Welcome to Episode 57 of the Gent’s Talk podcast, where we sat with recording artist and OVO affiliate Riicch. Known by the handle OVO Riicch, his origin story starts with the unfortunate passing of a loved one. With a career created from tragedy, Riicch wants to be remembered as someone who didn’t let that disaster break him. During this episode, we discussed fatherhood, survivor’s guilt, and his upcoming EP, “God Only Knows.”
Ode to Fif
Unfortunately, Riicch is no stranger to death. He has had to deal with not only the loss of his father but the loss of his brother as well. The latter is what has shaped the rest of his life. His older brother Anthony “Fif” Soares, a legend in the streets of Toronto, was the one who instilled a lot of the core values Riicch implements daily. The same values he instills in his son. After his brother’s murder, Riicch consciously decided to leave the street life instead of avenging his brothers’ death. The decision to walk away was not easy, but one he’ll never regret. He talked about how he used to struggle with being unable to save his brother. He would sink into a place where he believed that his brother might have lived if he had been there. While battling with survivor’s guilt, Riicch spoke about his pivotal conversation with his mother. She told him he couldn’t keep thinking that way because they could have both died if he had been there, and his mother would have no sons.
Everyone grieves differently, and writing music helped Riicch during that time. He also mentioned that he frequents the studio to release negative energy. His process: writing an overly aggressive verse/song without releasing it; to get those feelings off his chest. When he feels stuck, he returns to those same verses because he can hear his brother through his aggression, which gives him a calming feeling as though his brother is talking to him.
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Fatherhood
Seeing a smile come across his face when the fatherhood subject came up was pleasing. He mentioned that fatherhood is the most important thing, and the ability to tell his son, “I am proud of you,” has been some of his greatest joys. Raising a young man has taught him a lot. The most significant lesson his son has taught him is bravery. A lesson that he hopes his son learns from him is that there are other paths than the life of a gangster. He looks forward to teaching his son how to be a man. According to Riicch, a real man is attacking life, taking care of his family and putting food on the table.
“Don’t worry about me, I got this.”
A message from Riicch to his brother
Be Okay With You
Riicch is proof that you can turn a negative moment into a positive one. With the constant negativity surrounding how other people think he should be living his life, he has learned not to care what other people think. “I go into a room, be myself, and see if they accept me,” he remarked, “if they don’t rock with me, that’s okay.”
See Also: Gent’s Talk: Ep. 56 – A Sit-Down w/ Joe Friday
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Please tune into Episode 57 for the entire conversation with Riicch as he speaks on his relationship with Drake and why artists should be stressing over their music.
About Gent’s Talk
Bulova Canada presents Episode 57 of Gent’s Talk, available for streaming on YouTube, Spotify, Goodpods, iHeartRadio, Apple and Google Podcasts! It is filmed at StartWell Studios in Toronto. You can now catch Season 1 and 2 on all Air Canada flights! Your continued support throughout this journey is appreciated. Thank you!
