Riaad Sayed Sharlie is a coloured boy whose career was sparked by a simple music video. He considers a South African rap artist as his role model. Sharlie is from Eldorado Park and stays at the Hillbrow Flats along the Main Road.
He went to school in Eldorado Park and like many would say, if you not from Eldos, you won’t really know much about Eldos. The lifestyle within the community is not for the faint-hearted, the troubles that walk the streets can scar you for life. Sharlie based his rap on this lifestyle and what he experiences out in the streets.
Sharlie said, “I go by the stage name of ‘Ricco The Don’. I am a young man who went through a whole lot and has a lot to say through my music.
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“Growing up and being around the hip-hop scene moulded me into the artist that I am today. I try my best to portray the life I live through music, doing music is not only what I enjoy doing but it is what I prefer doing.”
Sharlie considers himself to be a very competitive person. He said, “I like the competitive nature of hip-hop, as I am a very competitive person because I try and give everything, in anything that I do. I’m a huge fan of South African music or let me rather say African music.”
He concluded, “I remember the first time I saw the AKA ‘Victory Lap’ music video on Channel O and that had me convinced that this was what I could do and what I enjoyed doing since then and just seeing how he progressed into such a huge role model and musician is what I envision for myself.”