Ritchie with a T is a 29 year old MC from Phoenix, Arizona notable for emerging as 1/3 of Injury Reserve. The trio would release 3 mixtapes alongside a couple EP’s & albums, respectively until disbanding as a result of Stepa J. Groggs’ death, with Ritchie & Parker continuing to make music together as the duo By Storm introducing themselves the previous on the best single of 2023 in my opinion “Double Trio”. However to build up anticipation for By Storm’s upcoming debut album, Ritchie’s setting out to try something different & going solo.
The “Wings” intro sets the tone of the album with heavy synthesizers singing everyone knows there’s so much more to know whereas “W.Y.T.D.?!?! (What You Tryna Do?!?!)” fuses industrial hip hop & rap rock with industrial rock, synth punk & even post-punk abstractly asking the titular question. “RiTchie Valens” goes for a cloudier approach additionally pulling from trap, neo-psychedelia, glitch hop & pop rap responding to those who’re starting to feel a lot more like a tenant just before “The Keepers” nocturnally calls out people holding the gate as if he ain’t trying to blow past.
After the “Only You” interlude, the title track brings the glitch hop vibes back rollin’ up & steppin’ in similarly to if the place was his own while “Dizzy” featuring Aminé mixes neo-soul with boom bap & once again glitch hop telling y’all to look who it is that came through. “Looping” swaps out the dusty undertones in favor of footwork as well as nu jazz & jazz rap trying his best to chance but after the “Your Worst Nightmare” interlude, “How?!” featuring Niontay blends cloud rap & drill talking about many saying you gotta plan it out.
“Get a Fade” goes minimal instrumentally so Ritchie can sing with heavy auto-tune slathering his vocals paying homage to 808s & Heartbreak a bit while “The Thing” featuring Quelle Chris finds the 2 rapping about how much shit you gon’ let stop the flow & block the money from stacking up. Lastly prior to the “[Credits]” outro, the final song “5onthe.” by By Storm finishes Triple Digits [112] with a 5-minute teaser of their upcoming debut together.
As an Injury Reserve fan, it was only a matter of time after Stepa’s passing that Ritchie would venture into uncharted territory by breaking free from the confines of group expectations & personal barriers. He details his journey of self-discovery acknowledging the pressure to meet the standards set by his previous collaborations & shattering these constraints by delivering a diverse blend of experimental sounds & infectious production, showcasing his true essence.
Score: 4/5
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