Ridgio: Difference between revisions
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== Early life and education == |
== Early life and education == |
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Ridgio was born Derek Ahmal Towner Jr. on February 1, 1995, at West Suburban Hospital in [[Oak Park, Illinois]].<ref name=":2">{{Citation |title=Ridgio Interview (Mini Bedroom Interviews Ep. 12) SEASON FINALE |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeHYB6yKsM4 |language=en |access-date=2022-12-13}}</ref> He was co-parented by his mother and father in the [[North Lawndale, Chicago|North Lawndale]] and [[Austin, Chicago|Austin]] neighborhoods of [[Chicago]]. His grandfather was apart of the [[North Lawndale, Chicago|North Lawndale]] Community Church choir and his uncle was apart of rap group ''Cermak Boyz''; these are his earliest musical influences. At the age of eight he attended the House of Jacob bible study class with his mother and stepfather. He stated "my faith in God is my strength, I feel like it's the pillar of my artistry."<ref name=":2" /> His mother played [[Rakim]], [[Lauryn Hill]] & The Sons of Jacob; he stated that [[Rakim]] is still one of his top artist today.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=The Results: Interview With Independent Chicago Rapper Ridgio – Stop The Breaks {{!}} Independent Music Grind |url=https://www.stopthebreaks.com/artist-showcase/interview-with-independent-chicago-rapper-ridgio/ |access-date=2022-12-13 |language=en-US}}</ref> Ridgio said in an interview his earliest memory of making music was when he used to freestyle once a year on his father's birthday starting from the age of 12.<ref name=":2" /> Also at 12 he moved to [[Des Plaines, Illinois]], with his mother and attended Chippewa Middle School then [[Maine West High School]]. It was at 17 that he began making music with his cousins in his aunt's attic.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Stories |first=Local |title=Meet Ridgio - Voyage Chicago {{!}} Chicago City Guide |url=http://voyagechicago.com/interview/meet-ridgio/ |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=voyagechicago.com |language=en-US}}</ref> |
Ridgio was born Derek Ahmal Towner Jr. on February 1, 1995, at West Suburban Hospital in [[Oak Park, Illinois]].<ref name=":2">{{Citation |title=Ridgio Interview (Mini Bedroom Interviews Ep. 12) SEASON FINALE |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeHYB6yKsM4 |language=en |access-date=2022-12-13}}</ref> He was co-parented by his mother and father in the [[North Lawndale, Chicago|North Lawndale]] and [[Austin, Chicago|Austin]] neighborhoods of [[Chicago]]. His grandfather was apart of the [[North Lawndale, Chicago|North Lawndale]] Community Church choir and his uncle was apart of rap group ''Cermak Boyz''; these are his earliest musical influences. At the age of eight he attended the House of Jacob bible study class with his mother and stepfather. He stated "my faith in God is my strength, I feel like it's the pillar of my artistry."<ref name=":2" /> His mother played [[Rakim]], [[Lauryn Hill]] & The Sons of Jacob; he stated that [[Rakim]] is still one of his top artist today.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=The Results: Interview With Independent Chicago Rapper Ridgio – Stop The Breaks {{!}} Independent Music Grind |url=https://www.stopthebreaks.com/artist-showcase/interview-with-independent-chicago-rapper-ridgio/ |access-date=2022-12-13 |language=en-US}}</ref> Ridgio said in an interview his earliest memory of making music was when he used to freestyle once a year on his father's birthday starting from the age of 12.<ref name=":2" /> Also at 12 he moved to [[Des Plaines, Illinois]], with his mother and attended Chippewa Middle School then [[Maine West High School]]. It was at 17 that he began making music with his cousins in his aunt's attic.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Stories |first=Local |title=Meet Ridgio - Voyage Chicago {{!}} Chicago City Guide |url=http://voyagechicago.com/interview/meet-ridgio/ |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=voyagechicago.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Soon after, Ridgio was kicked out of his home in [[Des Plaines, Illinois|Des Plaines]] as a result of his drug use and getting arrested. After leaving his mother's house, Ridgio decided to move to Chicago with his aunt.<ref name=":1" /> |
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== Musical career == |
== Musical career == |
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Revision as of 06:44, 19 December 2022
Ridgio | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Derek Ahmal Towner Jr. |
| Also known as | Ridge |
| Born | February 1, 1995 West Suburban Hospital |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois |
| Genres | Hip Hop | Rap |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, Songwriter, Vocalist & Producer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2013–Present |
| Labels | R.A.W. Entertainment |
| Partner | Patrisia Vekima (2016–Present) |
| Website | http://www.ridgio.com |
Derek Ahmal Towner Jr. (born February 1, 1995), known professionally as Ridgio, is an American rapper and record producer from Chicago, Illinois.[1] He is the founder of independent record label, R.A.W. Entertainment. Ridgio is most known for his 2022 single Out of Body Experience which was featured on IHeartRadio's 107.5 WGCI. To date, he has released 10 studio albums, 2 mixtapes and 3 EP's as a solo artist.
