While many artistes of Nigerian descent play it safe by molding themselves to fit into Nigeria’s most notable Afropop genre, Nigerian alternative hip-hop duo, Riverays, relish in the challenge of creating unorthodox melodies and rapping with uncommon cadences over experimental, self-produced beats as they wait for their talent to meet opportunity.
Judah Chima (“Iver Rivers”) and Joseph Chikak (“Ray the Boffin”) were both born and raised in Nigeria, but migrated to Ukraine for better education. When each discovered that the other could sing, rap, write, and produce, they formed the group “Riverays'' in 2018 and began creating music.
A signature Riverays’ record consists of a Ray-or-Iver produced instrumental, rap verses performed by Iver’s deeper-toned or Ray’s softer voice, and melodies sung by Iver’s surprisingly higher vocal register or Ray’s light singing voice that complements his rapping-style. Both men take pride in lyricism that bounces and weaves through their beats. The hooks and choruses of Riverays tracks can shake the walls of an underground club in English-speaking Europe and heat up stages at festivals that support alternative hip-hop in North America. With alternative hip-hop and R&B being appreciated by diverse audiences around the world, Riverays are eager to connect with whoever resonates with their music on platforms like Deezer.
