In The Spotlight: Ridock King

Another spotlight for you all...and more on the way! I tweeted earlier today that doing spotlights is probably my favorite part of blogging. I get the chance to be able to connect with other people and share their work and stories, and that's really special to me. As always, if you are or represent an upcoming artist, producer, designer, etc., please refer to our Features/Submissions page for more info!

Today, on The Spotlight, we have hip hop artist Ridock King! Ridock began writing music at the age of 9, inspired by artists like LL Cool J and Tupac. “They created music that reached your soul and could also stimulate your mind to help you think more critically about life in general,” he explained. Growing up in Philadelphia, he admitted “many of the ‘street horror’ stories were not unusual to see.” However, he also began to educate himself and connect with other scholars and professionals, which he says gave him great balance. Ridock effortlessly uses a great blend of all of his experiences to create his current sound and lyrics.

Ridock began recording music for fun in 2003 with his cousin in a friend’s basement. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that he began to take his craft seriously.  Also influenced by Public Enemy, Nas, and Lupe Fiasco, Ridock released his projects Dreamy U.N.conscious and the Ridock King EP in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Speaking out a variety of topics, he strives to create music that can inspire and motivate other people. “I have experienced so much in life I have learned many things and I feel like music, particularly hip hop can be that conduit to not only tell my story but to help encourage others to tell theirs,” the artist said. 

Ridock is currently working on his upcoming project S.A.F.E. Combination, which is set to released in April of this year. This EP is a “three-headed concept,” which Ridock explained further in detail. “Safe combination could mean a “safe” combination of songs (conscious, party, urban tales, and relationships. A second concept is the ability to finally crack the combination to the safe that will open doors financially,” he said. “The third and final piece of the concept is the acronym S.A.F.E. standing for a very motivational idea that, in order for you to reach any level of success, you must have a combination of these four things: S = Sacrifice A = Ambition F = A serious will to obtain true Freedom [and] E = always striving for Excellence.” Connecting with a few producers from Philly like Stashbokz, Pace-O, and Taji Aqib, as well as singer/songwriter Belle and Ghingy “Songbird” Miles.

In terms of what sets him apart from other artists out right now, Ridock listed examples of what makes him stand out. “I would definitely have to say my vision, my work ethic, my innovative skills, my life experience, and my ability to always remember what my purpose and mission is without compromising my art for temporary gain,” he said. In the future, his goal is to have security and freedom in his career. “I would like to be very financially well-off with total control of my art and career with very solid business relationships formed with companies and organizations that are dedicated and passionate about helping the black community,” Ridock stated.        

Be sure to check out more from Ridock on his official website and SoundCloud, and connect with him on Twitter and Instagram.