CAMDEN'S FINEST: PORTA RICH
CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY | PORTA RICH
INTERVIEW KB TINDAL PHOTOGRAPH @VINTAGEFRESHPHOTOGRAPHY777
RICHARD NUNEZ AKA PORTA RICH HAS HAD A 10-YEAR CAREER IN HIP HOP THAT IS STILL GROWING. HE WORKS WITH THE YOUTH IN HIS COMMUNITY WHICH IS ONE OF THE HARDEST HOODS IN AMERICAN, CAMDEN, NJ. HIS ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO BE HEARD AND TO INSPIRE OTHERS TO CHASE THEIR DREAMS NO MATTER WHAT. COMING FROM A BACKGROUND THAT LED HIM TO SERVE 17 YEARS OF HIS LIFE BEHIND BARS, HE KNOWS ALL TOO WELL THE FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF WHAT THE STREETS DO TO BROWN AND BLACK LIVES AND HE AIMS TO BE ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT STOPS THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF VIOLENCE AND IGNORANCE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. VALIDATED MAGAZINE WELCOMES PORTA RICH TO ITS PAGES. HE IS A COMMUNITY ACTIVIST IN HIS OWN WAY, THROUGH HIS DAILY 9-5 JOB, AND THROUGH HIS MUSIC AND HE IS AN EMCEE, AND HIS VOICE WILL BE HEARD.
“I appreciate the co-signs from the artists who already made it and just household name artists and all that, but the people mean a lot to me as well.” - PORTA RICH
VALIDATED: WHAT'S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP-HOP, THE CULTURE?
PORTA RICH: I REMEMBER WAY BACK LIKE SOME OF THE FIRST HIP HOP VIDEOS LIKE THE GROUP BLONDIE ON THE “RAPTURE” JOINT. THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ORIGINAL HIP HOP RECORDS. I ALSO REMEMBER LATIN PIONEERS LIKE KID FROST AND DUDES LIKE THAT ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL CYPRESS HILL AND THE ALCOHOLIKS. I REMEMBER EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? THE WHOLE CULTURE MAN… GRAFFITI AS WELL. I WAS ALWAYS AROUND THAT SHIT. I WAS IN THE STREETS, SO I WAS ALWAYS AROUND GRAFFITI AND WE EVEN TRIED BREAKING AND GETTING IT IN ON THE CARDBOARD. WE WEREN’T THAT GOOD AT IT BUT WE TRIED IT.
VALIDATED: WHERE ARE YOU FROM AND WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND YOUR RAP NAMES?
PORTA RICH: WELL, ONE OF MY FIRST DJ’S DJ ANT LIVE FIRST HAD THE IDEA FOR THE NAME PORTA RICH AND I DIDN’T LIKE IT AT FIRST. HE WAS SAYING LIKE “YO, YOU’RE PUERTO RICAN SO THIS NEEDS TO BE IT.” I WAS LIKE I’M BIGGER THAN JUST BEING PURTO RICAN BECAUSE I’M FOR EVERYBODY. I HAD TO LIKE SLEEP ON IT AND THEN I DID KIND OF LIKE MY OWN LITTLE FINESSING WITH THE NAME, WHERE I STARTED PLAYING WITH THE SPELLING AND THEN PEOPLE TOOK A LIKING TO US, SO I WAS LIKE, “YOU KNOW WHAT? FUCK IT. WE'RE GONNA ROCK WITH THIS.”
VALIDATED: GROWING UP, WHAT KIND OF MUSIC WAS PLAYED IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD, AND HOW HAS IT INFLUENCED THE MUSIC YOU CREATE?
PORTA RICH: IT WAS REALLY LIKE A CONCOCTION OF SHIT PLAYING BECAUSE MY OLDER BROTHER, HE WOULD BE PLAYING A LOT OF STREET SHIT. THAT'S WHERE THE HIP HOP SHIT REALLY LIKE CAME FROM AS FAR AS JUST US BEING AWARE OF IT, PERIOD. HE USED TO PLAY NWA, ERIC B AND RAKIM AND THEN MY MOMS HAD LATIN MUSIC PLAYING WHILE SHE WAS COOKING OR WHEN WE WERE IN THE CAR GOING PLACES. THEN MY BROTHER ALSO PLAYED FREESTYLE SO IT WAS LIKE A CONCOCTION OF MUSIC. I FEEL LIKE THERE’S SO MUCH ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT FOR ME TO TRY DIFFERENT LIKE THINGS WITH MUSIC BECAUSE I REALLY WAS AROUND SO MUCH DIFFERENT MUSIC.
