The Ricch Get Riccher on Roddy Ricch and Gunna’s ‘Start Wit Me’
Roddy Ricch is a simple man with simple pleasures. He loves: Forgiatos, Pateks, feeding the streets, bloody bottoms, ballin’ (preferably every season), and racks (preferably in the middle).
In short, he’s a titan of industry — if said industry is rising post-regional West Coast rappers who spend the bulk of their time in Barneys. The word “rich,” albeit it with an extra “c,” is right there in the name. Part of Roddy’s charm, when he’s not singing about the devastating effects of death, drug dealing, and economic desperation, is his commitment to rapping about the intricacies of obscene affluence. “Start Wit Me,” featuring Atlanta’s Gunna, adds to his musical money menagerie. The song is ostensibly about Roddy’s new Draco (a firearm), bringing said Draco into a party (not the greatest idea), and not starting anything with Mr. Ricch (good advice). In reality, it’s about balling between the intimidation tactics you lord over your adversaries.
That’s why the brilliance of “Start Wit Me” lies in its juxtaposition between flexes and threats, pure braggadocio and blunt brutality. In one verse, Roddy jumps between putting an enemy on a carton to drinking Chardonnay, pulling up on an unknown victim with the strap to flying his private jet like a kite. Gunna, for a brief burst, gets more poetic with his dreamed violence: “I know cold hearted demons, that can smell your flesh / We gon’ run up a pussy nigga, shoot him dead in the chest.”
For a full calendar year, Roddy has been on the cusp of stardom. He’s managed to make a Marshmello beat sound hard, created a song of the year contender with DJ Mustard, and carved a new path for Compton music in the process. “Start Wit Me,” with its near-guaranteed streaming boost of a Gunna feature, feels like a tipping point. Predictably, the Ricch continue to get richer.
Last week, Atlantic Records announced their partnership with Roddy ahead of his debut album, Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, which will be released on December 6th.