Riff Raff (rapper)
Horst Christian Simco[3] (born January 29, 1982), better known by his stage name Riff Raff (often stylized as RiFF RAFF),[4] is an American rapper from Katy, Texas.[5] He was originally managed by Swishahouse co-founder OG Ron C in 2011.[6] After initially signing with rapper Soulja Boy's record label Stacks on Deck Entertainment, Simco signed with producer Diplo's Mad Decent record label to release his debut album, Neon Icon (2014).[7]
Riff Raff
Horst Christian Simco
- Jody Highroller
- MTV Riff Raff
- Dale Dan Tony
- Brendan Hallihan
Rapper
2005–present
- Beartrap Sound
- Empire
- Universal
- Neon Nation Corporation[2]
- Mad Decent
- Stacks on Deck
His debut studio album, met with mixed critical and commercial response, was followed up with Peach Panther (2016), which was released through Warner Records. Prior to its release, Simco announced a joint partnership with Stampede Management and BMG, signing a four-million-dollar artist venture agreement for his own label and production company.[8] The joint deal fell apart in the wake of legal disputes with the publication of the 2012 film Spring Breakers.
Simco was formerly a member of the hip hop group Three Loco, along with Andy Milonakis and Dirt Nasty, who reunited on his Balloween 2016 Halloween mixtape performing "Bitches in my Driveway". The trio premiered a Christmas parody song, "Ho-Ho-Loco", in the TBS Surprise! Instant Xmas Carol special.[9] In February 2018, Riff Raff announced on his Instagram that he signed to singer Blackbear's Beartrap Sound for a reported US$500,000 along with a Beartrap Sound pendant and chain.[10]
Early life[edit]
Simco was born on January 29, 1982, in Houston, Texas, to Anita Isaacs, a maid, and Ronald Simco, a Vietnam War veteran with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, who worked various jobs, including as a police officer and Walmart manager.[11][12][13] His mother grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, descending from a family of German Jews and Lithuanian Jews that included several survivors and victims of the Holocaust.[14] Riff Raff was the second of four siblings. He and his family lived in Copperfield, a suburb 25 miles northwest of Houston. Growing up he was obsessed with basketball, playing frequently with other children in his neighborhood. The Simcos had moved to nearby Stone Creek. He attended Langham Creek High School, where he was shooting guard on his school's basketball team, before dropping out in his senior year.[11] Shortly thereafter he obtained his GED.[14]
After his parents divorced, his father was diagnosed with tonsil cancer and the family moved to Duluth, Minnesota, to get his father out of the heat into a cooler environment. For a time, Riff Raff and his siblings were shuttled back and forth between Duluth and Houston, where their mother remained. In 2001, he enrolled at Hibbing Community College in Hibbing, Minnesota, where he played on the basketball team for a month and majored in liberal arts.[11][14] Feeling out of place, he dropped out in 2003 and moved back to Houston, where he painted cars in the in-vogue "candy-colored" style and gradually built his new identity.[11] He eventually relocated to Los Angeles and began to take his rapping career seriously.[3]
Musical career[edit]
2008–2009: Beginnings[edit]
Riff Raff started rapping in 2005, making homemade CDs of his rapping over other artists' beats, and passing them out at various malls in the Greater Houston Area including Katy Mills Mall. He credited his early influences being Texas veteran rappers Devin the Dude and Paul Wall.[14] Riff Raff took advantage of social media on Myspace, YouTube and WorldStarHipHop in late 2008, releasing songs, freestyle-videos, and sketch clips, which showcased his talent as slapstick and performance art. He did this with the help of his first talent manager, DB da Boss, whose studio provided recording and video services. DB spoke with LA Weekly about the rapper, saying "He was very driven, very ambitious. You couldn't deny his work ethic", going on to say, "Underneath that shell is a very intelligent man."[15] He looked up to Northside Houston rappers from label Swishahouse, who were blowing up around that time, including Paul Wall, Chamillionaire and Slim Thug. He began doing his hair up in braids popular among "Northsiders" like Slim Thug and shopping for bling at TV Jewelry, a store co-owned by Paul Wall and charismatic Vietnamese immigrant "TV" Johnny Dang, from whom Riff Raff also purchased gold grills. Like many other artists from Houston, Riff Raff also spent much of his time selling CDs at colleges and malls, occasionally alongside other local talent such at Fat Tony and Freestyle Bully.[11]