VALIDATED: WHO ARE YOUR TOP TWO LYRICAL INFLUENCES IN HIP HOP?
PORTA RICH: DEFINITELY JAY Z. HE’S MY TOP INFLUENCE WHEN IT COMES TO JUST EVERYTHING HE'S DONE, FROM EMCEEING TO HIS BUSINESS WAYS AND JUST WHAT HE STANDS FOR, WHAT HE REPRESENTS FOR THE CULTURE, AND FOR HIS PEOPLE. SECOND WOULD BE A TIE BETWEEN FAT JOE AND 50 CENT. JOE BECAUSE HE PAVED THE WAY FOR PUN AND FOR LATINOS AND 50 BECAUSE HIM AND JOE BOTH HAVE THAT SAME ZERO-TOLERANCE WHEN IT COMES TO HAVING RESPECT, AND I’M BIG ON RESPECT. THEY DON’T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER AND THEY EXECUTE. ONCE THEY SET A PLAN THEY EXECUTE IT AND I’M INSPIRED BY THAT.
VALIDATED: I SEE YOU HAVE DONE A TON OF SHOWS OVER THE YEARS WITH MAJOR ARTISTS SO IS THERE ONE SEASONED ARTIST THAT STANDS OUT FOR YOU THAT GAVE YOU GREAT ADVICE ABOUT HOW TO MOVE IN THIS INDUSTRY AND BUILD A CAREER?
PORTA RICH: I AIN'T GONNA HOLD YOU, MAN. I GOTTA BE MORE LIKE VOICE, YOU KNOW, FOR MYSELF. BUT I WILL SAY THAT JEEZY CO-SIGNED ME EARLY ON IN MY CAREER. HE JUMPED ON THE TOUR BUS AND I LET HIM SEE ONE OF MY VIDEOS THAT I WON THE BEST VIDEO IN NEW JERSEY FOR IN 2011-2012, IT WAS CALLED “TRAP SEASON.” HE FUCKED WITH THE VIDEO, HEAVY, AND HE INVITED US DOWN TO ATLANTA TO COME FUCK WITH HIM AND HE SHOWED LOVE. I ALSO OPENED UP FOR FAT JOE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND I’VE BEEN ALL OVER PHILLY WITH A LOT OF PHILLY ARTISTS AS WELL. ME AND PEEDI USED TO RUN TOGETHER WHEN HE WAS DOING “THE MEN OF RESPECT”. I WAS IN A HALFWAY HOUSE JUST COMING HOME AT THE TIME BUT HE GAVE ME THAT INVITE. I’VE OPENED FOR STYLES P AS WELL. I MEAN I APPRECIATE THE CO-SIGNS FROM THE ARTISTS WHO ALREADY MADE IT AND JUST HOUSEHOLD NAME ARTISTS AND ALL THAT, BUT THE PEOPLE MEAN A LOT TO ME AS WELL.
VALIDATED: HOW DID YOU AND DJ CAESAR MEET AND HOW DID THE 4K PROJECT THAT YOU BOTH COLLABORATED ON COME ABOUT?
