If you’ve been paying attention, then you’ve probably noticed the slow but noisy rise of a mouthy Midwest wordsmith named Richie Bux. After dominating our With All Due RESPECT. series in 2015 with sleeper after sleeper, the Indiana native is no longer being slighted. Whether it’s the Shade 45 co-signed, “Get Dough” which featured Rarri, or his O.J. Simpson-tribute, “Orenthal,” Bux has spent the last 6-7 months building a solid underground base that’s carried his momentum into 2018. Riding the wave, Bux enlists 18-year-old production prodigy, AK, for their high-octane, trap-heavy collaborative EP, To Hell Wit It.
To put it plain and simple, this EP is like getting an Uber Pool to hell and realizing that your driver was Hunter S. Thompson only to come to grips with the fact that maybe this was your destiny. From the jump, AK’s chest-thumping 808s and mind-altering synths capture your attention, while Bux sticks to the high-pitched cadence that he flashed signs of on previous projects, Vanilla Sky & Early Infamy. While many of the tracks have the potential to be the one to blow the project out of the water, it’s obvious that the Jay Storm, Drayco McCoy-assisted, “Gang” is the one that the kids will be talking about for months on in, already at 30K plays on Audiomack. With a minimalistic chorus that calls for a tribal chant, Richie sets the table perfectly for Storm and McCoy to completely gas the opening verses. You almost forget it’s even Bux’s track until the veteran comes in at the end and totally cleans the whole song up, leaving no room for even another hook. Couple this track with complementary bangers like, “T-Shirt Me,” “No Home Training,” and especially the Lady Bux assisted, “M.P.D.C.D.”
We got a chance to catch up with Bux to discuss the making of the album, features and what’s next for the rapper. Check it out below.
RESPECT. Magazine: Where did the idea for ‘To Hell Wit It’ come about?
Richie Bux: “Hell” is always a concept that I wanted to dabble around and play with, because it’s so feared and frowned upon by American culture. I think my rebel nature compelled the concept, but the title came from me being drunk as fuck and watching Final Destination. It was originally titled, ‘No Home Training’ but I heard one of the actors say, “To hell with it” and I knew that was it.
RESPECT.: Talk about connecting with AK & what made you want to do a full project with the young producer.
Bux: I feel like AK is a legend in the making, my dawg is one of the greats. He’s on a different wave length with this production shit and he is so slept on that I was like, “Let’s show these niggas what it is!!” He was with it, so we started running this project and it came together so naturally and fluently that It seems like It was meant to be.
RESPECT.: Compared to your last project, ‘Vanilla Sky’, this is a lot more energetic and trap sounding. What made you want to switch up and showcase that different style?
Bux: My goal with every project is to be left field as possible. Like soon as you think you might have my home genre figured out, here’s Bux with a Rock & Roll joint going silly. I want my fans and everyone out there to know that I can play ball in every park there is.
RESPECT.: How did the track, “Gang” with Jay Storm & Drayco McCoy come about? That shit is bananas.
Bux: I have to shoutout Honey on this one. She damn near crafted this record, bruh. Deadass. She literally hit me and told me who to throw on there and it worked perfectly. I was surprised.
RESPECT.: Now on the track, “M.P.D.C.D.” we hear a distinct, but unfamiliar famine voice by the name of Ladybux. Who the hell is Ladybux and when do we get a full tape? Where did that feature come from? Sheesh.
Bux: Ladybux is my shorty. Honestly, she’s low-key one of the best rappers I know and it’s crazy. Like the track she has on the project. It was the first song she ever recorded and It was so natural. She’s still in the beginning stages, but be prepared for videos, some big features and possibly a tape in the near future.
RESPECT.: What can we expect to hear from YOU in the future?
Bux: I’m going to chill on projects for a while. This makes three in a very short period of time. I’m just going to focus on releasing a lot of music videos and experimenting with different sounds for the rest of the year.
Check out, To Hell Wit It below and get familiar with Richie Bux.
Suggested Articles:
Midwest Rep Richie Bux Takes a Step Forward on, ‘Vanilla Sky.’
RESPECT. The Track: Richie Bux – “Closer”
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