Shock, disbelief, and denial enveloped South Africa’s showbiz after news broke that Rikhado “Riky Rick” Makhado had died on Wednesday morning.
The award-winning hip-hop artist was not only a force within the music industry, but also a trailblazer in the world of fashion. Riky Rick, 34, broke into the music scene in 2014 with Nafukwa, a banger of a track.
He also had collaborations with former friend Cassper Nyovest, Kwesta, Kid X, Anatii, and Yanga Chief on songs like Amantombazane, Fuseg, and uTatakho remix. He recently trended with Big Zulu’s iMali Eningi.
Riky Rick was also a style icon, brave in his choices, even though he was often criticised for it. His dress code was never what many people expected a rapper to look like. The married father of two was also no stranger to fashion shows across the world.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
As the founder of Cotton Club Records, which he expanded into a festival, Cotton Fest, Riky Rick had also made it a lifestyle and clothing brand. Having also collaborated with Puma as well as MaXhosa and Okapi on a capsule collection, he often arrived at all the celebrity A-lister events with garments that grabbed the attention.
He was soon dubbed the King Kotini of “luxury insouciance”.
A look that had everyone talking and saw him trend on the socials was when he rocked up at Samas 24 in 2018 in an avant-garde look: brown-printed pants, a multi-coloured jersey and a brown-tweed coat paired with a matching red hat and face mask.
He was dressed by renowned South African designer Chularp Suwannapha. Proclaimed as the “prince of prints”, Suwannapha’s work received global recognition and also appeared in Vogue.
To answer his critiques on why he chose this “strange” look, Riky Rick said: “If you deprive a lion from living in the house, he’ll fight to be accepted in. This is how man imprisons a born king.”
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
His Cotton Fest shows were always sold-out. After taking a break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival was set to return after 20 months, on March 19 this year, promising to be even bigger and better.
View this post on Instagram
As the messages of condolences continue to pour in, we look back on some the rapper’s jams that had Mzansi in awe:
Nafukwa
Amantombazane
Sidlukotini
Ungazincishi
Boss Zonke
You and I feat Mlindo the Vocalist
For the latest entertainment news from Sunday World, click here.
Or read the latest from Shwashwi here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