PORTA RICH: CAESAR’S BEEN SUPPORTING ME FOR A LONG TIME AND A LOT OF MY DUDES USED TO COME HOME FROM JAIL AND TELL ME LIKE, “YO, I HEARD YOU ON THIS COLLEGE STATION.” HE WAS SPINNING MY RECORDS HEAVY EVEN WHEN HE WAS AT BOOM103.9 IN PHILLY. SO WE HAD ALREADY JUMPED ON THE PHONE A COUPLE OF TIMES AND HE WAS LIKE “I FUCK WITH YOUR MUSIC. I FUCK WITH RECORDS. I MIGHT NOT FUCK WITH EVERY RECORD, BUT I FUCK WITH A LOT OF RECORDS AND I FUCK WITH WHAT YOU DO, PERIOD.” I STARTED FLOODING HIM WITH MUSIC AND IT JUST BECAME LIKE MORE OF A FRIENDSHIP. WE STARTED GOING OUT TO CERTAIN EVENTS AND I WOULD COME TO HOLD HIM DOWN AND HE WOULD DO THE SAME FOR ME AND NOW THAT’S MY BROTHER MAN. THE 4K SITUATION WAS ONE THAT HE HAD WITH JAHLIL BEATS AND WE ALL HAD A SIT-DOWN AND WE WERE ALL MOVIN AND SHAKIN SO IT JUST HAPPENED AND NOW WE’RE WORKING ON 4K PART 2.
VALIDATED: WHAT SACRIFICES HAVE YOU HAD TO MAKE OR WHAT THINGS HAVE YOU HAD TO GO WITHOUT BECAUSE YOU'VE INVESTED SO MUCH IN YOUR ARTISTRY?
PORTA RICH: EVERYTHING, MAN. MY WEEKENDS. A LOT OF MY REGULAR OLD LIFE MAN, EVERY DAY, THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND. YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT MAN. THAT'S A GREAT INTERVIEW QUESTION MAN BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES WE GO THROUGH THESE INTERVIEWS AND IT BE A LOT OF LIKE THE SAME QUESTIONS AND I AIN'T MAD AT EM, BUT IT’S LIKE THE SAME SHIT AND IT GETS REPETITIVE. BUT LIKE, YEAH BRO, I'VE BEEN SACRIFICING EVERYTHING. I'VE LIVED A CERTAIN WAY FOR THE PAST DECADE. I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A DECADE. I REALIZED THAT I HAD TO CHANGE THE WAY I LIVE. I REALIZED THAT I COULDN'T BE FLY EVERY WEEKEND. I REALIZED THAT I COULDN'T GO TO EVERY PARTY EVERY WEEKEND. I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO MISS A LOT OF PARTIES, YOU KNOW, FOR MY DREAM AND FOR WHAT I BELIEVE IN, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BECAUSE IT'S NOT EASY TO JUST COME ACROSS PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO INVEST IN YOUR DREAMS, YOU KNOW, JUST WITH ALL GOOD INTENTIONS AND WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED AND WITH NO GOOFY SHIT. SOME DAYS MAN, SACRIFICING MY MEALS, EVERYTHING. PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE REAL INDEPENDENT GAME. WHEN YOU GOT TO GET THE BUDGET YOURSELF AND YOU UNDERSTAND THAT ONE DAY IT MIGHT TAKE A HUNDRED GRAND OR THIS STAT TO GET BEHIND THE RECORD AND THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH, THEN YEAH MAN, YOU'RE GOING TO CHANGE SHIT AND YOU GO AND DO SHIT AND MAKE THE NECESSARY MOVE THAT YOU NEED TO MAKE TO BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAM ONE DAY.
VALIDATED: HOW WOULD YOU CLASSIFY YOUR MUSIC AND WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO RECEIVE FROM IT?
PORTA RICH: I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO WITNESS IT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT IT'S GOING TO MOTIVATE THEM. WE DOING IT FROM NOTHING. WE’RE DOING IT FROM SCRATCH. IT TOOK US 10 YEARS TO GET TO THIS POINT, SO IF YOU LOOK AT MY INSTAGRAM SOME PEOPLE MIGHT SAY “OH, THAT AIN’T SHIT.” BUT I’M AT 6500 FOLLOWERS ORGANICALLY, SO IF I PUT OUT A T-SHIRT AT LEAST 250-300 GONNA SELL OUT OF THAT 6500, YOU KNOW WHAT I’M SAYING? SO IT'S GOING TO BE EASIER FOR ME TO GET TO 10K, 15K. 20K IS WHAT I'M SAYING NOW BECAUSE I'M ALREADY CLOSE TO 7K. SO I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO BE INSPIRED AND MOTIVATED WHEN THEY LISTEN TO MY MUSIC. I WANT PEOPLE TO BELIEVE IN THEIR DREAMS AND REALIZE THAT IT’S NEVER TOO LATE.
