We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rickshon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rickshon, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Currently, I’m working on a new instrumental album called “HOOPLIFE.” It’s inspired by my love for basketball and how I use it now to stay in shape and healthy. Music and sports have always been a part of my life, and dark energy tried to derail both of my passions throughout my experience. When I hoop by myself I feel free of all my problems, work, and responsibilities. Playing music during my workout keeps my energy high. One day I said, “Why don’t I just make an album just for this type of moment for other people.” This is the first time I’ve gotten to blend two things that have shaped not only my body and mindset, but my spirit. There are life lessons from artists and basketball players alike that have helped me on my journey and hopefully this album can help other people.

Rickshon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been around music since is was four yrs old. I started learning music theory at eight yrs old and my first instrument was the alto saxophone. I went through some dark times as a teen and I fell off the music wagon during that period and picked it back up at eighteen right before I graduated high school. I started writing songs and lyrics to help me express how I felt about those dark days and eventually started rapping. I always knew I could produce music but I didn’t want to start two crafts at the same time. So I focused on the one I was less experienced at to better challenge myself. I honed my skills writing at various recording studios in NYC and Philadelphia. Then I hit the circuit in those cities performing the music I made to see if I was good enough…and got positive feedback from A&R’s, DJ’s, and the various audiences at each event. By twenty-nine yrs of age I was feeling like I peaked as a rapper and decide it was time to pull out ole faithful, production lol. I was amazed to see that the vibes at producer events were even better and more upbeat. It was a breathe of fresh air from coming out of the battle culture you deal with at rap shows were everybody has their gamed face on. As a producer I have been able to produce for local artists projects, make sync music for podcasts and score theme music for multiple projects for a comic book company. If anybody out there needs custom crafted music that fits like a glove to your creative ideas or if you already have records made and need a better mix and master on the stems I can provide a service at a price few can beat.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My Grandmother “Emma Jean Scott,” by far was the most supportive of my gifts. She really understood what I was capable of when I was a child. She really invested her time and money into me. She knew I wanted to learn more then one instrument because she loved to challenge me. Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to expand my music chops as a child and that buried my love for learning music for some years. When my grandmother died it really made me wanna follow her because she was my rock and the only successful person in my life that I knew and I didn’t know how I was going to be who I’m suppose to be without her. But I was twenty yrs old by that time and I’d seen a lot already, so I felt like God said, “No…if you wanna be great… no net.” It’s easy to take risk when you have somebody pushing you, supporting, even funding. Now move with the same conviction when you have no safety net. How bad do you want it? Success… how long will you keep striving for it? I’ve been at this goal for eighteen yrs now. I’ve released four instrumental albums, one EP and a few singles. I’ve come to far to stop now. Death is the only thing that stops me.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Its not that Haters don’t want you be successful…they just don’t want you to be more successful than them. And the “talented haters” lol, they don’t hate on who you are, they hate on who they see you becoming.
I’ve stood in front of my fair share of people who are at the level I wanna be, you can see how they look when you actually look “the part” and have the talent to match it. Like I tell people in America, “We gonna make it hard for you.”    

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rickshon.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rickshonentllc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rickshonshifty/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/NJRICKSHON
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaE9CfHBfpEbwKx8rUnZsuQ

Image Credits
Basketball Photos by Tezzy The Photographer , Street photos by Savageoptic