Riky Rick | Picture: Instagram
The funeral of rapper Riky Rick is set to get underway in Johannesburg this morning.
Although his family has planned an intimate gathering for his send-off, the service is being livestreamed.
Click here to view the stream.
The family also has a memorial planned for Friday, 4 March 2022 and it is expected to be attended by close friends, family and selected media.
Riky Rick’s memorial will also be livestreamed.
Riky Rick died on Wednesday and is said to have taken his own life.
Friends of the rapper took to social media hours after his death to speak about suicide, mental health and their own struggles with both.
This sparked a larger conversation about the mental health crisis, particularly among men.
There have also been a number of conversations in which people have shared their ideas for how best to honour Riky’s family and hold them up in love as they wade through their grief.
Tabloid publication Sunday World published Riky Rick’s last words to his family as their lead on Sunday, and laid bare the private messages he has left behind for his wife and two children.
Born Rikhado Muziwendlovu Makhado on 20 July 1987, Riky Rick was a rapper, songwriter, singer, composer, entrepreneur and fashion designer.
He was known a family man who nurtured and developed young musical talent, which is what rapper Riky Rick’s family believe he will be remembered for.
The Makhado family confirmed his death with “profound sadness” on Wednesday afternoon.
“Son, husband, father, brother and uncle, Riky ‘Rick’ Makhado, 34, sadly passed away in the early hours of [23 February] in Johannesburg.
Affectionately known as Rik Rick across the globe, he was deeply loved by his family, friends and the entire entertainment industry,” read part of a statement issued by Melanie Ramjee of Tutone Communications.
“Riky’s nurturing and developing of young musical talent is well documented and will forever be remembered.”
He was the founder and owner of the record label Cotton Club Records, as well as the founder of the annual Cotton Fest, which is set to take place over two days next month.
Though already deeply entrenched in the hip hop music scene at the time, Riky Rick’s rise to fame began when he released a single, Nafukwa, in 2014.
He then released a full album, Family Values (2015), which was declared certified platinum by the Recording Industry of South Africa.
He was also a member of the Boyz N Bucks collective alongside MkayFrash, OkMalumKoolKat, Stilo Magolide, Dokta Spizee, Bhubesii, uSanele and Scoop Makhathini. Many of them went on to solo careers in the fashion and entertainment industry.
He was nominated in the category of artist of the decade at the South African Hip Hop Awards 2021, and won best collaboration at the same ceremony.
In the past week, he released an official statement about a partnership deal with African Bank.
In a post, he wrote: “I invite you to walk through those doors with me. I invite you to see yourself as more than just a spectator but a vessel of infinite potential. I invite you on a journey of turning our dreams into our reality.”
The 34-year-old rapper leaves behind his wife and manager, Bianca Naidoo, children Jordan and Maik Daniel Makhado, his mother and five siblings.
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