As one of Britain’s most ascendant young rap artists, Rio is in no doubt about his own role model duties. So much so that he’s shunning the usual gigging channels in order to go on a tour of secondary schools next month. But to the big issue of the day: should professional footballers be setting a good moral example?
Click on link to hear R.I.O's Debute single Narrow Roads
“It’s a weird one innit?” Rio ponders, cradling a glass of orange juice in a plush Castlefield bar.Oddly enough, Rio might well have followed a career in professional football himself --
-- he had trials for Manchester City as a teenager, and,thru his Caribbean heritage, Rio has also represented the small island nation St Vincent at international youth level.
Whilst Rio never made it as a footballer, you sense if he had, he most certainly would have been the sporting role model John Terry could only dream about.
“Footballers are in a whole different world of celebrity these days.
“It’s not like the old days when players could go have a few drinks then play a cup final the day after! “But if you’re in the public eye and you can inspire people from that position, you need to embrace it.
“Kids look up to you. If they have a special talent, whether it’s football or music or whatever, they need to look up to someone to inspire them – show how far those talents can take you in life. As a role model, you can’t afford to let people down.”
Rio Nelson, needless to say, has no intention of letting anyone down.
'Genuine pop stars'
Born and raised in Moss Side, followed by a brief stint playing football in the Caribbean, before returning to Manchester to re-launch himself as a heavyweight rap contender – it’s fair to say Rio Nelson has a spectacular life story to tell.
But most pleasing is how Rio chooses to tell his story – by way of the most arresting and explosive electro-grime to have emerged from this city since, well, ever.
Narrow Roads, released next month, Rio’s position at the forefront of the Manchester urban pack owes much to his unique, ferocious rapping style, his breathtaking lyrical genius, and most importantly, an ambitious drive to aim for the stars – while never forgetting his responsibility to, of course, be a fitting role model.
“British urban music is in a really amazing place right now,” he enthuses.
“A few years ago, a group like So Solid Crew might have struggled to break through ‘cos they were boxed into this ‘urban’ category. But now, you look at the charts – from Dizzee to Tinchy to Chipmunk – and no-one treats them any differently.
“They are all genuine pop stars who reach out to everyone, not just people who are into urban music.
“It’s really inspiring. People like Dizzee inspired me, opening up doors for similar young artists, and I’m hoping to do the same.”
Rio’s level-headedness owes much to his eventful upbringing.
Born in Moss Side, the youngest of three brothers, he was raised in Manchester until the age of 16 when his mother relocated the whole family to the small Caribbean island of St Vincent.
Already a talented footballer, Rio represented St Vincent at youth international level in a World Cup Qualifier, but decided to cut his footballing career short to return to Manchester.
Self-confidence
CityLife wonders what enticed him back to rainy Manchester.
He smiles: “I simply missed Manchester! I really did.
“I spent my childhood in Manchester and I really missed the lifestyle.
“Don’t get me wrong, life in the Caribbean is amazing. But the pace of life was very slow and there were few people there my age.
“I was really getting into making music, so I needed to keep busy.
“Manchester is the perfect place to keep the mind busy.”
Indeed it was. Aged 18 and having drawn a line under his professional football ambitions, Rio threw himself into his music-making, sprinkling his talents across all platforms of the Manc urban world. From releasing his own hugely successful mix-tapes to working with rap crews like Hit Em Up, and most crucially, hooking up with dance producer Jodz and singer Chris Royal to score his incredible crossover hit Dance Like Me.
Braggadocio – bragging or boasting – might be part and parcel of the rap world, yet Rio wisely uses that self-confidence to step outside of his MC comfort zone.
Much like fellow Manc urban stars Wrigley and Envy (the latter the recipient of CityLife’s best track of 2009 award), Rio isn’t afraid to reclaim terms like grime and give them his own autobiographical, Mancunian spin.
As demonstrated by his debut single His debut single Narrow Roads, released next month on Rare Breed Recordings, bears testament to this broad canvas approach – combining dense melodic harmonies and thunderous grime beats with the sort of stern, fabled narratives reminiscent of Dizzee Rascal’s earlier albums.
'Open-minded'
“I don’t mind being labelled a grime artist – grime still has the same meaning,” Rio insists.
“It’s still about laying down ideas and putting them out there.
“Grime is still an important form of self-expression for so many young kids up and down the country. But for me, I want to take my music worldwide, and build up a bigger following.
“The likes of Dizzee have proven you can build on those grime foundations and take it somewhere else – grime is more like urban pop these days. That’s something I want to do.
“When I first started out making music, there were so many artists in Manchester doing grime tunes and it was becoming a bit predictable.
“No-one wanted to step out of that comfort zone.
“I wanted to change that and be more open-minded with my music – whether it’s grime, electro, pop, I’m happy to soak up all these influences.”
R.I.O (aka Rio Nelson) - Manchester's Finest
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