Lil Rick

DJ, Producers, Singers, Song Writer

Whether as a deejay, entertainer, songwriter, producer, or brand ambassador the name Rickey “Lil Rick” Reid has become synonymous with unpredictable, dynamic, and high energy performances. He has taken the Caribbean cultural expression commonly known as “wukkin up” (rapid waist and hip gyrations) and combined it with cleverly phrased lyrics and melodies to entertain audiences across the world.

After blasting onto the Barbadian soca scene in 1997 with mega hits “Hard Wine” and “Bumper Inspector” he has become one of the most popular soca entertainers from the Caribbean. Known by several aliases including Chihuahua Businessman, Hypa Dawg, Boardface, T111 Untreated Pine, Mr. Crop Over, or Rickey Minaj.

As a chanter, he opened for reggae acts like Beenie Man, Buju Banton, and Mad Cobra. However, on the advice of DJ/music producer Peter Coppin that a career in mainstream calypso might become just as successful as his reggae/dub performances, Lil Rick recorded the catchy “Bumper Inspector” and “Hard Wine” at Monstapiece’s studios. Both of which catapulted his career in the soca arena. Since then, he has consistently released hit after hit and now boasts a cabinet full of trophies from the annual Crop Over competitions and accolades from local, regional and international cultural entities.

In 1998, he won the Party Monarch Title with “Down behind the Truck” and in 2002 and 2003 he won both the Party Monarch and Road March titles with hit singles “Hypa Dawg” and “Mash Up & Buy Back” respectively.

In 2005, the launch of the ‘Spontaneous’ album demonstrated his versatility as a songwriter. He surprised fans with his rendition of the romantic ragga soca “Be My Girl” as well as his collaboration with Edwin Yearwood on the track “Friends” which dispelled any rumors that there was any rivalry with his equally admired contemporary. Together with the immensely popular “Do Fuh Do” which won him the Ragga Soca Monarch title in 2005 and the soca chart-topping “Til Morning Come” on the Madness Rhythm, “Spontaneous” became one of the most heavily rotated albums.

Lil Rick’s contribution to the development of the Barbadian music industry has been recognized by his peers repeatedly at the Barbados Music Awards since its inception in 2006. In addition to being bestowed the prestigious Cornerstone Award, he has also copped Songwriter of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Best Selling Male Artist, and Entertainer of the Year on several occasions.

The 2007 Crop Over season earned him his fourth Party Monarch title with the infectious track “Can’t Wait”. The single soon became an anthem at carnivals across the world. In 2011, Lil Rick was invited to Berlin to perform for the first time and the organizing committee of Berlin’s Carnival of Cultures licensed “Can’t Wait” as their theme song for the festival demonstrating the global impact which his music was beginning to make.

                                                     

Despite his dedication to his own career, Lil Rick has spent a considerable amount of time developing the raw talents of three of his four children. Writing, recording, and developing the overall stage performance of his offspring known as the Hypa Kidz has given partygoers an opportunity to see another side of Lil Rick as the “family man.” His son Renee (Supa Hype), also a deejay, emerged on the scene in 2009 with a collaboration with his father called Breakaway whilst his younger siblings Rickara and Rinicko performed their first single “We Ready.” However, it was the performances of the duo which stole the hearts of many the following year with their “Happy Feet”, a track penned and recorded by their father. The emergence of the Hypa family onto the music scene has enabled Lil Rick to share the stage with his children and hone their talents during the peak of his career.

In 2010, he teamed up again with music producer Peter Coppin on the single Guh Dung which became a chart-topper on soca and dancehall music charts. The infectious Guh Dung also copped Soca Song of the Year at the 2011 Barbados Music Awards and the single was also voted Soca /Calypso Song of the Year by New York’s mainstream radio station WBLS 107.5’s Caribbean Fever show. A remix of Go Down soon followed with Trinidad soca superstar Machel Montano and a feature by Lil Rick was added on the remix of Machel’s 2011 hit single Ah Coming Again.

With seven albums to his name – Challenge (1997), We Surviving (1999), More Hype (2003), Spontaneous (2005) and Crave (2008), I Like Muhself (2012) and Platta presents Lil Rick and Friends (2013) and more than 200 commercially released recordings, Lil Rick’s catalog of music now spans almost two decades. He has collaborated and recorded with the likes of Alison Hinds, Kerwin Dubois, Peter Ram, RDX, Jah Cure, Keann, and MADD and is undisputedly one of the most sought-after Caribbean soca acts. The artiste has released or been featured in (5) music videos to date – Hypa Dawg, Girls Gone Wild, Can’t-Wait, We Want Drinks, and Monster Winer which have all helped to propel his visibility.

The entertainer has been a brand ambassador for several corporate entities over the years. He represented Mackeson for numerous years and hosted their weekly radio show. He has also been one of the faces of the Michael Kors Global Campaign “Watch Hunger Stop” celebrated on World Food Day. His voice has also been used to promote several new products including international brand Converse at the opening of their store in Bridgetown and also by the Live Up Campaign for the launch of their “I Like Muhself” jingle competition.

He is also one of the champions of the Strengthening Second Chance Education Programme (2^nd Chance Programme). This was designed to help 16-30 year-olds, who may have little or no education, criminal records, are teenage parents, or lack the skills necessary to get a better job, with another opportunity to access education tailored specifically to them.

Lil Rick’s endorsement with the telecommunications brand LIME, now FLOW, has also marked another significant milestone in his career and has brought with it even greater visibility and exposure. He has also extended his portfolio of ambassadorship which now includes Courvoisier Cognac and Burger King.

He took a hiatus from the annual Crop Over competition. The break gave him an opportunity to work more closely with his children and also to develop his annual event  “DIS IS RICK – The Concert” on Saturday before Grand Kadooment. (www.disisrick.com).

He returned to competition in 2015 advancing to the finals of the party monarch competition. His popular releases  All is Rum, No Authority, and Gym Instructor all garnered great responses every time they were performed regionally and internationally.

The artiste was in fighting form in 2016 with his patriotic offering “Iz a Bajan.” The song earned him his fifth Party Monarch crown. The popularity of the song also saw him dominating the road and winning both the Stag Jam Tunes and Road March titles for Foreday Morning and Kadooment respectively.

His winning streak extended to 2017 where he once again took top honors in the Party Monarch battle with his hit song “Energy.” Another mage hit for that season was his hugely popular track “Blessing” which resonated with Barbadians locally and across the diaspora.

In 2018 Lil Rick took four of the seven Crop Over Titles. He was victorious in the  Bashment Soca Competition with his Track ‘Ben it’, The Sweet Soca competition with ‘ Breakfast in Bed’, The Stag Jam Tunes (J’ouvert Road March), and the Tune of the Crop Title, more commonly known as the Kadooment Road March with the track ‘Mudda Sally’.

 

It has been decades since this entertainer started making his mark on the Barbadian entertainment scene. His dedication to always revamping his craft has ensured that he always remains relevant. He is passionate about providing his loyal fans with the hits that they expect for years to come.