Ric-A-Che'

Detroit rapper Ric-A-Che avoids the violence and allure of gangsta imagery by focusing his rhymes and rants on humor, the ladies, hanging out, and growing up too fast on the streets, with an emphasis on being a voice of reason for the younger generation. Ric-A-Che (aka Rick Dennis) dropped out of high school in his junior year to sell drugs. After losing numerous friends to jail and bullets (the latter having never even grazed the artist, hence the derivation of his name from "ricochet"), the artist escaped his eventual demise by focusing on his first love, rap and hip-hop. Between flower shop deliveries and a stint as a chemical plant worker, the devoted father frequented the Motor City's famed Hip-Hop Shop, eventually making an impression on former Loud Records head Steve Rifkind, who signed the artist in 2003. Ric-A-Che released the single Coo-Coo Chee/Lil Bro the following summer, followed by his full-length debut, Lack of Communication, in June.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo