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Rick Solus – is one of the most controversial and critically
acclaimed young rappers on the scene today has struggled with adversity and
violence in order to achieve his near immortal status. His rhymes, dripping
with intellect and social comment, puts all the other industry wanna-be’s to
shame, and in today’s exclusive back-story reveal, we discuss how Rick became
so good at his craft.
Born on June 20th 1996 in South London, Rick grew
up in a council estate, where the local kids would participate in activities –
legal or illegal. His mum and dad had
parted ways even before his birth, and entered the world finding that all he
had was a brother and a mother.
Solus became engulfed in the criminality that shrouded his
area, and even from nursery onwards, was affiliating himself with some of the
rap games’ most infamous, such as Pat Peril, who is currently serving a 9 year
sentence for armed robbery. Going
through the ranks of education, he fell behind in academic subjects like maths
and science, but hit the ground running when it came to the creative side of
literacy. Making poems and short stories was a blast to him, but became a cause
of concern to his teachers when they understood the true meaning of the subject
matter.
His colourful and wacky depictions of street violence raised
the alarm, and earned himself the label of the ‘troubled kid’. Counselling sessions with his absent mother
and after school meetings with no one to attend, made Rick a priority for the
school.
Outside of education, Rick was running with the wolves in
Brixton, storming through the fish markets with the fellow goons, and stealing
anything they could get their hands on. However, their high eventually hit rock
bottom when the leader of the pack, Leonard ‘Hood Lord’ Sheen, was arrested at
the age of 16 for drug offences. After this, the wolves had run their own ways.
By the age of 12, Rick’s education was still going strong,
and after achieving 5,4,4 in his sats, it was time to move to secondary. This
move from key stage 2 to 3 was the start of Rick’s promising career.
While his home life of class B drug deals and street
robberies stayed stable, an opportunity for Rick to make his mark on the
creative world had opened up. A school competition for young poets was
advertised across the borough, and feeling obligated to do something
constructive with his young years, he signed himself up. But as this was
happening at school, Hood Lord had
returned to the streets, and was calling back the pack.
Solus refused to join, and wanted to focus on his studies,
but Hood Lord’s threats became more vicious and more threatening, to the point
where his family were involved. As these weeks progressed, the finals for the
poetry competition had arrived, and Aaron was waiting patiently to send his
poem in – a poem based on the corruption of young society, and what it means to
be a child. But things all got too real, too quick.
Hours before the entries,Rick’s mum sent him a text saying
that some boys had come to the house looking for him- those boys being the
pack. They wanted Rick back, or it would get serious. This put Rick in a rock
and a hard place, not knowing whether to secure his home or chase his dream.
Eventually, his instinct kicked in and he darted back to his abode.
When he reached the house, he checked in on his mother and
brother, but the next 10 minutes ended in tragedy. The pack raided the house
with 9’s and knives, and were making moves on the family, and after shouts,
screams and tears, a bullet was shot, and it took down Rick’s brother Jason
with it.
He was pronounced dead at the hospital, at the age of 19,
and with Rick’s poetry dream and family in ruins, he became consumed in
aggression and hatred for the streets, and became determined to destroy the
world which had destroyed him – this was the birth of Rick Solus.
By using words that the wolves couldn’t understand like ‘equilibrium’
and ‘proverbial’, Solus verbally tore apart his opponents, calling them out for
another round of battle. None of the boys replies to his tracks like ‘Leonard’
and ‘The s**t they talk’. The trauma from his brothers death made him insecure,
but his lyrical content was outstanding.
He got into hot water with a few of the boys from his block,
but it was nothing that he was afraid of – live or die, Solus was going out
swinging. All until a certain person listened to a certain track online.
Arthur ‘Grim’ Gintis, part of BadBoy records, heard
‘Leonard’ on an intensive listening session, and was determined to get him on
board. His cunning use of language to destroy the society which everyone
praised was the recognition that BadBoy needed to be taken seriously, and after
6 months of trying to get Rick on board, he’s part of the main clique of the
well regarded label.
Rick Solus has blown in all intents and purposes, and he’s
scheduled to perform live at Reading festival – no one has taken the risks
which Rick has taken, and luckily for Rick, it was a gamble that ever so
handsomely paid off.
