Making music that embraces all that is new school while staying true to the old is a rare talent among hip hop artists. Because of this, it is musically refreshing to hear Richard Raw who gives his listeners a touch of his musical genius with every song he writes, lyric he spits, and beat he makes. Born on August 17, 1979 in Wilmington Delaware, Raw displayed his passion for music at a very young age. He was raised listening to 70’s music with Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and Stevie Wonder as some of his early favorites. Born on the cusp of the 1980’s hip hop boom, the same year that hip hop hit the mainstream with Sugarhill Gang’s hit song ‘Rapper’s Delight’ and the year that Kurtis Blow became the first rapper to sign a record deal on a major label, it was inevitable that Raw would become immersed in hip hop.
It was at the tender age of seven that Raw first realized that he had musical capabilities. During this time he watched as his sister and her friends formed a rap group and he immediately began imitating them to soon find that he had lyrical talent. Raw matured as the years progressed, as did his musical talent, and in 1997 at 17 years of age he signed his first contract with Stars of Tomorrow. Raw’s personal choice for the direction of his music career clashed with that of Stars of Tomorrow and they decided to part ways. Raw used this experience and his ever growing talents to jump start his musical career. He began doing shows all over his Tri-State area and caught the attention of Landspeed Records who gave him a distribution deal in 2001. While on Landspeed, Raw released his overseas hit ‘America’ but was unfortunately unable to release a whole album because of a devastating fire that destroyed all of his music.
Raw immediately began to re-establish himself as well as his music, and in 2002 he became an official member of the Philadelphia underground group Lost Children of Babylon (LCOB). They went on to release 3 independent albums that were later re-released on Baby Grande Records who gave the albums worldwide distribution. While remaining an active member of LCOB, Raw began his solo career. In 2004, through a mutual friend Raw met Mike J Music and together they formed Headlinerz Ent--. Using Headlinerz as his foundation, Raw reinvented, renewed, and improved himself as an artist. Since 2004, he has released countless mixtapes and the album ‘My City’, all adding to his artistic creditability.
As a poet, MC, producer, and songwriter, one cannot deny Richard Raw the comprehensive title ‘artist’. As proof that there is big talent in the small state Delaware, Richard Raw is up and coming competition for hip hop artists across the globe. When asked what makes him different, Raw simply states, “I’m versatile; no one is the same everyday and I am lucky enough to be able to express those differences through my music.â€
‘Nuff said.
This Site was created by Revolution Hip-Hop®