In an effort to get on television he went on many auditions, including for a part in a peanut butter commercial intended for a teenager. He and his friend also tried out for P. Diddy's Making the Band, to no avail. He was so determined to become famous that he flew to Atlanta to try out for MTV's reality show From G's to Gents. When he learned that he had made the cast for the program's second season, before taping had even begun, he immediately got a giant MTV logo tattooed on his neck and adjusted his stage name to "MTV Riff Raff". Though he was eliminated from the series on the second episode, he left an impression on viewers through his extravagant way of dressing and funny ad-libs.[11][16][17] Upon the season's debut in early 2009, appearance on the show would garner an immediate reaction to him, which catapulted his career.[11]
The same year actor, comedian and rapper Simon Rex noticed Riff Raff after being shown to him by notable producer The Alchemist. Rex contacted Riff Raff after watching one of his freestyle videos in which he revealed his phone number, and soon enough the two became friends and began recording as Riff Raff and Dirt Nasty.[11] The pair later formed a rap group Three Loco along with comedian Andy Milonakis, increasing Riff Raff's popularity by tapping into the two celebrities' fan bases.[11][17]
2010–2012: SODMG, Mad Decent, various mixtapes[edit]
Beginning in 2011, Riff Raff began to be managed by OG Ron C (of Swishahouse fame) and moved to Los Angeles.[11] Riff Raff then started releasing more music videos that furthered the artist's internet fame. Those include songs such as "Jose Canseco",[18] and "Marc Jacobs".[19] Then in mid-2011, Riff Raff signed to Soulja Boy's label S.O.D. Money Gang Inc.[20] Riff Raff joined Soulja Boy's SODMG label before they met in person; no paperwork was ever signed. However, Riff Raff still wore the imprint's chain, got its logo tattooed, and again adjusted his stage name, this time to Riff Raff SODMG.[11] They would remain affiliated for around a year, but the label did not push or pay Riff Raff, which would result in him leaving the label. Soulja Boy publicly called Riff Raff a "cokehead" following their split.[11][21]
Some time before the official split Riff Raff affiliated with producers such as Diplo and Harry Fraud, as well as with Queens rapper Action Bronson. The music video he released for his collaboration with Fraud and Bronson, "Bird on a Wire", hit the one million plays-mark in roughly two months.[22] "Bird on a Wire" was listed as the 27th best song of 2012 by Complex Music.[23]
In early 2012 he would release music videos for the songs, "Larry Bird",[4] "Time"[24] and the Chief Keef collaboration "Cuz My Gear", among others.[25] In April 2012, Riff Raff also announced a collaborative album with Diplo tentatively titled Jody Highroller with guests Skrillex, Usher, Soulja Boy, Gucci Mane, Mystikal and Rusko.[26] In June 2012, Riff Raff released the .Summer of Surf mixtape.[27] He signed with Diplo's label Mad Decent in June 2012.[28] The same year he released the album, The Golden Alien, independently in July which feature tracks produced by MikeChekMusic, "Freeze Dried", "Obtuse Angle". It was followed by the release of the mixtape, Birth of an Icon, in August, which was listed by Stereogum as their "Mixtape of the Week".[29][30]
Other ventures[edit]
On "Double Cup", an episode of FXX's Major Lazer, he made a guest appearance as Double Cup, The Codeine Scientist.
Riff Raff competed on a special for the MTV reality series The Challenge, premiering November 21, 2017, and titled Champs vs. Stars.[49]
In 2017, Riff Raff partnered with Reef Dispensaries to develop and endorse two new strains of marijuana.[50] Riff Raff has also collaborated with the cannabis subscription box company Daily High Club to create a Riff Raff smoking supply box containing smoking products and accessories inspired by his stage persona.[51]
Spring Breakers controversy[edit]
On February 15, 2012, film director Harmony Korine contacted Riff Raff about appearing in an upcoming movie of his, which would turn out to be Spring Breakers.[52] Once the details of the movie came out, there was speculation that the main character Alien was based on Riff Raff.[53] However, according to James Franco, his character was based on the underground rap artist Dangeruss. He said "Of course Harmony and I looked at some of Riff Raff's videos as inspiration, but he was one of a number of people we looked at. I would say the biggest influence on the role was this local Florida rapper named Dangeruss. He's fairly unknown, but he was down there in the place, living the life, and he became the biggest model for me, and he's in the movie."[54]
There was much back and forth between both camps about the issue, including Riff Raff appearing in a cameo for One Life to Live playing a character called "Jamie Franko".[55] In July 2013, Riff Raff announced he was suing the creators of Spring Breakers for $10 million for using his image without permission.[56] However, a search for court documents by LA Weekly in September 2013 resulted in no findings.[11]