VALIDATED: HIP-HOP HAS GROWN IN POPULARITY OVER THE YEARS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HIP-HOP BECOMING THE MOST POPULAR MUSIC GENRE?
PORTA RICH: I THINK IT’S MAJOR. I THINK IT'S BIG. I THINK IT'S, UH, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL THING FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR, YOU KNOW, FOR THE PEOPLE OF OUR CULTURE, TO BE ABLE TO LIKE BENEFIT FROM IT. DO I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING WE SEE BEING PUT OUT… SHIT, NO I DON’T BUT IF THE LITTLE HOMIE CAN FEED HIS FAMILY OFF OF IT I’D RATHER SEE THAT THEN SEE HIM OUT HERE TRYING TO SHOOT SOMEBODY. I DEFINITELY THINK THE REAL LYRICISM IS MAKING THIS COMEBACK. I DEFINITELY THINK THAT YOU KNOW, HIP HOP WILL ALWAYS BE FASCINATED BY THE ORIGINAL ART FORM. SO I'M NOT SURPRISED TO SEE YOUNGER KIDS, THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAVE TO GO A SINGING ROUTE OR THE HARMONIZING ROUTE OR WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, THE GIMMICKY ROUTE.
VALIDATED: HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU’VE GROWN AS AN ARTIST OVER THE YEARS?
PORTA RICH: I'VE JUST GROWN OVER THE BOARD, MAN, ALL AROUND THE BOARD, MAN. UM, BUSINESS-WISE, I KNOW NOT TO DO MISTAKES THAT I'VE MADE IN MY CAREER, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? I'VE LEARNED FROM MY MISTAKES. I'VE LEARNED HOW TO LOCK OUT A BUDGET. I'VE LEARNED HOW TO ORGANIZE, I'VE LEARNED HOW TO DO JUST DO EVERYTHING BETTER. YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO LIKE THE CRAFT I'VE LEARNED HOW TO WRITE BETTER. I'VE LEARNED HOW TO GET MY WORDS SHARPER. I'VE LEARNED HOW TO GET MY METAPHORS RIGHT AND BE MORE PATIENT TOO IN MY WRITING.
VALIDATED: LAST YEAR WE LOST NIPSEY HUSSLE AND THIS YEAR, 2020, WE LOST POP SMOKE. IF THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD SAY TO STOP THE SENSELESS DEATHS WHAT WOULD IT BE?
PORTA RICH: WE JUST GOTTA STOP MAN, POINT BLANK PERIOD MAN. IF YOU BLACK OR YOU BROWN AND YOU KNOW WHAT WE’RE GOING THROUGH OUT HERE AS FAR AS JUST YOU KNOW, FUCKING INJUSTICE, INEQUALITY, STILL TRYING TO FIGHT THAT FIGHT. A REAL FIGHT WITH A REAL SYSTEM AND I'M NOT SAYING ALL WHITE PEOPLE BECAUSE I DON'T HATE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY A LOT OF EVIL PEOPLE, RACIST PEOPLE THAT STILL LIVE IN THIS WORLD AND FOR MOTHERFUCKERS TO STILL BE IN THEIR HOODS AND IN THEIR COMMUNITIES HATIN’ ON A MOTHERFUCKING PERSON OF YOUR OWN COLOR AND YOU AIN’T HATIN’ ON ALL THIS WHITE SHIT AND ALL THIS BIG SHIT THAT HAS BEEN BUILT UP FOR YEARS? IT GOT US REALLY LIKE PLAYING CATCH UP NOW. LIKE IT'S REALLY SAD AND WE GOTTA DO MOTHERFUCKING BETTER. NIPSEY HUSSLE WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO GO OUT LIKE THAT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK WAS GOING ON IN BABY BOY HEAD. YOU KNOW WHOEVER THE NIGGA WAS THAT DID THAT SHIT. LIKE I JUST KNOW THAT THAT SHIT AIN'T NEVER THAT DEEP MAN. YOU SHOULD NEVER BE LOOKING AT NO PERSON OF YOUR OWN COLOR, OF YOUR OWN KIND NO MATTER HOW SUCCESSFUL HE IS, NO MATTER HOW MUCH STUNTIN’ HE DOING. THAT SHOULD BE MOTIVATION FOR YOU MEN. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A MOTIVATION FOR ME, MAN. THAT'S HOW I WAS BRED. LOVE IS THE KEY NO MATTER HOW TOUGH YOU ARE. WE ARE ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND WE NEED TO BE SOMEWHAT UNIFIED. WE DON’T HAVE TO EAT AT THE SAME TABLE BUT WE NEED TO BE UNIFIED.
