Riky Rick leaves behind a wife and two children. Did everyone miss the subliminal messages he shared on Twitter? Should Kanye West fans be worried about the poem, “DEAD”, he recently posted?
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International Hip Hop Suffers A Great Loss
On February 23, 2022, South African hip hop artist Riky Rick died by suicide. Rick was vocal about his battle with mental illness, specifically depression. In a tragic pattern, Riky’s father also died by suicide.
Days before his death, Riky posted a questionable tweet that fans are now dissecting for clues to what he was dealing with that caused him to take his life. The very last tweet stated “I’ll return a stronger man. This land is still my home.”
Riky’s career was growing. Less than 5 days earlier, he announced a deal as an official partner and brand ambassador for African Bank. In the post, he shares how he’s tried to be “content” with “ordinary” but that happiness “is pushing myself to achieve the unlikely… build the impossible.”
On a Youtube interview with fellow international artist Yanga Chief, Rick spoke about his fight with suicidal thoughts due to the absence of his own father. Stating “My thing was to make one album. At 24 years old… I might not have been as deep in the rabbit hole, I might have not been as deep into the darkness… I was on a destructive path, bro… I lost my father at a time where I needed the help.”
When Our Artists Speak On Personal Battles With Mental Illness, Is It A Cry For Help Or Artistic Expression?
Kanye West released a poem titled “Death” on Tuesday, March 8. It read:
I will not explain this new piece for the explanation destroys the mystery and magic of true love and puts it in a box that can be counted Art is subjective Art only works when it is the artist absolute truth Someone’s truth can be another person lie We don’t all have to feel the same because we are not the same Without further ado I present to you my latest creation it is called DEAD”
Many still see this as a cause for concern. West’s history with mental illness attributes to this concern. In the poem, Ye states “They ran through my account like the sign said free bread. But no one wanted to tell me I was DEAD. My kids would dance for me in a home I once led. But kids see ghosts and didn’t know I was DEAD.”
After his much-publicized separation and divorce from Kim Kardashian as well as his menacing of Saturday Night Live star and Kim’s new boo Pete Davidson one has to wonder what is the current status of Kanye’s mental health? Is his poem another cry for help?