Cape Town hip hop star YoungstaCPT has penned a heartfelt song for his late friend, Riky Rick.
The music producer and influencer, who suffered from chronic depression, passed away in February in an apparent suicide at the age of 34.
Early Tuesday, Youngsta (real name Riyadh Roberts) dropped a surprise on his fans by releasing the track called Dear Rikhado, Love Riyadh on his social media platforms.
Emotional fans and followers expressed their love and appreciation for the song and commended Youngsta for honouring the late rapper in this way.
Wendy posted: “This is a powerful tribute, thank you for keeping it real.”
The nearly five-minute long track speaks about Youngsta’s hurt and confusion at the loss of Riky, whose sudden death shocked the nation.
The song also includes vocals of Riky, whose real name is Rikhado Makhado.
Youngsta posted on Twitter: “During Ramadan I’ve had a lot of time to process my feelings & pray on it. I never spoke much about Riky’s passing becoz we had more personal moments than musical moments so I decided that my way to honour him would be through music.” (sic)
During Ramadan I’ve had a lot of time to process my feelings & pray on it. I never spoke much about Rikys passing becoz we had more personal moments than musical moments so I decided that my way to honour him would be through music🤍
— Youngsta Kaapstad (@YoungstaCpt) April 19, 2022
My letter to Riky 🕊https://t.co/BOSrReKd3D pic.twitter.com/PlQmwmlR8x
While it’s not clear how Riky died, reports suggest the Johannesburg rapper hung himself after suffering from depression.
In a 2020 interview, Riky said that he suffered from “chronic depression” and found himself on a “destructive path” after the death of his father.
The SAMA-nominated rapper rose to fame in 2014 following the release of his single Nafukwa.
His debut studio album Family Values was certified platinum by RiSA.
He also founded the hip-hop Cotton Fest in 2019.
In the song, Riyadh sings: “I miss you already, Dear Rikhado, your loss cut a young’un deep, I used your intro for the beat coz it helped for the grief, I’ve got it from the king of the niche, whom I always admired, I never really knew you felt that exhausted and tired, I cried for four days.”
In his last Twitter post, Riky Rick posted: “I’ll return a stronger man. This land is still my home.”
I’ll return a stronger man. This land is still my home.
— MR MAKHADO (@rikyrickworld) February 23, 2022
The song is available on all digital platforms.