VALIDATED: WHAT DOES HIP HOP MEAN TO YOU?
PORTA RICH: HIP HOP IS EVERYTHING TO ME, HIP HOP SAVED MY LIFE. IT’S FUNNY HOW GOD WORKS. HIP HOP HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME IN MY LIFE AND AT A YOUNG AGE, I DIDN’T KNOW WHY. I JUST KNOW WE USED TO BE IN CYPHERS AND GOT LABELED AS THE RAPPERS IN THE HOOD. AND THEN I GOT AWAY FROM MUSIC AND FELL IN LOVE WITH THE STREETS THEN ENDED UP DOING LIKE OVER LIKE 17 YEARS OF MY LIFE, GIVING OVER 17 YEARS OF MY LIFE TO INSTITUTIONS AND THEN TO ADULT CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND THEN TO FALL IN LOVE WITH MUSIC ALL OVER AGAIN AND START WRITING IT REALLY SAVED MY LIFE MAN. SO REGARDLESS OF WHATEVER HAPPENS WITH MUSIC, I’LL NEVER GO BACK TO THE SHIT I USED TO DO.
VALIDATED: HOW ARE YOU GIVING BACK NOW AND HOW DO YOU WANT TO GIVE BACK IN THE FUTURE?
PORTA RICH: GOD WILLING, WE CAN KEEP TAKING CARE OF OUR COMMUNITY AND KEEP TRYING TO BUILD BACK IN OUR COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, I WORK IN MY COMMUNITY, I'VE BEEN WORKING IN MY COMMUNITY FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. LIKE I SAID, FULL-TIME JOB. I WORKED IN THE EDUCATION FIELD WITH KIDS. YOU KNOW, I ACTUALLY GOT MY CDA LAST YEAR. I'M CDA CERTIFIED, YOU KNOW, I GOT A CERTIFICATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SO YEAH MAN, I JUST, YOU KNOW, I GOT PLANS MAN, I GOT PLANS, GOD WILLING, GOD PUT ME IN A PLACE AND IN A POSITION WHERE I CAN DO IT. I WANT TO DEFINITELY HELP BUILD MY COMMUNITY BACK UP, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? AND DEFINITELY LIKE, YOU KNOW, AIM IT FOR LIKE, YOU KNOW, MY PEOPLE AND HELP THE ONES WHO NEED TO BE HELPED. I WANT TO REALLY LIKE, YOU KNOW, PUT SOME FOCUS ON LIKE SOME OF THESE KIDS WHO GOT IT, YOU KNOW, ROUGH OUT HERE AND SHIT LIKE THAT CAUSE I WORK IN IT, I SEE IT LIKE FIRST HAND EVERY DAY. I SEE KIDS COMING FROM BROKEN HOMES. I SEE SINGLE-PARENT HOMES. I KNOW WHAT THE KIDS ARE STRUGGLING WITH. I DEAL WITH KIDS WHO LOST A DAD, DAD GOT KILLED AND I'M WATCHING THESE KIDS LASH OUT IN SCHOOL YOU KNOW, REALLY ROUGH TIMES MAN. SO GOD WILLING MAN, WE COULD PUT SOME FACILITIES OUT HERE, SOME RECREATIONAL BUILDINGS, SOME COMMUNITY CENTERS, YOU KNOW AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE AND JUST MORE SHIT TO BUILD MORE PRODUCTIVE SHIT FOR THE FUTURE MAN VERSUS YOU KNOW, JUST THIS EVIL SHIT.