Saturday Soap Box! Bow Down to your New God : How RiFF RaFF Will Rule Hip Hop In 2013
- Written by Richard Wink
I may be in the minority, but I believe that Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers will be the most culturally significant film release of 2013, as a result of its staggering depiction of the decadence and decay of the cheddar chasing youth of today. There is one man who will benefit most from Spring Breakers: a man who manages to influence the entire look of the film, from the girls in balaclavas to the white dude in cornrows, and all without even appearing on the soundtrack. And who is this cultural behemoth? Why, that man is a rapper named RiFF RaFF. Mr RaFF has already acknowledged that James Franco’s interpretation of him in the film will make him millions; all he has to do is sit back and let the money drip down. The epitome of passive income.
The American hip hop landscape is changing: a trashier style is filtering through, reflecting the poverty, austerity and ugliness of our times. This year has seen an early boom in the shape of Macklemore’s poverty anthem ‘Thrift Shop’, while on the other end of the scale the ragtag likes of Danny Brown and Kreayshawn have kissed the ring of mainstream recognition.
Where does RiFF RaFF fit into all this? While RiFF RaFF’s rhymes are not particularly ground-breaking, what he does do is accurately represent an aspirational generation handicapped by their dire circumstances who nonetheless still pursue a life of hip-hop excess. RiFF RaFF’s world is delusional, bordering on parody. In terms of style, he is an eccentric, maverick performer, who is constantly ballin’ and utterly confusing. His interviews are rambling affairs, and you’d be forgiven for thinking when you listen to RaFF that you are hearing the nonsensical utterings of a mad man. He’s a self-confessed hillbilly of the two thousands era.
RiFF RaFF was raised on MTV: his appearance on the reality show From G’s to Gents was a play for infamy, and in time you can quite easily see him having his own Flava of Love style game show, or an all intrusive fly on the wall documentary series which would likely feature other Spring Breakers associated freaks, such as the ATL Twins. There is a ruthless sense of shameless ambition about RiFF, a man who keeps knocking on doors, hoping they will open, and keeps on knocking even when they remain closed. But RiFF RaFF has learned an important lesson: to be a hip hop star nowadays you don’t need talent, you don’t even need to rhyme well - you just need a look and a beat, and a knack for throwing out Tweetable phrases. As for authenticity, there is none, and there doesn’t have to be; this is a case of personality moulded from fantasy. RiFF RaFF comes across like a clever, pop culture worshipping Rap Game Sacha Baron Cohen. Plenty of work has gone in to his creation.
So, where do you start with RiFF RaFF? I’d advise people to begin with his Three Loco work, quirky in the Tim & Eric meets Die Antwoord sense yet pathetically puerile and immature, offbeat and wack. When you throw together RiFF RaFF with forgotten cult boy-faced man Andy Milonakis and some jobbing actor who was in Scary Movie 3 and a handful of porn films, you get an audaciously terrible trio who, despite possessing the cumulative IQ of a Ring Tailed Lemur suffering from concussion, somehow manage to put together a car crash sound you can’t help but listen to.
After signing to Diplo’s label Mad Descent, RiFF RaFF’s star will continue to rise and, given that he’s accumulated millions of hits on YouTube, he’s destined to explode pretty soon. As for any glimpses of legitimacy, his appearance on Action Bronson’s ‘Bird on a Wire’ last year gave us a hint that there’s more substance to his output. Yet despite the fact that collaborations with Drake and A$AP Rocky will garner him more attention, don’t hold out hope that RiFF RaFF is going to lyrically improve: buckle in, and expect this ride to get dumber and daffier.