Interview with Rapper, Riz Ventura

RVL: For those who still don't know who Riz Ventura is, give us a brief break down.
 
Riz: I am a PTA based rap singer that drinks, make beats, and raps about booze and porn. That's the life. Sex, Drugs & Hip Hop (This is a title for my debut album so if any of you f*** bunnies use it before then, I'm sending internetgoons to give your hard drive that sweet; sweet trojan nahmean?! No Vaseline or nothing)  

RVL: When did your career in rap start? And why rap?
 
Riz: I put out my first tape in 2010 as part of a duo called Tha Truth Within, the record was titled Keep Your Shoes On; been going on and off since then. From 2012 it was more on than off. I hooked up with a dope bunch of dudes in PTA called Only The Illest and produced the mixtape Give Me Everything That Costs Money.
For me rap is fun. I get to say stupidly outrageous things and people give me dap for it.
 
RVL: Your music makes use of a number of classic samples and film skits: take us through the creativity behind compiling such nostalgic music.
 
Riz: Chops&Hops was meant to be simple, so as little instrumentation as possible; just me flexing over dope loops. That was the entire thought behind the project, get bombed, find ill loops, and write illustrious raps to accompany them. I had a loose idea of it sounding like the various stages of my relationship to alcohol as well as how it plays out. I spent about a month pretty much sober so there's an undertone of longing and frustration that I needed to get out when writing and recording the project. The skits and clips are funny to me cos it's these serious news people bemoaning alcohol abuse in the country while I'm glorifying getting shxt-faced at every other bar.

RVL: You're one half of BKOTN, which is a local band that not a lot of people are familiar with yet! How do you maintain your individuality outside of the band?
 
Riz: BKOTN is our place where we try shxt out. Everything I do within the group is an experimentation of sounds that Skiv and I haven't f***** with prior. We both realise who we are as individual artists and what we want to accomplish as a group.
 
RVL: How would you describe your relationship with music/hip hop?
 
Riz: It's fun for me. I like music, it increases the serotonin levels so that's a plus. I try not to put too much emphasis on it cos I think if you get whatever you get from music then good on you, and if you can share that connection with someone else then win, but it's just notes and shxt.
 
RVL: As far as your career in music is concerned, where does the producer element come into play?
 
Riz: There's about 10 people in the world that wanna rock on my shxt. I produce for myself mainly, but if someone wants to RICA a beat they're more than welcome to express such feelings to the goon and we can gets to working.
 
RVL: You clearly have a lot of content on sound cloud, and have obviously put in a lot of work. Chops n Hops Volume 1 was your first EP release, then King Bansah, and now currently Chops n Hops Volume 2 which dropped on the 26th of September 2014.
How different is this EP to the ones you've released. What can people expect?

Riz: C&H2 is just a continuation of C&H1. So it's the same type of process, a bit more concentrated. Basically pno and luxury raps over plush chops. The Bansah EP was a deviation, more bouncy and clubby jawns (songs).
 
RVL: We're nearing the launch party of this EP. How do you feel about it?
 
Riz: Pretty f***ing excited. If you're coming, put your drinking pants on cos I'm not leaving till everyone in the spot is nake!
 
RVL: Haha! You're currently streaming new tracks following the EP release. The song B & T has evident facts about your liking of booze. Was this meant to be a feel good song? (Explain the song to us)
 
Riz: It's meant to be similar to a Black and Tan (A drink made from 2 different types of beer) with one half being light and the other being dark and heavy. So the 1st verse talks about my musical tastes, how cool the goon is and so forth. The 2nd verse is about rap and drinking.
 
RVL: Where can people follow you for gigs and networking?
 
Riz: You can catch me on twitter and instagreezy on the handle @Riz_Ventura
Also the tumblr http://riz-ventura.tumblr.com/

© RVL Revolution Validates Life