Early life and education
Ridgio was born Derek Ahmal Towner Jr. on February 1, 1995, at West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, Illinois.[2] He was co-parented by his mother and father in the North Lawndale and Austin neighborhoods of Chicago. His grandfather was apart of the North Lawndale Community Church choir and his uncle was apart of rap group Cermak Boyz; these are his earliest musical influences. At the age of eight he attended the House of Jacob bible study class with his mother and stepfather. He stated "my faith in God is my strength, I feel like it's the pillar of my artistry."[2] His mother played Rakim, Lauryn Hill & The Sons of Jacob; he stated that Rakim is still one of his top artist today.[3] Ridgio said in an interview his earliest memory of making music was when he used to freestyle once a year on his father's birthday starting from the age of 12.[2] Also at 12 he moved to Des Plaines, Illinois, with his mother and attended Chippewa Middle School then Maine West High School. It was at 17 that he began making music with his cousins in his aunt's attic.[4] Soon after, Ridgio was kicked out of his home in Des Plaines as a result of his drug use and getting arrested. After leaving his mother's house, Ridgio decided to move to Chicago with his aunt.[3]
Musical career
2013–2016
His earliest recordings were after he graduated high school and were released on Soundcloud. Ridgio's debut collaborations, "Came Up" and "Lucky No More" with Big Boy Blue (formally known as Meeko Fly) got media attention from Elevator Mag in 2013.[5] He recorded his first mixtape C.L.O.U.D.S. at 18 and released singles A Lot (Dope) & Ain't Ready on Soundcloud. Despite gaining local recognition from those singles he has deleted them from all platforms. In 2015 he met his now fiancé Patrisia Vekima at an open mic at DePaul University, where they both performed. That year he also released his first two music videos, Revolutionary and Anywhere, with Lyrical Lemonade's Cole Bennett.[6] The songs were described as "a very fine mesh between a trap-like flow and a powerful meaning."[7] Ridgio didn't stray away from this style leading up to his debut EP release Twenty I Winters. Since then, he has cultivated a series around the Winters projects that he releases annually on his birthday. He also released the mixtape A W A K E N on March 11, 2016. This was his first full-body project and had production from Martin $ky and Kevin Frytz. Lyrical Lemonade articles about this mixtape provided Ridgio's initial recognition in the Chicago Hip-Hop scene. Bennett stated "There's a solid chance you'll soon become a fan of Ridgio if you aren't already. This kid is quite unique, he is on a mission which is backed by solid reasoning that can be received through the music."[8]
2017–2018
In 2017, Ridgio released his third project Twenty II Winters and follow-up album World of Dreams. "Much of the project focuses on the theme of what it means to chase after your ambitions while also staying true to yourself."[9] World of Dreams was the project that propelled Ridgio out of the local space. He was invited to the Boys & Girls Club in Michigan City, Indiana and the LOK Wishing Tree Foundation to perform for his new audience.[10] He also won a competition at The Promontory in Chicago, Illinois to perform in Gary, Indiana, at Backstage on Broadway. He began producing instrumentals in 2017 and the following year he received composition credits for web-series My Husband's Kid's.[11] Ridgio released Twenty III Winters in early 2018.[12] This was his first self-produced album which also had sound bites of his previously deleted C.L.O.U.D.S. mixtape from 2013. The project was described as "an exceptional follow up and displays the young rapper's growth as an artist."[12] This was a Segway for him to throw an in-city tour co-hosted by his artist friend Amoz Wright & Dj' d by Pivot Gang's Squeak coined The Chicago Mix Tour. Later that summer Ridgio was invited to perform at the Metro Chicago Music Hall.[13] Shortly after the performance he was discovered by Chicago native Captain Sky which prompted a short-term collaboration. Sky co-wrote Ridgio's Enough Is Enough record, which was released the following year on his early 2019 effort, Twenty IV Winters.
