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Riff Raff | |
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 Riff Raff performing in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Born | Horst Christian Simco (1982-01-29)January 29, 1982 (age 44) |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Rapper |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels |
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| Formerly of | |
Horst Christian Simco[2] (born January 29, 1982), known professionally asRiff Raff (often stylized asRiFF RAFF),[3] is an American rapper fromKaty, Texas.[4] He was originally managed bySwishahouse co-founderOG Ron C in 2011.[5] After initially signing withSoulja Boy's record labelStacks on Deck Entertainment, Simco signed with producerDiplo'sMad Decent label to release his debut studio album,Neon Icon (2014).[6] Despite mixed critical response, it moderately entered theBillboard 200 along with his second albumPeach Panther (2016), which was released byWarner Records. Prior to the latter's release, Simco entered a US$4 million joint partnership with Stampede Management andBMG for his Neon Nation label and production company.[7] The joint deal fell apart in the wake of legal disputes following the release of the 2012 filmSpring Breakers.
Simco was formerly a member of the hip hop groupThree Loco, along withAndy Milonakis andDirt Nasty, who reunited on hisBalloween 2016 Halloween mixtape performing "Bitches in my Driveway". The trio premiered a Christmas parody song, "Ho-Ho-Loco", in theTBSSurprise! Instant Xmas Carol special.[8] In February 2018, Riff Raff signed with singerBlackbear's Beartrap Sound for a reported US$500,000.[9]
Simco was born on January 29, 1982, inHouston, Texas, to Anita Isaacs, a maid, and Ronald Simco, aVietnam War veteran with severepost-traumatic stress disorder, who worked various jobs, including as a police officer andWalmart manager.[10][11][12] His mother grew up inShaker Heights, Ohio, descending from a family ofGerman Jews andLithuanian Jews that included several survivors and victims of theHolocaust.[13] Riff Raff is the second of four siblings. He and his family lived inCopperfield, a suburb 25 miles northwest of Houston. Growing up he was obsessed with basketball, playing frequently with other children in his neighborhood. The Simcos had moved to nearby Stone Creek. He attendedLangham Creek High School, where he wasshooting guard on his school's basketball team, before dropping out in his senior year.[10] Shortly thereafter he obtained hisGED.[13]
After his parents divorced, his father was diagnosed with tonsil cancer and the family moved toDuluth, Minnesota, to get his father out of the heat into a cooler environment. For a time, Riff Raff and his siblings were shuttled back and forth between Duluth and Houston, where their mother remained. In 2001, he enrolled atHibbing Community College inHibbing, Minnesota, where he played on the basketball team for a month and majored in liberal arts.[10][13] Feeling out of place, he dropped out in 2003 and moved back to Houston, where he painted cars in the in-vogue "candy-colored" style and gradually built his new identity.[10] He eventually relocated to Los Angeles and began to take his rapping career seriously.[2]
Riff Raff started rapping in 2005, making homemade CDs of his rapping over other artists' beats, and passing them out at various malls in theGreater Houston Area includingKaty Mills Mall. He credited his early influences being Texas veteran rappersDevin the Dude andPaul Wall.[13] Riff Raff took advantage of social media onMyspace,YouTube andWorldStarHipHop in late 2008, releasing songs, freestyle-videos, and sketch clips, which showcased his talent asslapstick andperformance art. He did this with the help of his first talent manager, DB da Boss, whose studio provided recording and video services. DB spoke withLA Weekly about the rapper, saying "He was very driven, very ambitious. You couldn't deny his work ethic", going on to say, "Underneath that shell is a very intelligent man."[14] He looked up to Northside Houston rappers from labelSwishahouse, who were blowing up around that time, including Paul Wall,Chamillionaire andSlim Thug. He began doing his hair up in braids popular among "Northsiders" like Slim Thug and shopping for bling at TV Jewelry, a store co-owned by Paul Wall and charismatic Vietnamese immigrant "TV"Johnny Dang, from whom Riff Raff also purchased gold grills. Like many other artists from Houston, Riff Raff also spent much of his time selling CDs at colleges and malls, occasionally alongside other local talent such at Fat Tony and Freestyle Bully.[10]
In an effort to get on television he went on many auditions, including for a part in a peanut butter commercial intended for a teenager. He and his friend also tried out forP. Diddy'sMaking the Band, to no avail. He was so determined to become famous that he flew toAtlanta to try out forMTV's reality showFrom G's to Gents. When he learned that he had made the cast for theprogram's second season, before taping had even begun, he immediately got a giant MTV logo tattooed on his neck and adjusted his stage name to "MTV Riff Raff". Though he was eliminated from the series on the second episode, he left an impression on viewers through his extravagant way of dressing and funny ad-libs.[10][15][16] Upon the season's debut in early 2009, appearance on the show would garner an immediate reaction to him, which catapulted his career.[10]
