediately knew this five-track project was special, with Richi easily raging over the eccentric beat.

“Tunnel Vision” followed after the intro; however, no momentum was lost, carrying on that ambience from before, having the gifted rapper speak on his exhilarating yet intense lifestyle. What we loved about this track was how easily Richi was able to float over what we considered a difficult beat for many to handle.

The next track, titled “Japan” was our standout track. Everything about the song was simply a vibe, with the catchy hook, loud yet mellow instrumentals over the raucous beat, and of course, iamslolo’s verse which really impressed us (keep an eye out for more music from him, hopefully).

“Ain’t No Way, ain’t no way!” from the chorus of the fourth track, titled “Ain’t No Way” had us singing that part for a whole day! This was an awesome song, bringing the raw sonic energy of what’s considered Rock over a simplistic Hip-Hop sound. Honestly, this specific track specified everything about what kind of sound Richi was going for, bringing two genres together to bring us exhilarating music.

Finally, the last track, named “Brickz”, halted the tempo of the album, brilliantly having Richi team up with Katzbru and Certified Genius, all on an exciting Trap beat, flaunting their unique talents. By the time this song concluded, we were left wondering when the next track would occur, and we were left devastated when we realized the project was complete.

If there’s anything that makes us so interested in a specific artist, it has to be how they’re able to differentiate themselves from their counterparts. It’s no secret Richi Rich falls under that category, being able to bring his own taste of style towards the Hip-Hop genre.

Listening to this gave us “Whole Lotta Red” vibes by Playboi Carti, a project we highly appreciate, and it was dope to witness one of our own pull off their own twist to the sound.

This was a brilliant effort from the Sowetan-born artist, and we look forward to more music from him. Check out the project, now available on major streaming platforms.