While he is from uptown, he gives no telltale signs that he is from the hip-hop haven that Puffy made famous with his shiny suits and later on Cam’Ron with his pink attire. Riz has a more subdued style and has the ability to craft tracks that appeal to audiences, whether from the smallest town in Mississippi or the streets of NYC.
Riz is also living proof that it takes more than talent and a big name behind you to make it big in this business as he still sees the struggle on a daily basis. Despite the obstacles a new artist is bound to face in today’s rap scene, it’s only a matter of time for Riz, as his grind has brought him this far. Sixshot.com caught up with Riz to discuss working with Sha Money XL, his mixtape, and why the game is changing, and not for the better.
You’re from Harlem but you’re style doesn’t really indicate that, do you hear that a lot?
I get that a lot. As far as musically and how I compose my records I get that a lot. For me it’s a good thing because people who really listen to music as far as composition and arrangement tend
to pick up on things like that.
"Position of Power"as hot, were you happy with the response you got?
I think it was a hit and miss situation with that. It didn’t have the impact that I wanted it to have. It was a real good body of work but I think it skipped over peoples heads a little bit, I wanted a lot of people to get their hands on that. I guess we should have pushed it in a different way and I think we should have gone a lot harder than we did.
I feel you, so tell me, how did you hook up with Sha Money XL?
I was actually signed to David The Jeweler and I would be around certain video shoots like G-Unit and I’d just be around with my jewelry on and I’d be observing and seeing how they do it at the next level. I stayed in the cut and people started wondering who I was. After being around so much, Dave and Will, my manager's at the time went to the studio where they were mixing down Young Buck's album and he gave Sha my music. Sha called and said he wanted to work with us so we met up. Our first recording session was at the old Sony studios before they closed it down. He wanted to see how we would work one on one and we been working ever since.
Has your relationship with him raised people’s awareness of you in the industry?
I’m sure it has because last year when I was trying to meet people or do certain things it was a little harder. He has a different knowledge of the game than Dave. He was able to get to certain outlets and make it so more people know about me. It was based off his past and track record of working with G-Unit and other big artists. That connection alone brought a lot of awareness.
So have a lot of labels been approaching you?
We met with Jay-Z two weeks before he left Def Jam, we met with Atlantic. We met with some powerhouses as far as the record labels and this business is different than I expected and different than Sha expected, especially with the things that I’ve done and getting the response that I’ve been getting from all around. They like my music, my image, but I don’t have that record that been getting 500 or 600 spins a week. That’s what you need to get signed these days so it’s been rough.
Do you feel it’s like that because of the times? Do you feel if you came in the game five years ago you would have been signed already?
I can’t say that because I don’t feel I would have been as prepared musically as I am today. In 2005, I really got into hip-hop because I had some problems with the law and I really wanted to change my speed and turn my life around. I put out an indie album in my neighborhood called Young King of New York and that basically launched my rap career. The people in my neighborhood thought I should run with it so I been going hard ever since. I think New York is a selfish city. Everybody wants to be on top and be number one. You rarely see guys pulling people up and helping them blow. You might see a guy put somebody on but they keep them at bay so you can only associate them with that person and that’s what New York has become.
Why do you think things work like that in New York?
We have hip-hop powerhouses here like 50, Jay, and Diddy. It’s small in New York in terms of places you can go to win. Another thing, and this isn’t to downgrade New York music but it’ s not really believable anymore. The streets aren’t like they were four or five years ago when you came down here and people were clubbing downtown, popping bottles, and driving a fast car. It’s not that type of New York anymore, so in turn, the rap is suffering because you can’t rap about that no more and it be believable like Ross, Jeezy, and these guys from the South. When they rap about jewelry, cars, and money it’s believable because the money is different in Atlanta and Miami. It got to the point where rappers in New York can only talk about violence and guns and that’s not appealing to the masses anymore. The creativity is limited right now and we’re suffering as a city trying to get fresh people out there because epeople don’t wanna hear it, it’s like a different sound.
What’s your game plan to get around all these obstacles?