The same year actor, comedian and rapperSimon Rex noticed Riff Raff after being shown to him by notable producerThe Alchemist. Rex contacted Riff Raff after watching one of his freestyle videos in which he revealed his phone number, and soon enough the two became friends and began recording as Riff Raff and Dirt Nasty.[10] The pair later formed a rap groupThree Loco along with comedianAndy Milonakis, increasing Riff Raff's popularity by tapping into the two celebrities' fan bases.[10][16]
Beginning in 2011, Riff Raff began to be managed byOG Ron C (ofSwishahouse fame) and moved to Los Angeles.[10] Riff Raff then started releasing more music videos that furthered the artist's internet fame. Those include songs such as "Jose Canseco",[17] and "Marc Jacobs".[18] Then in mid-2011, Riff Raff signed to Soulja Boy's labelS.O.D. Money Gang Inc.[19] Riff Raff joined Soulja Boy's SODMG label before they met in person; no paperwork was ever signed. However, Riff Raff still wore the imprint's chain, got its logo tattooed, and again adjusted his stage name, this time to Riff Raff SODMG.[10] They would remain affiliated for around a year, but the label did not push or pay Riff Raff, which would result in him leaving the label. Soulja Boy publicly called Riff Raff a "cokehead" following their split.[10][20]
Some time before the official split Riff Raff affiliated with producers such asDiplo andHarry Fraud, as well as with Queens rapperAction Bronson. The music video he released for his collaboration with Fraud and Bronson, "Bird on a Wire", hit the one million plays-mark in roughly two months.[21] "Bird on a Wire" was listed as the 27th best song of 2012 byComplex Music.[22]
In early 2012 he would release music videos for the songs, "Larry Bird",[3] "Time"[23] and theChief Keef collaboration "Cuz My Gear", among others.[24] In April 2012, Riff Raff also announced a collaborative album with Diplo tentatively titledJody Highroller with guestsSkrillex,Usher, Soulja Boy,Gucci Mane,Mystikal andRusko.[25] In June 2012, Riff Raff released the .Summer of Surf mixtape.[26] He signed with Diplo's labelMad Decent in June 2012.[27] The same year he released the album,The Golden Alien, independently in July [citation needed] which feature tracks produced by MikeChekMusic, "Freeze Dried", "Obtuse Angle". It was followed by the release of the mixtape,Birth of an Icon, in August, which was listed byStereogum as their "Mixtape of the Week".[28][29]
Following the release of his mixtapeHologram Panda with producerDame Grease, Riff Raff toldMTV that his upcomingMad Decent second studio album would be titledRiff Raff, The Neon Icon, later shortened toNeon Icon.[30] In February 2013 he toldComplex that his second studio album is due out some time during the third quarter of 2013.[31]
On June 25, 2013, he released a single titled "Dolce & Gabbana", produced by DJ Carnage as the first single fromNeon Icon, however two days later he announced that the song wouldn't be included on the album.[32][33][34] He was also featured onFar East Movement's single "The Illest" around the same time. Then on July 12, 2013, he released another non album single titled "Mr. Popular", and four days later released the music video for the song.[35][36] In August 2013, Riff Raff announced that he would be releasing a collaboration album withAction Bronson titledGalaxy Gladiators in 2014.[37][38]
On November 26, 2013, he released the first official single forNeon Icon titled "How To Be the Man" and produced by DJ Mustard.[39] That same month, Riff Raff toldRolling Stone in an interview that leading up to the album's release he would release various "left-over" tracks from the album's recording sessions[40] These notably included theBoi-1da produced "Real Boyz", featuring rappersOJ da Juiceman and Cap 1, as well as "Suckas Askin' Questions" with Lil Debbie and "Shoulda Won a Grammy" with Action Bronson.[41] In March 2014, prior to the album's release,Rolling Stone included the album on their list of "27 Must-Hear Albums of 2014".[42] On May 20, 2014, Riff Raff announced through his Twitter that after much delay,Neon Icon was scheduled for a June 24, 2014, release date.[43] The same day the official track listing for the album was revealed, which included previously announced collaborations Mac Miller, Childish Gambino, Paul Wall, Mike Posner and Amber Coffman ofDirty Projectors as well asSlim Thug.[44]
On the 2015Vans Warped Tour, Riff Raff hiredWe Came As Romans'bassist Andy Glass to play bass for him on the tour.
Riff Raff announced his intention to release his second studio albumPeach Panther on June 1, 2015. The first single, "Spazz Out" featuring production fromTravis Barker was released around this time, however the album itself would end up being delayed until 2016. He then released an EP entitledTrench Coat Towers in early November 2015. He extended the release date forPeach Panther several times, with early 2016 being cited on his Instagram as the current date. He was also featured on several singles during 2015, including "Doctor Pepper" withDiplo,CL, andOG Maco, andFlux Pavilion's single "Who Wants to Rock". In early 2016 he released the first single fromPeach Panther, "Carlos Slim". The album was eventually released on June 24, 2016.
