Illterviews: Illterviews - Ricta Interview

Ricta

Illterviews - Ricta

Ricta is a UK Hip Hop MC from Coventry who has been making waves for a long time. We catch up with him to talk about his debut album, graffiti and local scenes!

Ricta, introduce yourself; How did you get your name, how long have you been rapping?

I’m a 22 year old rapper and beatmaker from Coventry, UK. My name comes from my days coming up doing graffiti, friends would call me it and it stuck ! It’s hard to say exactly how long I’ve been rapping, I remember messing around rhymin with friends over Grandmaster Flash & Furious Five’s album when i was maybe 11 - 12ish, but the first time i really recorded anything that people actually heard was a mixtape back in 2007.

What projects have you put out in the past? How have they been received?

My first full-length release ‘Snacks & Deception’ has just dropped on Beat Back Records, I’d done a couple of mixtapes and an EP previous but this is my first LP, I was in a studio with good engineers and a budget, I really put a lot of thought and an actual process into what i was doing. I’ve had nothing but positivity from the album and i really appreciate everyone out there supporting it, It’s given me the opportunity to do some great shows and meet some of my Hip Hop heroes, respect to you all !

What's the scene like in Coventry? How do you feel about the tighter scenes in certain places, compared to the scenes in cities with a big hip hop presence (like London or Birmingham for example)?

I wouldn’t really say there’s a scene as such in Coventry... It’s too hard to say really, there are a lot of grime / garage / drum & bass mc’s but not what i guess you would label as Hip Hop, there are writers here, it’s few and far between. Similarly Birmingham isn’t too different, it’s a bigger city and ultimately my hometown but the scene there as for the whole country has been better... i think sometimes the Internet can make us think there’s more going on than there actually is. I tend not to think of it in terms of scenes or get to geeky about it, i remember reading too many interviews with UK rappers complaining about scenes in hhc, i don’t want it to carry over into the next generation, just keep grindin and do what you love !

I remember seeing your first video which had a big graffiti theme to it. Where you ever active in that part of the culture? What's your take on Graf writing?

Yeah man, i came up doing graf, when we were kids we used to hang out in the spots that were dotted around Coventry, we all got into it. We looked up to the older generation who were writing already, I think it’s a really good outlet for the people who do it and the community aspect is a really positive thing.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

I try not to plan to far ahead, plans tend to change , but ill still be making music you can count on that.

What other artists have you worked with in the scene ?

I worked with various producers on the new album, I didn’t just want it to be a ‘UK Hip Hop’ album, from having traveled and gone to Hip Hop Festivals in eastern Europe I’ve become very aware of how alive Hip Hop is over there... i reached out to ‘The Returners’ who are from Poland... they are super dope and i knew i needed them on the album, that was the basis for ‘Atlantic Anthem’ I just wanted to make an all in Coventry meets the world jam, you know ? I got Reks on there, Dizzy Dustin and Craig G up with me, Idyllic and Precha. Jabba Tha Kut, the cutsmith, he’s worked with me on and off over the last 4 years, he is illio.

Who would you like to work with in the future?

Anyone who I think is dope !

What are you working on at the moment, any mixtapes or EPs etc? When can we expect them to come out?

Right now I’m promoting the album and trying to get my music to a larger audience, once i feel I’ve gone as far as i can with it and the time is right I’ll start working on some new material. I’ve got new music videos in the pipeline, various features and collaborations are in the works, I'm here !