BIO Rick Da Don hails from Detroit Michigan, and has been emceeing for over 23 years. He's arguably one of the most creative rappers out today. His multiple college degrees both help explain his range as an artist, and ability to think outside the box. His musical influences include 2Pac, R. Kelly, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, The Temptations, Eminem, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Stevie Wonder, Musiq Soulchild, among others. His story is quite intriguing. In the beginning, he was a young hustler on the blocks of Joy Road and Hubbell (i.e., rough Detroit neighborhood). On Joy Road, he had to pray, hustle, fight, sell, and stay strapped in order to survive the many challenges he faced on a daily basis. As for his music career, it all started when he submitted a song to the local radio station in hopes of getting a little exposure. The song he submitted was "Can I Get Your Number", in which he spits a hot 16 at a love interest. It was quite odd, yet unique to have such raw lyrics in the form of a love ballad. Sure enough, he received a call from the radio station, and was told to bring more work for top record labels to hear. Fast forward to 2011, Rick Da Don dropped his first solo project "Immunity". "Immunity" was a raw, gritty, and creative display of Rick's lyrical skill. Some of the hottest songs from Immunity include, "Back for Mines", "Matter of Time", and "Never Fall". Immunity showed just how serious Rick Da Don was, as it garnered quite a cult following upon release. In 2012, Rick Da Don collaborated with his engineer Binks on "All State Press". "All State Press" was a clash between urban and country music styles. Rick Da Don's tough lyrics contrasted well with Binks wit, and made for a good listen. Top tracks from "All State Press" include, "I Get By", "Dreaming", and "Lightning in a Bottle". In 2014, Rick Da Don dropped his second solo project entitled, "The Rick Da Don LP". His second offering did not disappoint with jams like, "Sub Zero", "Motivational Speaker", and "Eat". Needless to say, Rick Da Don could not be touched by the so-called sophomore jinx. This brings us to 2017! Rick da Don is set to release his much-anticipated album entitled, "The Last Laugh" on March 23, 2017, i.e., his birthday. This album will be his biggest yet, with bangers like "Been Through It, Came Through It", "Grey Fire", and "Oprah". Until now, Rick Da Don has been a well-kept secret, but with his latest release he plans to take over the game. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Rick Da Don is not shy about his multiple college degrees. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2012 and Grand Canyon University in 2015. He then went on to teach art, coach basketball, and successfully create video media. PHILOSOPHY Rick Da Don is not your average rapper. In fact, he doesn't really like to be called a rapper. According to him, most rappers only promote sex, money, and drugs, while he likes to write music from a more realistic perspective. He doesn't like to appear perfect, as he's okay with being vulnerable to his listeners. Rick Da Don ultimately feels that music should have a message, a point, healing power if at all possible. Still, he doesn't leave anyway out with club bangers such as "The Money Song" and "Yeahh". Most of his musical influences stem from other genres of music, which can be heard throughout Rick Da Don's delivery. He likes to say that he fuses hip hop with doo-wop. THE RITCHIE 720 YEARS At one point, Rick Da Don put the mic down and picked up the video camera. The Ritchie 720 YouTube show began in 2009 to moderate success. In season 1, hosting very low video quality, one could not ignore the caliber of the information coming forth. In the beginning, his videos gained very slow traction, however, those who watched were addicted. They loved his unique perspective and relentlessness. They also loved the randomness of his uploads (i.e., hence the name 720, meaning any topic could be touched on). One minute he was reviewing juice, the next minute he was talking about sex positions, and then you might see a rap video. It was chaos, but it was fun. The second season, Ritchie 720 took all that he had learned from his first go through, and put it to good use. The videos were clearer, the message was more polished, and the fan base was rising. Some like to say that he took his audience out of the box, that was his kitchen table. This season hosted some of his most successful videos, like “Make Women Work for Sex”, “Worst Day Ever”. By the third season, Ritchie had truly surpassed every expectation. He had initially only expected to have about 4 subs, and 1,000 video views, but he had amassed over 5,000 subs, and 700,000 video views. He knew that he still had more work to do, but he also realized that he was on to something. In contrast, Season 3 was by a mile the best season. He had finally graduated from college, and was now a working man. That growth showed in his video production, video quality, and video range. Videos were finally HD, and featured more editing than in previous years. This season’s top videos included, “How to Stop Masturbating”, “What Women Want”, “Sexy Dance Moves”, and “Curvy Women V.S. Fit Women”. The Ritchie 720 show has since been closed down, but if you look hard enough, you might still be able to find a few gems online. IN CONCLUSION Rick Da Don is a d**e emcee who fuses everything great about 90's rap, and perfectly melds it with the modern sound we all know today. For Rick Da Don, it is not about the money, but rather maintaining the art form. He often says he puts the music in rap music. At a time where rap music has lost it's soul, Rick Da Don could not have come at a more critical time.