2019–2020
On February 1, 2019 Ridgio released Twenty IV Winters. Being his second self-produced album, Austin, Texas, based blog Sail Club Co. stated the project "truly shows his different sounds that he can produce".[14] His song "Enough is Enough" was played on Chicago radio station Power 92.3 FM. That radio play entered him into a competition against fellow Chicago native G. Little. The winner would have an interview on the station. Ridgio ultimately lost the competition by a 51% 49% vote.[15] That summer he went on his first out-of-state tour A LGIT Tour with his close friends, Mudd, Parnell, Y.T.M. and Sean Chupich (Psa Productions). Also that summer he released his long awaited C.L.O.U.D.S. album with all new records. He released 7 music videos out of the 9 songs on the project. Ridgio gained significant recognition that summer when NPR Radio Station 91.1 FM included C.L.O.U.D.S. single "Inspiration" in its summer mid-day rotation. That led to his early 2020 release, Twenty V Winters; he introduced the album at a silent listening party in Chicago's Lincoln Park.[16] NPR's Vocalo Radio placed Twenty V Winters' "Have You Ever" in its Poised to Breakthrough list.[17] In this album he displayed how he felt about the connections with the people that's closest to him, starting from when he was born leading to 25 years old.[18] In an interview with Dark Matter Publications Ridgio expressed "I want them to listen to it beginning to end because it tells a story. I hope that people from song number one to song 25 would just listen to it, because it is cohesive. We're in an age right now where people just put a bunch of songs together and just label it an album and that's not what [my music] is." [18] The COVID-19 Pandemic followed right after the release of his album. He expressed that it hindered him with making music videos and promoting the album.[18] Ridgio followed up mid 2020 with his album We Made It.[19] It is what he calls an Interactive Project, where he had fans pick who produced the album, what features can and cannot be on it and what songs were going to be on it.[18] He said in an interview "It's called "We Made It" because we made the project together. From start to finish, me and all of my supporters made the whole thing. From the concept, to production, to who's on it… It was also supposed to tie in quarantine, but we didn't really get out of quarantine fully, but maybe in the future it will!".[18]
2021–2022
In early 2021, Ridgio released Twenty VI Winters . The album featured Chicago based rapper Mick Jenkins on the track "What's Mine". That spring he released follow-up EP Six More Days of Winter. Later that year he went on to compose and executively produce the soundtrack to short-film Evil for Evil alongside Grammy Award winning cellist Malik Johnson.[20][21] The film was a story about one young Black man’s reckoning with violence and trauma in the face of his burgeoning healing journey.[20] The soundtrack was its own "existential experience" in representation of the album.[20] Harvey World Editor-in-Chief Amethyst Davis noted "Ridgio skillfully strikes a delicate balance between brazen and gentle. Evil is a disruption of disposability politics that challenges us all to reconsider binaries of “good” and “evil,” and consider a world where healing is a right rather than a privilege and redemption is possible for all." [20] Going into 2022, Ridgio released animated album Twenty VII Winters. [22] While premiering his "Animated Experience" at the House of Jacob's Chicago Annex, he proposed to his long-time girlfriend Patrisia Vekima. He followed the album with a consistent release of singles every other week leading up to stand-out record Out of Body Experience. In July of 2022 radio station WPWX 9.23FM named Ridgio and his single Out of Body Experience the Power Pick of the Week.[23] IHeartRadio Dj Jamal Smallz discovered the track shortly after then put it in weekly rotation on 107.5 WGCI. He released the original recordings of his freshman mixtape C.L.O.U.D.S. June 20th, 2022 on all major platforms after a 9 year delay; he titled it C.L.O.U.D.S. (2014) Also that summer, Ridgio released his first compilation album, And Friends, which featured Mick Jenkins, Mark Battles, and frequent collaborator Parnell.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album Details |
|---|---|
| World of Dreams |
|
| Twenty III Winters |
|
| Twenty IV Winters |
|
| C.L.O.U.D.S. |
|
| Twenty V Winters |
|
| We Made it |
|
|
|
| Evil for Evil The Inspired Album |
|
| Twenty VII Winters |
|
| And Friends |
|
Extended plays
