Ric Shea: He can't survive without his radio

Despite the drama that surrounds Hip Hop music, Indie artist Ric Shea is no Russell Simmons, but he is helping to progress it, one mic at a time.


One thing is for sure: hip hop music has drastically changed since it’s late 1970’s conception. Nonetheless, there’s something in the music that keeps listeners shawty snapping, thunder clapping, and rocking away. Call Ric Shea old school, but his goals as an artist are a bit different than those who are producing today.

“As an Artist, I hope to take it [Hip Hop] back to its roots,” he reflects. “When I was young, hip hop spoke a lot of the struggle. Now all artists talk about is their money. Money is cool, but I’d like to think [that] the next generation is more important.”
A son of a jazz musician, the Chicago native understood the importance of quality music at an early age. That seed was planted when Ric Shea saw his father’s first performance before his sixth birthday. Since then, he’s been staying on his grind, all the while keeping in mind that he has a social responsibility to his listeners as an artist.

“I like to educate the kids, [and] thats what Chuck D and Flavor Flav did so well. Other artists followed, but we've gotten away from that. I would like to see us get Hip Hop’s essence back,” he said.

In the meantime, you can catch the conscious rapper making moves with some members of the Wu Tang Clan, hosting a party, and planning his next move while trying to take Hip Hop’s world by storm.

As for those who want to join Ric Shea in taking Hip Hop music to the next level he advises them to educate themselves. “Study music's icons of every era, then you'll see where the vets of hip hop got their love from,” he says. “We only love music because of the greats that came before us. That's why you have your Jay Z's and Big's and Nas's and Tupac's.”


Check out Ric Shea at http://www.myspace.com/ricshea