2005 Client Roster: Rahki

Interview: Rahki
Published in Indie Street Magazine
By Kandis Knight

When Minnesota Timberwolves point guard, Troy Hudson opened the doors to his posh Minneapolis studio, he hired a 24-year-old producer to his in house staff, a decision that made many question.

“Rahki is one of the most all around talented and creative producers out there, that’s why it’s great to have him on the Nutty Boyz team,” explains T-Hud.

Rahki has released several of his own albums, Rocky Vol. 1 & 2, Rocky vs. FiC, Beat Bang and Who Made the Beat Bang vol. 1. "A beat should take an artist on a journey. I want people to feel my music before an artist puts lyrics to it," says Rahki, a music prodigy who grew up making music and was teaching music to his classmates by the time he reached junior high school.

The young producer has come a long way since teaching peers how to play instruments. His long list of credits include work with many artists such as, Memphis Bleek, Freeway, 36 Mafia, David Banner, UGK, Trick Daddy and countless other Midwestern artists. Rahki is known to many in the Midwest as the young Kanye West.

When Def Jam artist, Freeway heard Rock City’s Beat Bang he immediately hit the studio to do a remix. “This kid is focused!” says Freeway.

“His sound is different so national recording artists take a big interest in him. Rahki’s beats go hard to the core of your soul,” explains Mark Webster, Rahki’s manager and Midwestern Def Jam representative.

Rahki helped to secure big name features for T-Hud and produced the majority of the tracks on T-Hud’s newest album, Drafted, which was released on July 17th, 2007 distributed by EMI/Capitol Records.

Rahki also landed his first album placement this year with Def Jam/DTP Recording artist Small World, whose album is slated to drop September 18th 2007. “Rahki is gonna be on every album I drop,” says Small World.

Artists from all across the country are getting in line to get their Rahki beat before the young producer reaches critical acclaim, for more information visit: http://www.myspace.com/rockcityproductions.

2005 Client Roster: A & R

Artist Bio: A & R (Minneapolis)

By Kandis Knight

With a name like A & R, Minneapolis rapper Antonio Richards (where A & R is derived from) wants everyone to know he is 100% artist and nothing more.

“I am very complicated, very original, very focused,” says the gleaming twenty-five year old, who is poised to take Midwest music to a new plateau.

“The name A & R best sums me up. Music, is what I do, it’s what I live, it’s what I breathe.”

One listen and you will know this is an artist who is not afraid to take chances and has a keen sense of style and what sounds good.

For A & R, music began when he penned his first song. “I was 9 years-old it wasn’t really cool to rap back then,” he explains. “I remember hiding my notebooks from my boys so they wouldn’t make fun of my raps.”

With no label backing, A & R has received national radio air play (Atlanta 100.3, St. Louis 100.3, Tallahassee 90.2 etc.) “I have been making a name for myself with no label backing, no promo team just straight hard work and the strength of my music.”

“A & R has some serious support, a top notch production squad and the business organization in place that will propel his career far past the competition,” says Mark Webster, Jr., A & R’s manager and CEO of Rock City Productions (Mpls).

“I don’t look at myself as a rapper. I look at myself as a quality brand, that will give people a certain type of product consistently for years to come.”