Rikrok
Encyclopedia
Ricardo George Ducent (born 17 June 1972, London
, England
) better known by his stage name Rikrok is an English
singer. Rikrok is most famous for the single "It Wasn't Me
" from Shaggy's Hot Shot
album
.
to England
in the mid 1960s in search of greater economic opportunities. Regarding his Jamaican influences during childhood, Rikrok noted "[when I was growing up it was pretty much Jamaican people who came over... My father was a big reggae
fan
, especially of Gregory Isaacs
, John Holt
and Dennis Brown
. He had a big record collection and on Sundays he would play music all day at home".
Rikrok was eleven years old when he returned to Jamaica with his family. While attending Manchester High School in Mandeville, Jamaica
, he discovered his singing talent and soon realized he had a flair for songwriting
. "One day I was listening to Babyface’s Tender Lover
album
and I remember thinking, I could probably be a songwriter", Rikrok says. "So I wrote a song, put it down, came back to it and tried it again. Then I started writing more and more songs. I wasn’t really good at it first; some of them were really corny, really stupid. But it was just a hobby and I never thought anything would come from it because it seemed like a completely unreachable dream being in the music business".
After completing high school
, Rikrok enrolled in Jamaica's University of the West Indies
, (UWI). In 1995 he became a backing singer for Patra
. When that tour ended, he returned to UWI to complete his education. After a brief stint performing with the Jamaican R&B
/reggae vocal
quartet
, Lust, Rikrok was offered a songwriting deal by Shaggy’s manager
, Robert Livingston. He would write songs and create rhythms on his home computer, then send the demos
to Livingston in New York.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) better known by his stage name Rikrok is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
singer. Rikrok is most famous for the single "It Wasn't Me
It Wasn't Me
"It Wasn't Me" is the first official single from reggae artist Shaggy's multi-platinum studio album Hot Shot, released on February 26, 2001. The song has since been regarded as Shaggy's breakthrough in the pop market, and is his highest charting song to date, topping the charts in Australia,...
" from Shaggy's Hot Shot
Hot Shot (album)
Hot Shot is the fifth studio album released by Jamaican rapper Shaggy. The album was first released on August 8, 2000, in the United States, before being issued in the United Kingdom on April 8, 2001, with a revised tracklisting. Hotshot was certified Diamond in the US, and has sold 8.8 million...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
.
Life and career
Rikrok's parents migrated from JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the mid 1960s in search of greater economic opportunities. Regarding his Jamaican influences during childhood, Rikrok noted "[when I was growing up it was pretty much Jamaican people who came over... My father was a big reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
fan
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
, especially of Gregory Isaacs
Gregory Isaacs
Gregory Anthony Isaacs was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in the New York Times, described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae". His nicknames include Cool Ruler and Lonely Lover....
, John Holt
John Holt (singer)
John Holt is a reggae singer and songwriter.-Biography:Holt was born in Kingston in 1947. By the age of 12, he was a regular entrant in talent contests run at Jamaican theatres by Vere Johns...
and Dennis Brown
Dennis Brown
Dennis Emmanuel Brown was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, a sub-genre of reggae...
. He had a big record collection and on Sundays he would play music all day at home".
Rikrok was eleven years old when he returned to Jamaica with his family. While attending Manchester High School in Mandeville, Jamaica
Mandeville, Jamaica
Mandeville is the capital and largest town in the parish of Manchester in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. In 2005, the town had an estimated population of 50,000, and including the immediate suburbs within a radius of the total population is about 72,000. It is located on an inland plateau at an...
, he discovered his singing talent and soon realized he had a flair for songwriting
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. "One day I was listening to Babyface’s Tender Lover
Tender Lover
Tender Lover is the second album by R&B singer, Babyface.-Reception:Released mid summer 1989, it contained his debut Top 10 hit, "It's No Crime", which reached #7 on the U.S. Hot 100 and later single "Whip Appeal", which reached #6 in the same chart...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
and I remember thinking, I could probably be a songwriter", Rikrok says. "So I wrote a song, put it down, came back to it and tried it again. Then I started writing more and more songs. I wasn’t really good at it first; some of them were really corny, really stupid. But it was just a hobby and I never thought anything would come from it because it seemed like a completely unreachable dream being in the music business".
After completing high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, Rikrok enrolled in Jamaica's University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
, (UWI). In 1995 he became a backing singer for Patra
Patra (singer)
Patra is a reggae singer. In her beginnings as a Female Dancehall deejay in the late 1980s, she used the stage name, Lady Patra...
. When that tour ended, he returned to UWI to complete his education. After a brief stint performing with the Jamaican R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
/reggae vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
, Lust, Rikrok was offered a songwriting deal by Shaggy’s manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
, Robert Livingston. He would write songs and create rhythms on his home computer, then send the demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
to Livingston in New York.
Singles
- 2000: "It Wasn't MeIt Wasn't Me"It Wasn't Me" is the first official single from reggae artist Shaggy's multi-platinum studio album Hot Shot, released on February 26, 2001. The song has since been regarded as Shaggy's breakthrough in the pop market, and is his highest charting song to date, topping the charts in Australia,...
" (ShaggyShaggy (musician)Orville Richard Burrell , better known by his stage name Shaggy, is a Jamaican-American reggae singer and rapper. He is perhaps best known for his 1995 single "Boombastic" and 2000 single "It Wasn't Me"...
featuring Ricardo "RikRok" Ducent) #1 US, #1 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... - 2004: "Your Eyes" (featuring Shaggy) #57 UK
- 2005: "Should I Tell Her"
- 2006: "Tell Me Why"
- 2006: "Forever"
- 2007: "My Love"
- 2007: "Bonafide GirlBonafide Girl"Bonafide Girl" is the second single from rapper Shaggy's seventh studio album, Intoxication. The song features guest vocals from Rikrok, who previously collaborated with Shaggy in 2000 for the single "It Wasn't Me". The single was released on March 11, 2008...
" (Shaggy featuring Ricardo "RikRok" Ducent)
External links
- RikRokMusic.com Official Site