It’s like a gift and a curse for me, I’m diverse. I got a song called 'Brand New Cadillac'that the Track Boyz did and it’s fitting for what’s going on right now in the industry. I know it could win but when you send it out to the radio, because that’s really the only way to go these days is to pay somebody and keep paying them until the record gets where you want it to be. You really gotta have some money behind you. When we send a record, they know it’s Riz but they don’t think it’s cool to put out a record from New York that sounds like that but if you send a New York sounding record and it doesn’t catch, you don’t wanna waste your money. Me being diverse is hard because they criticize that I’m from New York. I could be from anywhere in the world right now and I’ll have a deal but I’m from New York. They judge everything harder.
Right now, as far as the game plan, I have a record with J.R. Writer, actually I’ve had it for about two years now. It’s called 'Put ‘Em Up' and it’s a really, really good record, expecially coming from me, it’s real well composed and everything. To this day we think that’s the record. Carl Blaze, God Bless him, started to play the record but when he got killed we lost our DJ support. You turn on New York radio and you rarely hear New York rappers.
So you think you need that one banger to get over the hump?
It’s real sad to have to say it like that man. These days you don’t know what record is a hit record until you put it out to the people and the people have to decide. The audience was different when Big and Pac were alive. People were feeling lyrics, flow, concepts, you know, now so long as you got a popcorn beat and a catchy hook and you’re good, people don’t care what you’re saying. In New York, we gotta try to sound simple but we cant be too simple, it’s just hard to judge which record is gonna hit. There’s only so many people you can go to for hits, Timbaland, Dre, Jr. Rotem, Polow The Don but these are multi million dollar people, you talkin’ 200 or 250 thousand for some beats, it doesn’t make sense.
What are you working on right now that we should check for?
At this moment, we’re trying to figure out which record we’re gonna put out there. We really had to come back to the table and decide what our next move was gonna be. That’s where we at, back to the drawing board. We’re not really recording, there’s some confusion within the camp as to what the next move is gonna be. My YouTube hits are at like 65,000 so I’m connecting with the people. Nobody understands how I could not have a deal.
Anything you wanna say to your fans out there?
Yeah, thanks for the support. Real recognize real and eventually the truth will come to the light. Keep your ears and eyes open because I’m coming.
Bone Crusher
Riz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Diamond shining in my chain
Bring me bottle after bottle
What a fresh champagne
Gotta have a . for cush
You know it ain't brain
Couple bottle of Patron
Poppin i′ma make you rain
The way she do her thing
Spotting me her bone plus she
Shawty what's your name
Look who call me .handle in this bends
She shawty self made 'cause she get it actually
So she ain′t got a man, she ain′t got a pen
So shiny like a pen, what it do, what it is
I'm holding on that hand
Like something got her hand
Till i get your phone number shawty use a bone crusher
Now what your name is
Getting poppin shawty
You ain′t the show bends
You see me lots and .
Can't get my name .
Now can you drop it for me
And that′s my main friends
You kick it like some want it
You know me cooking in the mud
Looking from me bove
Fly up in the club
. A bone 'cause you′re bone bone bone
.'cause she' fighting me a bone crusher
Spotting me a bone crush mama sold fish
Total in the .let em hit you with the .miss em
White and brown i don′t mix bottle and .
Rock and low my mind kiss
Hey i got a level fix
Take you when nobody yet
Range all your .yet
Ask like you′re working up somebody ain't .
You ain′t . a risk down .where you find me at
No top . when the front page model
See baby i'm the lot of . hey shawty take pitch
Cup .bling everything to rock a fish
White on white . show you what your name is
Shawty give me hell like she brained in my .
In the opening lines of Riz's song Bone Crusher, the rapper is seemingly living the high life: walking through the club with a diamond chain, being given bottle after bottle of fresh champagne, and popping Patron without a care in the world. He's approached by a woman who catches his attention, and they engage in conversation. She's self-made, and he's intrigued by her independence. He holds her hand while asking for her phone number, calling her a "bone crusher".
