New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Interscope Records) Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer
Rico Love has worked his magic into hit tracks for the likes of
Beyonce ("
Sweet Dreams"),
Usher ("
Throwback" and "
There Goes My Baby"),
Natasha Bedingfield ("
Love Like This"),
Kelly Rowland ("
Motivation") and Diddy-Dirty Money ("
Hello Good Morning"). As CEO of his own Interscope-distributed label, Division1, he is now following up his solo hit single, "They Don't Know," with "Bitches Be Like," while his debut EP, Discrete Luxury, digitally released last summer at all major outlets, will be released in physical form April 8 with exclusive retail partner Best Buy.
Said Rico: "2Pac wrote a song called "Wonder Why They Call U Bitch," and I love it so much because it gave an example to women of what NOT to be. I wanted to do my own rendition of the same concept that shines a light on the things I see that ruin the culture I love so much. This song is very much hypocritical because I use the term "bitch" as well, but I'm honest enough to admit that, just like everyone else, I'm a walking contradiction. I know better and I'm learning how to do better. This is my first step."
Rico's new single, "Bitches Be Like," was serviced to radio yesterday and is a look at what is currently going on in contemporary hip-hop culture. It's the follow-up to his smash hit, "They Don't Know," which peaked at #4 on the Urban chart, with its stark, black and white video, which reflects Rico's admiration for fashion and the arts, as it follows a mysterious female through an empty art gallery, closing with a quick glimpse of Love himself.
In addition to "They Don't Know," the five-track Discrete Luxury EP includes the sinister "2 My Ex," featuring Tiara Thomas, a "raised middle-finger" good riddance to a former girlfriend, with a shout-out to "Rick Flair courtside at a Knick game watching Melo." "
Champagne" is a slinky, late-night, screwed-up hip-hop tribute to the Viagra-like qualities of the bubbly and listening to "my favorite Jigga song," while Rico sings the praises of some of his favorite pole dancers, wishing he could turn his hotel room into a "Strip Club." Love casts a wary eye on "Everybody's Girl," warning, "make sure you don't get sentimental," while letting loose with a torrent of bass-and-drums-fueled rhymes aimed squarely at her gold-digging and name-dropping.
While attending Florida A&M, Love would take the bus from Tallahassee to Atlanta every weekend, where his musical connections earned him the chance to work on an
Usher remix, eventually becoming the first artist to sign to the superstar's label US Records.
Love went on to achieve success as a producer and songwriter, collaborating on Usher's Grammy-winning Confessions (including the song "
Throwback"), while contributing four songs to Beyonce's five-times Grammy-winning I Am....Sasha Fierce album, featuring the platinum single, "Sweet Dreams." Other artists
Rico Love has worked with include Nelly, Fergie, Mary J. Blige, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, Trey Songz, Wiz Khalifa, Michelle Williams, Lloyd, Pleasure P, Mario, Ludacris, T.I.,
French Montana and Brandy, among many others.
Love recently made rising recording artist/songwriter Tiara
Thomas ("Tell Me Something," Wale's "Bad") the first artist signing to his Division1 label. He also has worked on the new track, "Odio", by
Romeo Santos featuring Drake, and his own ascendant solo career.
"Some days are hard and stressful, but it's so exciting, so I just think about where I came from and that outweighs any stress," says the tireless multi-hyphenate multi-tasker.
