One On One In 10 : Rifica Houston,Texas ayasha June 17, 2016 1 On 1 In 10, USL StoriesHello, welcome to One on One in 10, where we ask 10 questions to pick the brains of some of the most talented Indie artists from across the globe. It’s your girl Mai Mazzi live and on the scene, bringing you the real with today’s movers and shakers that allows you to meet them, one on one.I hope that everyone is enjoying the first leg of summer! I know that the official start of summer on the calendar isn’t until June 21st, but I have been able to enjoy some awesome beach days here on the East Coast and I have seen some pictures of you guys enjoying the heat as well!This month I had the pleasure of chopping it up with a very talented artist representing Houston, Texas. He has blessed the Indie Live Radio Station, as well as Mai Mazzi’s Top 10 Countdown Show, with his latest hit “Date Night”. One on One in 10 family, please allow me to introduce you to Rifica (Righteous In Faith InCrease Abundantly).Mazzi: Thank you so much for taking the time out to sit and talk with me.Rifica: Thank you for having me!Mazzi: What made you first realize that you wanted to pursue a career in music?Rifica: I have always liked to be in front of crowds, starting from a young age. I re-enacted a story from my childhood in a guitar song about my dad performing with other musicians, called The Gifted Band. I was about three years old. I walked in to the room and immediately began dancing. The music had captivated me. I fell in love with music and from as far back as I can remember I wanted to be an entertainer, whether it was a singer, rapper, or an actor.Mazzi: How do you describe your music?Rifica: Eccentric, versatile, unique, and soulful. I don’t think that I sound like anyone. I have fine-tuned my sound with the help of some of my influences, such as Janelle Monae, Andre 3000, James Brown, Bruno Mars and several rappers. My music encompasses that Motown and soul sound of the people that I have named infused with Rap and Hip Hop. I sing as well. I consider myself to be a modern day throw back artist. I also do the trap style sound that the younger audience is used to. I like to make music that all audiences can enjoy. I love when my creations reach everyone, whether they are grandparents or in elementary school.Mazzi: If you had to categorize your music, what genre would it best fit?Rifica: Christian Hip Hop because of the content.Mazzi: What makes you stand out from other artists within the same genre?Rifica: I have a raspy sound to my voice when I rap. People never know what to expect from me because I sing also. I might be rapping and then all of a sudden bust out into a melody. I am very lyrical and like to use similes and metaphors. I like to call my style lyrical acrobatics; I take my audience on a lyrical roller coaster. That to me sets me apart from other artists in the same genre.Mazzi: Are you familiar with the term “starving artist”?Rifica: Yes.Mazzi: How do you cope with major obstacles as they relate to the term?Rifica: This is my passion. I have a 9-5; I am high school assistant band director. My passion is to bring music to the masses by offering a positive alternative to what is on the radio. The mainstream music that is readily available is influencing our youth in a negative manor. I want to get my message out so I am grinding all the time. I use social media heavily. I am always reading blogs and figuring out how to network and connect with others. I am driven by the concept of broadening my audience and reaching as many people as possible with my Christian music ministry. I hope to one day pursue my Christian music ministry full time. My passion motivates me to look beyond the “starving artist” as it relates to the term. I use my experience and general obstacles in the music realm to feed starving minds knowledge.Mazzi: What do you think your greatest opportunity has been so far in your musical career?Rifica: The opportunity to perform in St. Croix Virgin Islands. That was my first international show. I knew that my wife and I were going out there on vacation so I reached out to different groups online through Facebook. I was only looking to do maybe two songs with someone else’s show. A ministry contacted me back and expressed how they liked what I was doing and offered me my own show! It was a bit much, they wanted me to do more shows than I intended. Since I was on vacation I shortened my performance but was very grateful for the opportunity.Mazzi: What image do you think your music conveys and why did you choose this type of image for your music?Rifica: Originally in 2009 I came out with a line dance song called the Gospel Step. It is a Christian version of the Wobble song and the Cupid Shuffle. It turned out to be one of my biggest songs. After that I ended up making remixes to those songs as well. I created the Gospel Wobble and the Righteous Shuffle. The Gospel Wobble has been big for me. I have gained about 30,000 views on YouTube because a lot of Christian DJs appreciated the vibe it created at functions. My image depends on where I am going. I am a chameleon with my image and I am versatile with the audience I am performing for.Mazzi: Art and music has an impact on both the young and the old; sometimes the older generation loses respect for the music we listen to today because they cannot comprehend the value of it. What advice can you give to the youth of today seeking to enter the industry in regards to being able to stay relevant for every generation and for any audience?Rifica: Good music is good music. It is going to speak to you no matter what age you are. For instance, I was teaching at the elementary level when Michael Jackson died. I witnessed first through fifth graders rock out to his music like it was brand new. The older artists should take the younger artists to the side and mentor them. They can school them on making more content driven and conscious music.Mazzi: What are your immediate music career goals (1 to 3 years)?Rifica: I would like to go full time with my music ministry within the next one to three years. I feel like music is my calling in this life. Next year I plan to make more music videos. I would like to also do a mix tape with all original music instead of doing covers with other peoples beats.Mazzi: Do you have other interests or talents that you would like to share with us?Rifica: I love the Marching band and brass instruments. I am a multi talented person. I have just recently gotten into spoken word. Not sure if this is a talent or not, but since becoming more interactive in social media I have created a periscope to give back. I am speaking to the people on how to grow their business and themselves as a brand through social media marketing. There are a lot of people who will give a little bit of information and then try to charge you, but that isn’t what I am doing. People have helped me throughout my journey and I am giving back to them for free.Mazzi: How do you like to enjoy your time away from the music?Rifica: I like to watch the Rockets basketball team although they haven’t done too well this season. I am very big on basketball so you may catch me at one of the local churches playing. I also like to watch Criminal Minds when I am relaxing away from the music.Make sure you follow Rifica on all of his social media handles listed below!FB: https://www.facebook.com/RIFICA777Twitter: https://twitter.com/rificaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rifica777/Website http://www.rifica.net/Also, if you are going to be in the Houston areas next month or already reside there or close, mark your calendar for July 30th as he will be performing at the Comfort Zone Concert Mountain Top Ministries SE 8420 Almeda Genoa Rd, Houston, TX 77075 . To my readers, thank you for tuning in, and make sure you stay tuned for the next NMNJ “One on One in 10”! Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment.This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
