PBP Recordings artist David A. Richman, professionally known as [ari], has been immersed in music for as long as he can remember, and he makes it known in his groundbreaking work. Born and raised in Los Angeles, his brothers introduced him to musical greats such as NWA, Twista, Wu-Tang Clan, Nice N Smooth, and 3rd Base at the age of 10. The soulful sounds of En Vogue, Mariah Carey and Chante Moore came into his life courtesy of his mother. His influences span many genres that include classic R&B, hip hop, blues, pop, jazz and soul. [ari] attended Hamilton High School, which boasts such alumni as: Mike Elizondo, Murs, Nipsey Hussle, Omarion, Warryn Campbell, Paula Patton, and Laila Ali.

It wasn’t long before [ari]’s immersive musical upbringing lead him to mess around with wordplay and to create lyrical flows and sounds similar to that of his influences. While his influences remain constant in his past, they serve as a foundation for his maturing world views. In college, and through the culmination of several life experiences, [ari] was able to hone in on topics, politics, beliefs and issues that mattered most to him. As [ari] states, “I mean for me it's more based on evil in high places of power and revolt against that power.” His music explores and examines politics, injustices, faith, history and even draws from scripture.

[ari]’s musical journey eventually crossed paths with Haph Breed, CEO and founder of PBP Recordings, LLC. Over the the span of nearly 10 years, Haph Breed and [ari]’s partnership soared, which culminated with [ari] signing to PBP Recordings in 2015. Together they would begin to understand their respective creative processes, embark on shared artistic pursuits and mutually commit to revitalizing real hip-hop. This also allowed PBP Recordings to continue its mission to bring underground hip-hop to life.

[ari]’s conceptual, debut album Gomorrah’s Genocide releases November 2016 and introduces us to the dark and troubled city of Gomorrah. [ari]’s carefully crafted lyrics and politically-charged messages are abstract, complex and thought-provoking. As Haph Breed explains, “This album is like a musical motion picture from the 70s. [ari] definitely carries the torch of hip-hop's golden era that ignites a new creative spark."

-Bio was written by Stephanie R. Sun. She graduated from Cal State Fullerton

[ari]