Although Drake and the Weeknd might have put Toronto on the map, the city has a roster full of producers who have been doing that work behind the scenes for years.
Ritchie Acheampong, who goes by Rich Kidd, is one of those producers who’s been helping other artists sing about how proud they are to be from Toronto.
Recently, he was the creative director behind Maestro Fresh induction in the Canadian Hall of Fame and led music direction behind the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop last year.
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Acheampong told Now Toronto he didn’t have the most stable childhood until he fell in love with music.
“I’ve had some moments where I’ve been on the other side. I’ve been to prison, I’ve sold drugs, but my music isn’t about portraying that image. I make music that my kids, my nieces, and parents can bump to,” he said.
However, that didn’t stop the kid’s ambition, who has achieved a long list of accolades as a producer, JUNO-winning music artist, A&R executive, film director, DJ, event planner, actor, and community leader at the Remix Project.
The Mississauga native got his start in the mid-2000s with production credits for Drake, Busta Rhymes, and Shad. The next decade included working with Kendrick Lamar, performing at Manifesto, directing a short film at TIFF, teaming up with the Raptors, hosting a VICE documentary for Indigenous Hip-Hop, and releasing a range of albums and mixtapes.
Acheampong was one of the first Toronto artists to rap about what it’s like to be from the Six on his song “Hometown.”
“It’s always been about keeping it real to where I’m from and what I represent. I show my neighbourhood in the music video. I’m not trying to portray any other image.”
As Acheampong continues to expand as much as he can, giving back to the community has always been important to him.
He’s hosting an interview series called “Journey’s,” which provides in-depth advice on production skills sponsored by RBC music in collaboration with Remix Project, an organization that professionally develops youth who face barriers in the music industry.
The series might be in collaboration with one of Toronto’s only Black female producers who’s worked with Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Rihanna, and SZA.
“A lot of artists don’t reach for the certain heights we could to get our names out there, and a lot of us aren’t willing to do certain things to get there.”
Acheampong is preparing to go on his first international tour in over seven European countries with Harm Franklin from May 20 to June 9.
He’s currently working on a compilation album that is set to be released in the fall.
“I never wanted to be fully immersed in the business to the point where it makes me question why I love art, but now I know I can do it all.”
