Roddy Ricch

• 1. Introduction

  ›

  At twelve years old, Roddy Ricch freestyled for Kendrick Lamar in their shared hometown of Compton, California. Lamar was already a rising name and fellow Compton native. Within a decade, Ricch would produce one of the most dominant chart runs of any artist in 2020. That ascent was built on grief, timing, and an instinct for knowing what to say and when to say it. The music that set it in motion began with a song he wrote on the night a fellow rapper was shot and killed.

• 2. Compton Beginnings

  ›

  Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr. grew up in a Christian household in Compton, California. He attended Carson High School and briefly Compton High School, where he played basketball. Moore began rapping at eight years old and was making beats in earnest by sixteen. Growing up, he listened primarily to Lil Wayne, alongside Young Thug, Future, and Meek Mill. He later named Speaker Knockerz as his single biggest influence, describing him as the basis of his sound. Moore also had a brief stint in county jail around the time his second commercial mixtape was released. By the time his first full-length project arrived, established voices in the rap world were paying attention.

• 3. Die Young

  ›

  On the 22nd of November 2017, Feed Tha Streets, Ricch's debut commercial mixtape, introduced his voice to a wider audience. Tracks including 'Position,' 'Chase tha Bag,' 'HoodRicch,' and 'Fucc It Up' represented his early sound. Meek Mill, Nipsey Hussle, 03 Greedo, and producer Mustard all took notice. In May 2018, Nipsey Hussle brought Ricch onstage at a PowerHouse concert in Los Angeles. On the 20th of July 2018, Ricch released 'Die Young,' the lead single from Feed Tha Streets II. He had written the song for a childhood friend lost in a high-speed chase. In a Genius interview, he said he wrote it the night XXXTentacion died from being shot on June 18. By the 16th of February 2025, its music video had accumulated over 149 million YouTube views and 220 million Spotify streams. Feed Tha Streets II was released on the 2nd of November 2018. It peaked at number 67 on the Billboard 200 and number 36 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In October 2018, Meek Mill brought Ricch onstage in Philadelphia and gifted him a 'Dreamchasers' chain for his appearance on the album Championships. On the 15th of February 2019, Ricch was featured alongside producer Hit-Boy on Nipsey Hussle's 'Racks in the Middle.' That performance earned him a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance. On the 28th of June 2019, he appeared on Mustard's single 'Ballin',' which peaked at number 11 on the Hot 100 and received a Grammy nomination. In August 2019, felony domestic violence charges were filed against Ricch; those were later dropped due to insufficient evidence. His debut studio album arrived before 2019 ended, and it would reset what listeners expected from a first commercial release.

• 4. Eighteen Weeks

  ›

  Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 on the 6th of December 2019. It spent four non-consecutive weeks at the top of the chart. That run made it the longest-running number-one debut rap album in the United States since 50 Cent's Get Rich Or Die Tryin' in 2003. The album featured guest appearances from Lil Durk, Meek Mill, Mustard, and Ty Dolla Sign, among others. Its fourth single, 'The Box,' was released on the 10th of January 2020. It topped the Hot 100 the following week and remained there for eleven consecutive weeks, the longest-running number-one single of that year. On the 17th of April 2020, Ricch appeared on DaBaby's 'Rockstar.' The song spent seven weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and reached number one in the United Kingdom. With two chart-toppers in one calendar year, Ricch became the first artist to do so since Ed Sheeran in 2017. He spent eighteen cumulative weeks atop the Hot 100 in 2020, more than any other artist that year. At the 2020 BET Awards, he won Album of the Year. Variety named him Breakthrough Artist of 2020. Apple Music recognized Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial and 'The Box' as the platform's most-streamed album and song globally. Six Grammy nominations at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards followed. They included Song of the Year for 'The Box' and Record of the Year for 'Rockstar.' In a GQ interview, Ricch described his completed second studio album as 'a full-blown masterpiece. A real idea. A real body of work.' He said he was waiting for the right time to release it.

• 5. Voice and Craft

  ›

  Cady Lang of Time magazine described Ricch's style as combining West Coast hip-hop roots with trap music and Chicago drill rap. Paul Thompson of Vulture called him 'an undeniably talented vocalist and occasionally a compelling songwriter.' Thompson also observed that Ricch frequently adopts the syntax and vocal intonations of Young Thug. His raspy voice has been widely noted for how it works with vocal filters. His style blends rapping and singing. Ricch has spoken directly about pacing: 'I feel like the problem with us nowadays is we want everything right now. But the music isn't gonna be progressive when you're putting something out every three months, because you ain't been through nothing; you still feel like how you felt when you last dropped the music. To me, stuff doesn't happen in my life every single day. Maybe for some people it does, but my life don't happen that fast. I have to give myself time to actually go through things so I can speak on it, and have a new understanding of life. It's not like I make music that's not my life, so I feel like I need to give my life time to inspire me.' He has also placed his music within a continuing obligation to his origins. 'As I experience life, my music is going to evolve,' he has said. 'At the same time, I still do tell the stories from my world because there are unlimited stories and unlimited people from that place. I'll always represent them.'

• 6. The Long Game

  ›

  Live Life Fast, released on the 17th of December 2021, peaked at number four on the Billboard 200. Critics responded with mixed reviews; some outlets called it a sophomore slump. Its lead single, 'Late at Night,' reached the top twenty of the Hot 100. The album featured a wide guest roster. Future, Kodak Black, 21 Savage, Takeoff, Jamie Foxx, Ty Dolla Sign, Alex Isley, Fivio Foreign, Lil Baby, and Gunna all appeared. On the 11th of June 2022, Ricch was stopped at a security checkpoint near Citi Field, before his scheduled Governors Ball performance. Law enforcement found a loaded firearm, additional ammunition, and a large-capacity magazine. Those charges were dropped. Feed Tha Streets III arrived on the 18th of November 2022, debuting at number 14 on the Billboard 200. His third studio album, The Navy Album, has been repeatedly delayed with no confirmed release date. A single called 'Survivor's Remorse,' released on the 31st of May 2024, is rumored to be the lead single from The Navy Album. On the 22nd of November 2024, Ricch appeared alongside WallieTheSensei and Siete7x on 'Dodger Blue,' a track from Kendrick Lamar's sixth studio album GNX. On the 7th of December 2024 Billboard Hot 100, 'Dodger Blue' debuted at number eleven, Ricch's first chart appearance since 2022.