Throughout the rest of the song, Riz continues to boast about his luxurious lifestyle and the power he wields because of his status. He's uninterested in women who can't keep up with him, asking one to "drop it for me" and telling another that she "ain't worth the risk". His self-assuredness is palpable, and he claims to be the "lot of [his] city". The song concludes with Riz essentially patting himself on the back for his accomplishments and reminding us all that he's a force to be reckoned with.
The lyrics of Bone Crusher can be interpreted as a commentary on materialism and the pursuit of power and wealth. Riz is clearly enjoying the luxuries that his status affords him, and he's unapologetic in his desire for more. He sees himself as someone who operates at the top of his city's social hierarchy, and he's on the lookout for others who can match his level of ambition and success. At the same time, there's a hint of sadness to the song - Riz seems to be searching for something more, even as he indulges in the superficial pleasures of his lifestyle.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm walking through the club
I'm strolling around the club
Diamond shining in my chain
My diamond chain is sparkling
Bring me bottle after bottle
Keep giving me more bottles
What a fresh champagne
This champagne is really nice
Gotta have a . for cush
I need a blunt for weed
You know it ain't brain
It's not difficult to understand
Couple bottle of Patron
Few bottles of Patron
Poppin i′ma make you rain
I'll make it rain when I start popping bottles
Tryin to look me for the love
Trying to get noticed by me
The way she do her thing
The way she's dancing and moving
Spotting me her bone plus she
She's showing me her bone and
Shawty what's your name
Hey girl, what's your name?
Look who call me .handle in this bends
Check out who's calling me on my phone from their Mercedes car
She shawty self made 'cause she get it actually
She's an independent woman who earns her money
So she ain′t got a man, she ain′t got a pen
She doesn't have a boyfriend or a pen to write her number
So shiny like a pen, what it do, what it is
Her jewelry is shining like a pen, what's up?
I'm holding on that hand
I'm holding onto her hand
Like something got her hand
Someone is holding her hand
Till i get your phone number shawty use a bone crusher
I won't let go of her hand until she gives me her phone number; she's a tough girl to 'crush'
Now what your name is
So, what's your name again?
Getting poppin shawty
You're getting popular, girl
You ain′t the show bends
You don't have the nicest car here
You see me lots and .
You see me around a lot but
Can't get my name .
You can't seem to remember my name
Now can you drop it for me
Now could you give me your number?
And that′s my main friends
That's what my friends do too
You kick it like some want it
You're acting like you don't want to give it to me
You know me cooking in the mud
You know I'm hustling in the dirt
Looking from me bove
Looking down on me
Fly up in the club
I'm flying high at the club
. A bone 'cause you′re bone bone bone
I'm calling you a 'bone' because you're very hard to get
.'cause she' fighting me a bone crusher
She's a tough one to crack like a bone and she's 'crushing' me back
Spotting me a bone crush mama sold fish
This girl is a tough one to get; she's as strong as her fish-selling mother
Total in the .let em hit you with the .miss em
Total up the price and let them hit you with the tax and you'll miss the real cost
White and brown i don′t mix bottle and .
I don't mix white and brown spirits; we're going to drink straight from the bottle
Rock and low my mind kiss
My clothes and swag are uptight and I'm having a good time
Hey i got a level fix
Hey, I'm feeling amazing
Take you when nobody yet
I'll take you when no one has yet
Range all your .yet
Drive your Range Rover, girl
Ask like you′re working up somebody ain't .
You're acting like you're interested in someone else but you're not
You ain′t . a risk down .where you find me at
You're not taking a risk by being with me; this is where I hang out
No top . when the front page model
You can't wear a top when you're as good-looking as a front-page model
See baby i'm the lot of . hey shawty take pitch
Hey girl, I'm the big shot here; let's take a photo
Cup .bling everything to rock a fish
My cup and everything I'm wearing is sparkling to show that I'm a successful hustler
White on white . show you what your name is
My all-white outfit will attract attention to you
Shawty give me hell like she brained in my .
This girl is giving me a tough time as if she has a hard skull and is using it against me
Contributed by Julia B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.