The future is rich…

The concept of hip hop collectives have seen a whirlwind resurgence in the past couple of years, groups like OFWGKTA, A$AP Mob and Brockhampton reinvigorating the fire of pioneers from the 80s and 90s like N.W.A., Wu Tang Clan, Run DMC and so many more. Except, these new wave groups are going far beyond music to express themselves, reaching out to the realms of fashion, graphic design and art to showcase all that they are and all they desire. It’s a phenomenon that the world has shown they’re more than willing to get behind, and luckily for us, Perth collective Rich Valentine is helping to helm that for Australia, and they’re definitely going pedal to the metal.

Their latest ventures include their recent album L’avenir C’est Nous, fashion releases by the dozen and even holding their own art galleries in Perth and Sydney. They also just totally murdered triple j’s Bars Of Steel as well (no rest for the wicked). They’re firing on all cylinders, following their creative inclinations to the furthest and deepest valleys.

We caught up with Rich and Jorge from the group (two members of nine) while they were in Sydney last month for a quick photoshoot, along with a dope conversation regarding the concept of Rich Valentine, the Perth music scene and what we can expect from them. Check it below.

For anyone who’s unfamiliar, can you break down the concept of Rich Valentine to us and how you guys got together?

Christian: So we’re an art collective. We specialise in creating innovative, creative and quality art. Whether that’s music, fashion or an installation, we always seek to purvey excellence.

The emergence of hip hop collectives has been a steady consistency in the last couple of years, with collectives like Odd Future and Brockhampton going beyond the usual confines of a music group and curating a full creative experience. It seems like you’re really living that mantra for Aussie hip hop at the moment. Do you feel that? 

Jorge: Yeah for sure! We try to stay active and use our multicultural background to create a product that transcends anything that you can see in the current music industry. This is especially the case for the music scene in Australia. It feels great to be the pioneer for this new wave of art collective within our country.

Being from Perth, I assume you’d have quite a different perception of the Australian music/creative scene to someone in Sydney or Melbourne. Being on the other side of the country, how do you perceive it all?

Christian: Yeah of course. Well I guess that’s the main reason why we’re making the move over. The scene over here in Sydney is way more mature. I mean you have the industry and infrastructure in place for young artists like ourselves to get heard. As far as creativity goes however, Perth really excels. We have an amazing pool of talent over there that just needs to be more recognised quite frankly. Perth is amazingly talented, we just don’t have the infrastructure.

And what of the music scene in Perth. How would you describe it? Put me onto some artists.

Christian: The west has a long tradition of music that is everything but hip hop so for us and our fellow artists it’s hard. Shout out to Arno, HV boys, Mars, Yngrach and all the other talent in the 6.

With lockdowns sweeping across the nation and the creative scene going from buzzing to on hold, how have you guys compensated and responded creatively?

Christian: We’re always busy. A lot of the time we’re already onto the next thing when the first thing is finished. Right now we’re mid collection, we’re at the tail end of our gallery exhibition and planning the next, we’re writing new music and have new music videos we’re shooting and/or editing.

Prior to the nation going into lockdown we caught you in the LWA office for a shoot while you were here for triple j’s ‘Bars Of Steel.’ What was that whole experience like?

Jorge: Bars of Steel was a trip. The triple J offices are exactly what we expected them to look like. Everyone was super nice to us and the host Ebony, could have not made us feel more welcomed and comfortable.

BLXBOI straight killed that. And the fact that he was rapping over a Rich Valentine beat just made it that much sweeter. What was it like watching that in the studio while it was being recorded, as well as when it was released?

Christian: The whole recording process was normal for us. I guess the cool part was that radio professionalism. Like Ebony is amazing at her job and so was max. They ran like a well oiled machine. It’s dope to do things like that we definitely should be reached out to do more. Once it was released though it was sick to see it out there living.

Are moves and events like that big milestones for you guys? Or do you just take it all in stride.

Christian: Of course! I mean for any one In Perth just getting to Sydney and being recognised as talented artists is a lot. I’m not bagging anyone or anything but the industry is a very particular way about who they champion and put on a pedestal and who they ignore. It’s amazing like I said for us to even touch triple j. We love them so much and they shaped our lives growing up so to be a part of that same industry is a blessing in itself.

You’ve also been really making a name for yourselves in the fashion and art worlds, releasing clothing pieces, holding art galleries and so on. It seems like you guys are operating on all fronts. Where does all of the creativity come from?

Christian: Every single person in RICH just exudes creativity. For us we really promote that expression. As long as it’s in line with the “brand” then we’re all for it. Another thing is we’re all just recklessly imaginative so it’s in our nature to not be blind by certain perceptions of how things should be done.

Can you give us a quick deep dive in to the Rich Valentine fashion fingerprint?

Christian: Well we always purvey excellence in creativity, innovation and quality. You can see a lot in our work the influence of other designers like Mcqueen, Rei and Margiela. Nature as well influences our work a lot. Art communicates so we are always trying to say something with our pieces. I think right now we are beginning to fortify our name and design in people’s minds. It’s like if I asked you what a RICH VALENTINE house would look like you could probably conjure an image of that in your head. That’s the finger print we are creating.

I saw you guys hit up Fashion Week after our shoot. How was that whole experience? I imagine you would’ve been totally feeding off of that atmosphere with all of that creativity.

Christian: Everyone knows how I feel about the industry.

I know you guys are planning on relocating to Sydney in the next couple of months. That’s pretty gutsy with COVID and everything going on. What’s the reason for moving down here? 

Jorge: There’s a lot more industry and infrastructure out in Sydney. We only came out here for a week or so and in that time we’ve gotten to know so many people that could help our brand and most importantly made us realise how Sydney is undoubtedly the next step for Rich. We’ve been trying to tour over east for some time now so relocating out here seems like the next organic move in our careers and the overall direction of the collective.

Musically, fashionably and so on, how are you guys planning to take it to the next level ?

Christian: I’d rather just show you that’s a better way for me to communicate that. McQueen used to say “Give me time and I’ll give you a revolution.”

Let us time travel five or ten years into the future. Imagine COVID is completely gone and thecreative scene is firing on all cylinders. Where do you guys predict you’ll be? If everything goes according to what you guys have planned.

Christian: Recognised as the greatest.

Be sure to keep up with Rich Valentine on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on all of their latest projects. You can also check out the track-by-track we did with them for their latest album L’avenir C’est Nous here.