DJ Papi Ricco works hard to elevate his name

Mashau Ravele (28), publicly known as DJ Papi Ricco, has worked hard to elevate his name to that of a prominent and versatile deejay, producer, entrepreneur and formidable event organiser.

Papi Ricco, who has been in the industry for more than 10 years, has proven to be a household name in Vhembe and beyond. Being the son of the veteran former Radio Thohoyandou and now PhalaPhala FM deejay, he seems to have solid shoulders to stand on as he ventures into music.

Papi Ricco has always been musically inclined from a young age, listening to both hip-hop and deep house as his two brothers played those genres at home. Later in life, he would also infuse these two genres – hip-hop and deep house – to create music of his own.

“I explored different genres when I went to Port Elizabeth for school purposes,” he said. “I loved the rave and house genres the most, and here I was largely experimenting with the genres. I started deejaying in local clubs there in PE, the thing that I also did when I visited home in school recess.”

In 2016, he released his first commercial single, So Heavy, with prominent hip-hop artist Mizo Phyll. The song was well accepted in music circles, and it proved to be a hit as it streamed massively online, with many radio stations playing it nonstop. More singles that cemented his music career followed through the years.

“I appeared in many music festivals across the country,” he remembered.  

In 2020, he released his newest title, Not surprised, featuring two of the Venda giants, Percy the Postman and Mizo Phyll.

“I am consistently creating a solid industry of house and hip-hop events in my hometown, with a monthly event that is widely known as SNAP SUNDAYS,” he said. “It’s been the talk of the town ever since its launch in December last year.”

In the expansion of his brand, Papi Ricco has also come together in a duo with prominent DJ Drubango, where they, as ‘The Capable Boyz’, are dedicated to serving, curating and producing exclusive music to the masses and various markets.

Papi Ricco is available on social media platforms such as Instagram (papi_ricco/@snap_sundays), Twitter (papi_ricco), Facebook (Papi Ricco), Facebook page (Dj papi Ricco / Snap Sunday) and Tik tok (papi_Ricco). He can further be reached via Andani kone on Tel 0712692892 or [email protected].

Entertainment - Date: 21 August 2021

Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

Email: [email protected]