Riff Raff - Super Bowl Rings (SODMG/Riff Raff Records, 2011)

So the wave of post-Gucci rappers has finally sprung upon us. Despite the fact that most Atlanta rappers tried to copy Gucci’s swag during his hot streak in 2009 (the summer of stupid fruity crazy swag), the only real influence shown during his peak was his choice of production and unique slang. Now in 2011, rappers are emerging that genuinely sound inspired by Gucci’s peak performances. Future and Riff Raff are the ones who have really caught my attention, as their penchant for crafting ridiculous hooks and internal rhyme schemes are reminiscent of the GOAT himself.

Riff Raff originally started off as little more than a rip-off of Gucci and Juiceman, but since then has grown into his own little movement. Already developing a cult fanbase thanks to his weird lingo (bring the rice out) and fascination with three-wheelers (he’s a country boy, after all), the more I listen to him, the more drawn in to this bubbling phenomenom I am.

It’s not hard to see why; the boy’s fascinating as hell. He really doesn’t look like he belongs in any setting he enters, but that only makes him more hip-hop. If Riff Raff is a gimmick, then this guy is a fantastic actor; but I really can’t see him being anything more than genuine. Granted, in being genuine, it’s arguable that the guy may actually suffer from some form of mental disorder, but a lot of our favorite rappers have assistants handle their Twitter accounts because they aren’t capable of logging in themselves.

Not to mention, Soulja Boy signed him, and every trend Soulja seems to stumble upon escalates further than his career can at this point. I would hope that some of Riff Raff’s creativity wears off on Soulja Boy, but truthfully, we’re going to probably see Dre start mudding and hunting deer before the year’s over.