Rye Rye Issue #39

Major Player

By Eavvon O'Neal
Published: March 1st, 2009 | 9:42am

After a major label deal with Interscope’s M.I.A., one thing’s for sure: Baltimore’s Rye Rye, born Ryeisha Berrain, is on the come up. If you hadn’t been made aware by the “Artists To Watch” feature in last summer’s Venus Zine, let this stand as a nod to both the Baltimore sound’s step toward the fore — as well as a lady whose 18 years of age should never be confused for naiveté.

“There are a lot of women out here, who aren’t representing like the dudes,” starts Berrain, “but as far as being a young female artist, I think I’m going to be able to take it there because of the simple fact that I’m fresh and brave.” While some may think that being hand-selected by M.I.A. doesn’t require much bravado, let’s not forget the industry’s ability to make and break at whim. But while Rye Rye’s open future seems rather extreme and intimidating, the teenage MC remains confident; “I’m not coming out trying to be a Pop R&B artist, I’m just trying to stay true to myself, I’m being real.”

To boost her respect, Rye Rye has stacked her March debut with some of alternative hip-hop’s heaviest hitters. “M.I.A. is all over the album. She’s singing hooks and producing most of the tracks,” she starts, but that’s just the tip of the production booth; “Blaqstarr is producing on the album; Diplo’s producing on the album; and The Count & Sinden produce also. I even worked with [Million Dollar] Mano.”

Having such an assortment of production styles at her fingertips is where Rye Rye feels most comfortable, as she seems to regard genre lines rather flippantly; “The album is coming from every angle for me, you got a handful of sounds; some tracks sound like reggae or there is a song that sounds like swing.”

It’s this unique style-flip that Rye Rye is banking on as her signature. “I can have a song that’s techno but there is a flip in the song, which will give you a club feel, and then jump back into the techno sound,” she explains. “And the people that I work with, they also make sure they give me a Baltimore feel … the bass hits hard in all the songs.“

The past few months have thrown the Baltimore artist headfirst into the business of record-making, but now comes that final judgment that looms over all debuting musicians: her introduction to the public. But even with all the trappings of the mainstream music industry, Rye Rye remains fiercely independent in her mindset. “I don’t feel like I have to exploit this or that,” she explains, pointing to her body for effect, “I feel like this is a new generation, and we have fun making our music. We don’t make music to try to impress people. We’re just having fun — and I have fun. “