Rap Archives - Artist Weekly

Giorgi Okuashvili | The rising artist of Georgia

Artist Weekly Staff on November 19, 2022

Music is said to be food for the soul. It truly is a way to connect to people irrespective of language, culture, ethnicity or race. Music transcends boundaries and reaches people with an ear for a particular genre. Amongst various genres of music, hip-hop and rap have the ability to touch your inner self. Rap allows artists to depict an accurate picture of society, highlighting various dimensions of human psychology and their deeds that people usually don’t talk about. All of this is done in an entertaining fashion so that the audiences can easily relate to it and at the same time enjoy it too.

In the past two decades, music has seen a rise in hip-hop and rap artists. With people starting from scratch, talking about their struggles or sharing their experiences from downtrodden places, rap has developed quite a fan following around the world. One such young artist who has started his journey in hip-hop and rap and is creating waves is Giorgi Okuashvili.

Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2000, the young musician is the son of a businessman and a Parliamentarian in Georgia. When he was young, his father moved to the UK to start his business there. From a very young age, his mother motivated him to start singing, as she soon gauged that he was quite inclined towards music and that he was pretty good at it. When he finished grade 5 of music school, he was well-versed in playing piano. Around the age of 14, he moved to London with his elder brother and completed his education at Regents University London. Moreover, he studied at Mander Portman Woodward, Ashbourne, and an independent Sixth Form College.

During his life in London, he met some street rappers and formed a bond with them. Back in 2016, Giorgi was still in college when he and his friends began working on a music project and released their first song, Trouble Makers. He soon realized that this was exactly what he wanted to do in life, so he built a studio and asked his friends to come and try different rap music as they were good at mixing words with metaphors. He then decided to start his own music label G Squad Productions. It was in 2019 that Giorgi traveled to Amsterdam in order to film his first music video. What sets him apart from the rest of his competitors is that he focuses on diverse production while featuring several artists from across the world. He is widely regarded for his electric style and has released seven songs until now that have received rave reviews.

According to Giorgi Okuashvili, his biggest inspiration comes from the legendary music artist Michael Jackson. “I started listening to Michael Jackson at a young age, and what intrigues me is the fact that it never gets old. His music is truly an inspiration for me,” he reveals, adding that he believes his music is refined because of his ability to listen to and understand people. There are a lot of people who have difficulty listening to others and empathizing with them. But his ability to do so has helped him as a rapper and polished him as a musician.

In this day and age, with loads of streaming options, where it has become easier for artists to showcase their work, it has also become challenging to be seen. However, the idea is to get out there and get noticed. Since he creates music from the experiences of people as well as his own, he has been able to strike a chord with the audiences at large. He understands the problems that aspiring musicians have to face; therefore, he helps other young rappers through his connections at different music platforms or helps them release their tracks through his record label, G Squad. In fact, he is all about promoting talent and providing them the space to be heard because he thinks everyone in this industry faces the same challenges. “There are many good and professional singers around the world; however, we don’t know them because either they don’t have financial independence or big record labels haven’t discovered them yet. Being a singer nowadays requires money to share your music or to promote it. This is where I come in and try to help talented individuals,” he states.

Giorgi Okuashvili is a hardworking and talented musician with his heart in the right place. He is geared up to release an album in the coming year with plans of introducing fresh talent through his record label. In a short span of time, he has notably contributed to creating a versatile music production environment and mastered rapping as well. He has worked on several featured projects with rappers from across the world, and his music is available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify, SoundCloud, and YouTube. With all these achievements and the constant support he provides to aspiring musicians, Giorgi is a rising star out of Georgia, all set to make it huge!

Ray Rich Headlines the Christian Rap Scene

Artist Weekly Staff on August 22, 2022

One of the great advantages of living in the age of social media is how quickly one can find fame in their niche. As long as your content resonates with other people online, you will find your audience. Ray Rich, formerly Ray Bandz, is headlining the Christian rap scene and is consistently coming out with new music.

Ray Rich recently performed live last August 6th, in Saginaw, MI, at Ojibway Island for Gospel Fest. There, he performed tracks off his upcoming mixtape “Spiritual Therapy,” which will also be released in August.

As an artist and a devoted follower of Christ, Ray Rich is focused on sharing the Gospel through music. With his distinct voice and talent, he is changing the sound of the Christian rap market.

“Too many individuals use God’s name for a politically correct cosign, or for fame and money yet don’t carry out the fruits of the holy spirit nor do they live how God commands us to,” he said.

Rich recently dropped a single titled ‘My Heart” (feat. Th@ Truth), which is available everywhere and will be on the “Spiritual Therapy” mixtape.

In 2019, Ray Rich was born again and is now a Child of God (Jehovah) (Yahuah). Being born again and becoming a devout Christian saved the budding rapper from his tragic and violent past. As a child, he was molested by two of his cousins and was threatened to keep quiet about it. As a teenager, his life spun out of control, and he faced a dangerous environment on the streets filled with violence, drugs, and immorality, which landed him in jail.

Knowing he had to get his life back on track, Ray Rich picked up the Bible and began his journey back to God. Rich started a daily prayer life, reading scriptures and working on music while trying to get and maintain a job so he could stop slanging weed and drop his addictions. Just when he was healing, he was hit with the devastating news that his mother had died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack.

Rich is now 25, a single dad of two amazing young boys. He dedicates each day to becoming a good role model for his kids, especially in spirit.

“Being strong in the faith is easier said than done. This ain’t a cakewalk. Everything we read in scripture, we must apply to our life and walk with God daily being led by his Holy Spirit. When you get baptized, your life is no longer yours but God’s, and he wants to use all of us for the glory of his kingdom, his purpose, and his glory. Life will throw us all types of trials in tribulations, but we need Jesus and equally yoked (like-minded) brothers and sisters so we can help build each other up, counsel one another, and righteously judge according to Scripture,” he said.

Ray Rich attributes all his success to God. In fact, he recalls praying and asking for a sign for his music career.

“God answered me and said, ‘I gave you gifts. You have everything you need. Tell my people about my laws and my word (Jesus),'” he said. Then, he branded himself Ray Rich Music (In God We Trust). Having a brand online makes him feel more organized and stable, allowing him to stay in the lane God called him to do kingdom work.

Ray Rich has found a calling to serve God in his own way through music, and with that as motivation, he continues to create astounding sounds that resonate with the words of the Lord.