HE composed several “riddims”, including the dancehall artiste Vershon’s 2017 smash hit “Street Bun Off”. His newest project is set to drop soon; a collaboration featuring Jamaican dancehall breakout sensation Shenseea. Add his passion to pursue studies in Cancer Research and Ridwaan Razak is your all-rounded talented young visionary.
A son of Skeldon on the Corentyne, who has only been involved in music for a mere three years, Razak grew up in Berbice and later moved to the West Coast of Demerara to continue his studies at the University of Guyana (UG)having completed a programme at the institution’s Tain Campus in Port Mourant.

After studying International Relations and Biology at UG, Razak moved to the United States in 2016 and as his hunger to enhance himself continued, he enrolled at Hunter College in the Lenox Hill neighbourhood of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York.
He is currently in the final semester of reading for his Degree in Biology and his plan is to immediately pursue his Masters in the Sciences. “My aim is to pursue a career in medical research, specifically cancer research,” he told the Pepperpot Magazine from New York. But the well-rounded Razak is also pursuing another passion; music.
Razak said that music is new to his household and while his family’s support is aimed at

him being successful in his studies, he also receives support for his creative side.
“They helped me to become involved in public speaking from an early age and they also provided whatever material I needed when I was focusing on art,” Razak said. He said that his love for the arts saw him venturing into various artistic expressions, including computer animation and even acting. “I would do short comedy sketches with my friends,” he said. But the creative outlet which he stuck with and explored was his love for music.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

“It started when I got my first MacBook and started exploring a programme called Garageband,” he said. More and more, he became interested in learning how music was made and the enthusiastic Razak decided to equip himself. As such, he purchased a professional DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) Logic Pro X, equipment which he continues to use today.
“I have always had a deep love for music,” he said, noting that he is often fascinated with the music of his idols Diplo, Kanye West, Timbaland, Pharrell and No I.D.
“This drove me to totally immersing myself in music self-education where I learned about music theory, sound design and production on my own, since I had no friend or mentor who shared the passion,” the independent young man noted.
He said that it was at first, just a hobby that he would dedicate his spare time to and he would play music for friends “…but there was a tiny part of me that wondered if I could make it into a successful career one day,” he said.
He said that one day he met Tevino Richards, the owner of YGF records in Jamaica. After playing some records for him in the studio, the two exchanged contact and from that point, his path to producing professional music began.

HIS WORK AT YGF RECORDS

To date, he has released records after working with Shatta Wale, Vershon, Shenseea, Devin Di Dakta among others. Razak was the producer for the 2017 Psychotic Riddim which included Vershon’s smash record “Street Bun Off”.
But there is more to come. Razak’s biggest project is set of drop on February 16.The official video which was shot in Jamaica is the collaboration between Shenseea and Shatta Wale.
“It is a dancehall pop fusion record which was unchartered territory for the artists but the record came together perfectly and it will be Shenseea’s first track where she will be really showing off her vocal talent and singing and her sweet melodies are complimented perfectly by Shatta Wales’s rough melodic rhythm,” the ecstatic Razak noted.
The song will be the leading single from the upcoming EP: Growth “The Rise of Dancehall Pop” which was executively produced by YGF Records.
In addition to dancehall, Razak produces other genres of music from soca to pop, hip-hop and EDM (electronic dance music).

FUTURE PLANS

This year, he plans to establish Blue Lake Media & Entertainment with his partners. “I am aiming to launch my own record label and recording studio,” he said, and this will provide him with an opportunity to develop talented artistes and let the world hear them, he added.
The well-spoken Razak noted that he specifically aims to give talented artistes a platform on which they can grow and be heard. In addition, he said other pursuits include business ventures which will follow under the Blue Lake brand.
He said the Blue Lake group will be launching their first event in May which will be called “Spring Fete” and it will be held in New York. “We intend on making it an annual event and we also aim to keep surprising the people with more and bigger artistes each year,” he said.
He is 100 percent sure that fans will be excited when they discover the surprises for the event, noting that the event page is up and running on social media under the name tag “Springfete.”
“I aim to one day be on a major international stage and contribute and give my sound to mainstream music and music that is heard all across the world,” the budding composer noted.