In a brand new episode of DJ Akademiks’ Off the Record Podcast, Roddy Ricch sat down with the host to discuss his career highlights, his recent album, social media, and the current hip-hop culture in Los Angeles, going on to mention his relationship with the late Nipsey Hussle.
With all the work the Compton-born rapper has put into his music, he named himself one of the “three rappers left” who are “putting on” in L.A. during the podcast.
“It’s so much shit going on in L.A. that sh*t will f**k you up. It’s only three n***as left in L.A. that I can say that’s really putting on for this motherf****er and that’s Kendrick, YG and me,” said Roddy. “When you really sit down and understand that the type of baggage we got as n***as from this spot, you gotta understand what we going through as a unit n***a.”
He went on to say, “I ain’t going to say we down, but we gotta put this shit together, figure out a plan to really set this shit up cause we really the West. We been doing this sh*t for too long to really just stop and have soldiers falling. It’s n***as just flopping and falling. We gotta step up as the n***as cause it’s only three of us left.”
Joe Scarnici/Getty Images
Roddy also explained how the late Nipsey Hussle was part of his inspiration behind Live Life Fast. “On this album I just really wanted to give them something that was fun, playful, I ain’t taking this shit too serious,” especially with everything going on in the world, he wanted to give his fans some positivity to listen to because “we go through pain everyday.”
“He [Nipsey] a firm believer in energy. Energy is what you put out, what you say, how you talk. You know a lot of his music was pushing an envelope of n***as understanding they business, and understanding where they was at and all in they contracts and sh*t. He talked about doing this and doing that, but the soul purpose of Victory Lap was ‘N***a I’m taking a Victory Lap on winning. I’m taking a Victory Lap, I’ma show you how to take your Victory Lap.”
He added, “N***as don’t want to say it but I’ma say it, when the album came out, I didn’t really hear a lot of n***as really playing this sh*t until it was a trend to play his music. We was playing this sh*t, forwards and backwards, as soon as it came out, just like any other Nipsey Hussle album because we from the West and we support that sh*t and we know what he talking about, we understand what he talking about. N***as ain’t bump Victory Lap until it was a trend and I’ma stand firm on that. N***as wasn’t Nipsey Hussle riders until that shit was a trend to be.”
Check out the full podcast below.