In April 2016, Riff Raff announced a partnership with Stampede Management and BMG, raising US$4 million for his Neon Nation Corporation to invest in music as well as in "movies and talent across the globe to build an entertainment empire."[45] Since his second studio albumPeach Panther he has released 3 projects with DJ Afterthought starting out with 2016 Halloween mixtape, "BALLOWEEN" featuringQuavo,Skepta,Trae tha Truth,Travis Barker and many more. Most of the songs off "BALLOWEEN" have been stashed away for month's and were finally released. Next, January 30, 2017Aquaberry Aquarius dropped having super starsWiz Khalifa and Lisa Cimorelli from the 6 sister groupCimorelli, also having underground famous rap starsBones,Fat Nick and Germ. "The White West", referring to himself as "the whiteKanye West" dropped August 4, 2017, having upcoming artists like Dice SoHo and Jimmy Wopo on the project.
On February 9, 2018, Riff Raff and DJ Afterthought released the albumCool Blue Jewels with features fromWiz Khalifa,Chevy Woods,Jimmy Wopo,Young Buck andProject Pat, among others. On November 9, 2018, Riff Raff released a mixtape titledTangerine Tiger with guest appearances fromZ-Ro,Lil Tracy, Ricki Rich among others. On April 12, 2019, Riff Raff released his third studio album titledPink Python with guest appearances from Chief Keef, J-Dawg, and Killah Priest. Riff Raff premiered his single "Jazzmine" with theHouston Chronicle, a remake of "A Whole New World" fromAladdin featuringIliana Eve, Jonathan Hay, Aneesa Badshaw, Ranna Royce and others.[46][47] On October 25, 2019, Riff Raff released his fourth studio album titledCranberry Vampire, with appearances from Simon Rex, Andy Milonakis, Chief Keef, and others.
On "Double Cup", an episode ofFXX'sMajor Lazer, he made a guest appearance as Double Cup, The Codeine Scientist.
Riff Raff competed on a special for theMTV reality seriesThe Challenge, premiering November 21, 2017, and titledChamps vs. Stars.[48]
On February 15, 2012, film directorHarmony Korine contacted Riff Raff about appearing in an upcoming movie of his, which would turn out to beSpring Breakers.[49] Once the details of the movie came out, there was speculation that the main character Alien was based on Riff Raff.[50] However, according toJames Franco, his character was based on the underground rap artist Dangeruss. He said "Of course Harmony and I looked at some of Riff Raff's videos as inspiration, but he was one of a number of people we looked at. I would say the biggest influence on the role was this local Florida rapper named Dangeruss. He's fairly unknown, but he was down there in the place, living the life, and he became the biggest model for me, and he's in the movie."[51] There was much back and forth between both camps about the issue, including Riff Raff appearing in a cameo forOne Life to Live playing a character called "Jamie Franko".[52] In July 2013, Riff Raff announced he was suing the creators ofSpring Breakers for $10 million for using his image without permission.[53] However, a search for court documents byLA Weekly in September 2013 resulted in no findings.[10]
In 2017, Riff Raff partnered with Reef Dispensaries to develop and endorse two new strains of marijuana.[54] Riff Raff has also collaborated with the cannabis subscription box company Daily High Club to create a Riff Raff smoking supply box containing smoking products and accessories inspired by his stage persona.[55]
Riff Raff has a large number of tattoos, including the logos forWorldStarHipHop,NBA, andMTV, which he had acquired during auditions for the 2009 reality TV showFrom G's to Gents. Previously, he had aBET tattoo on the front of his right shoulder, which was later covered up with a tattoo of his dog, "Jody Husky".[13] He is a fan ofThe Simpsons, with a tattoo of Bart holding test tubes that reads "The Freestyle Scientist" on his chest.[10] He also has a large gothic cross below his left shoulder, framed by a prayer that reads, "Dear Jesus, Please Let Me In. Your Child, Horst Simco."[13]
On August 11, 2013, Riff Raff was arrested inGreensboro, North Carolina after police found an open container of alcohol,marijuana, another unspecified illegal substance and drug paraphernalia in his vehicle. Riff Raff was booked into jail along with the two passengers in his vehicle, and was released without bail later that night.[56][57]
On May 31, 2018, Riff Raff was accused of drugging and raping a woman after a 2013 show in Melbourne. All venues on his Australian and New Zealand tour subsequently canceled his scheduled concerts.[58] Afterward, a second woman, aged 17 at the time, alleged that inMilwaukee, Riff Raff invited her on his tour bus; according to the accuser, he proceeded to touch her repeatedly while making suggestive comments.[59]
On January 22, 2020, Riff Raff settled a lawsuit related to a sexual assault claim made against him, from a 2014 incident at a Nevada brothel.[60]
| Television | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | TV show | Role |
| 2009 | From G's to Gents | Himself |
| 2013 | One Life to Live | Jamie Franko |
| Ridiculousness | Himself | |
| 2014 | Wild 'n Out | |
| 2015 | Major Lazer | Double Cup (voice) |
| 2017 | Peach Panther | Himself |
| The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars | ||
| 2020 | Sonic the Hedgehog | Himself; scenes deleted |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