| Title | Album Details |
|---|---|
| Twenty I Winters |
|
| Twenty II Winters |
|
| Six More Days of Winter |
|
Mixtapes
| Title | Album Details |
|---|---|
| A W A K E N |
|
| C.L.O.U.D.S. (2014) |
|
Tours
- The Chicago Mix Tour (2018)
- A L'GIT Tour (2019)
References
- ^ Stories, Local. "Meet Ridgio - Voyage Chicago | Chicago City Guide". voyagechicago.com. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ a b c Ridgio Interview (Mini Bedroom Interviews Ep. 12) SEASON FINALE, retrieved 2022-12-13
- ^ a b "The Results: Interview With Independent Chicago Rapper Ridgio – Stop The Breaks | Independent Music Grind". Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ^ Stories, Local. "Meet Ridgio - Voyage Chicago | Chicago City Guide". voyagechicago.com. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
- ^ "ELEVATOR". elevatormag.com. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
- ^ "Lyrical Lemonade". lyricallemonade.com. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
- ^ "Lyrical Lemonade". lyricallemonade.com. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ^ "Lyrical Lemonade". lyricallemonade.com. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ Hernandez, Alejandro (2017-08-18). "Listen to The Trials and Tribulations of Living in a "World Of Dreams" by Ridgio". Pursuit Of Dopeness. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ^ REPORTS, STAFF. "Ridgio visits Boys & Girls Club". LPHeraldDispatch.com. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ^ "Ridgio". IMDb. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ a b Hernandez, Alejandro (2018-02-05). "Listen to Ridgio's "Twęnty łłł Wįntęrs"". Pursuit Of Dopeness. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ^ "Ridgio on Instagram: "This performance at the Metro was everything I couldve hoped for🙏🏿 I never played in front 700+ people before and Imma let you know right now. The feeling is AMAZING! Nothing but a blessing. Thanks to everyone who supported in everyway they could🙌🏿"". Instagram. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ^ Tran, Kamaryn (2/03/2019). "Ridgio - Twenty IV Winters (album)". Sail Club Co. Austin, TX.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Chicago, The Move (2022-11-19). "The Move Chicago". Facebook.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Ridgio on Instagram: "The Silent Party for TVW❄ Was a hit🔥🔥 Thanks for the recap @psaproduction I can always count on you my dude."". Instagram. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ^ "July New Music Monday: Poised To Break Through". Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ a b c d e Young, Carlynn (2020-07-17). "Catching up with Chicago artist Ridgio". Dark Matter. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ^ Sound, Stitched (2020-08-15). "Ridgio releases new album "We Made It"". Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ a b c d Davis, Amethyst J. (2021-12-31). "Ridgio makes the case for healing on 'Evil for Evil the Inspired Album'". Medium. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ "@99theproducer on Instagram: "all blessings to God. words can't describe how grateful i am to be apart of this amazing album 🖤 much love to @mattjonesmusick @mattjonesorchestra for the continuous display of excellence💯"". Instagram. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ Twenty VII Winters "The Animated Experience", retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ World of Dreams, 2017-08-16, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ Twenty III Winters, 2018-02-01, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ Twenty IV Winters, 2019-02-01, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ C.L.O.U.D.S., 2019-07-07, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ Twenty V Winters, 2020-02-01, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ We Made It, 2020-07-16, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ Twenty VI Winters, 2021-02-01, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ Evil For Evil The Inspired Album, 2021-11-12, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ Twenty VII Winters, 2022-02-01, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ Twenty I Winters, 2016-02-01, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ Twenty II Winters, 2017-02-01, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ Six More Days Of Winter, 2021-03-19, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ A W A K E N, 2016-03-11, retrieved 2022-12-15
- ^ C.L.O.U.D.S. (2014), 2022-06-20, retrieved 2022-12-15