Ricky Reid, known professionally as Lil Rick, is a calypsonian, soca musician and DJ from Barbados. He is one of the most popular and successful musicians in the history of Barbados. [1] [2] [3]
Ricky Reid, known professionally as Lil Rick, is a calypsonian, soca musician and DJ from Barbados. He is one of the most popular and successful musicians in the history of Barbados. [1] [2] [3]
Reid began as a club DJ in the early 1990s, focused on Jamaican dancehall reggae music rather than the local calypso. Reid transitioned to singing calypso & soca in 1996 after meeting producer Peter Coppin, coming into prominence with hits such as Hard Wine and Bumper Inspector. [4] He has been credited with innovating the genre of "bashment soca", similar to "power soca" in Trinidad & Tobago and dancehall reggae of Jamaica. [2] [4]
His profile increased in 1998 after winning the Party Monarch honour during Barbados' annual Crop Over festival with Down Behind the Truck. [4] He later won the title with tunes such as Mash Up And Buy Back, Caan Wait and Hypa Dawg, the latter which became an adopted nickname. [4] [2] His overall Crop Over title count, as of 2024, includes being a four-time Tune of the Crop ("Pic-O-De-Crop") winner, six-time Party Monarch winner, and Sweet Soca Monarch in 2018. [5] [6] [7]
Reid married long-time girlfriend Caragh Smith in 2015. They have sons Renee and Rinicko and daughter Rickara, all of whom have entered the music business. [2] [4]