At its core, hip-hop is a genre that oozes machismo. This male chauvinism that permeates throughout the hip-hop community often manifests itself in disdain for homosexuality. Words like ‘faggot’ and ‘dyke’ are familiar end rhymes in the expansive lexicon of rap music. However in recent years, as social tides have begun to shift, there has been a slowly building sea change within the genre. Female artists have become dominant in the mainstream and the underground has become one place where openly gay artists can thrive without sacrificing their identity. One of those unsung heroes is Indiana native Ripparachie.
Atlanta based Ripparachie has been active in the underground for a better part of the decade, yet truly became himself when he came out as gay in the year 2012. That same year, during the presidential campaigns, he took it upon himself to record a Mitt Romney diss track that ridiculed the dated social policies of the then-Republican presidential candidate. Fast-forward to present day and Ripparachie is as active as ever. Last month, Ripparachie released a music video for his track “Bouncing” featuring lyrics like:
Walked out the trap like a pageant // Bitch I’m fly you a maggot // Broad shoot if you say faggot
His most recent single, “Flickin’ Shade,” featuring production by Marvin Cruz, is a high energy SoundCloud rap hit. Marked by its sustained flute melody, Ripparachie brings a ton of charisma as he switches up flows throughly delivering an infectious hook that begs to be rapped along with. Lines like “they flickin’ shade that’s ok ’cause there’s no love lost” make it clear that Rachie isn’t distracted by any outside noise and any haters that might ‘flick’ shade his way. It’s no question that Ripparachie’s homosexuality is as much a part of his music as it is a part of his identity, but there is no sense in pigeonholing him. Ripparachie has the talent and stylistic diversity to match up against some of the best in the underground. It’d be an utterly disastrous mistake for anyone to mistake his sexuality for being soft.
Look for Ripparachie to continue dropping singles into 2019 and keep your eyes out for a potential collaborative project with Awful Record’s Lord Narf. Until then, you can stream his latest single “Flickin’ Shade” below.