Johannesburg - To spotlight mental health and its detriments, the newly formed Riky Rick Foundation has released a song titled Stronger.
The song follows his last tweet, “I’ll return a stronger man.”
The foundation that prides itself on the promotion of artivism is behind the release of the track.
In the past few months, Riky Rick’s family and his fans have been doing their best to keep his legacy alive.
It is no secret that Rikhado “Riky Rick” Makhado, an icon, rapper, producer and hip hop artist, lost his battle with mental illness.
His mother, Louisa Zondo, hopes that the song will inspire people and organisations to care for young people.
“Our hope is that the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism will inspire individuals and organisations to care for young people’s mental health and well-being as well as participate in bringing about the changes we want in society —in essence, to stay shining,” Zondo said.
Makhado had a huge influence on many, and he had a legacy of uplifting those around him and giving them a chance to shine.
And to continue that work, the foundation states that “Stronger” was released, not only to keep Riky’s legacy alive, but also to bring awareness to mental health issues and allow everyone to contribute to this effort.
The foundation does not only aim to address mental health, but also to raise funds to support the efforts of individuals and organisations that promote mental well-being.
In collaboration with a range of partners, including TBWA, Hunt Lascaris and Sony Music Africa, the foundation has created a place to respond to Riky’s rallying call to care for young people.
“Please believe in young people. Give them as many opportunities as they need to prove themselves. At any cost,” Riky tweeted eight days before his death.
This appeal now guides the foundation.
In one of his very last interviews, he said he did not care how people remembered him as long as he left something people could build on.
Using AI and Riky’s own words taken from his social media posts, people get to hear his voice in new music one more time.
The song itself was woven together by Riky’s long-time collaborators Ganja Beatz, Audio Militia and lyricist Lebo Machudi.
“The message we’re getting out of this campaign will honour Riky’s legacy of promoting positivity. We hope it benefits his fans and anyone struggling with mental health,” stated Bianca Naidoo, Riky Rick’s wife.