Written by Amal Murni
In collaboration with Riffdolla
With the new wave of early 2000s nostalgia coming, Riffdolla - a Bruneian RnB and HipHop artist knows just how to do it right with the latest single that came out on 9th October 2020, in which we will talk about later. Until then, let’s get to know the man behind it.
How’s it going? Please introduce yourself to our readers who aren’t as familiar with your work just so they can get the gist of what you’ve been doing with music and such.
Hi, I’m Riff. I’m an RnB and Hip Hop artist and I’ve been in the local music industry since 2016. I mostly rap and sing in Malay but I’ve been doing a lot more writing in English as well. I’ve started becoming more active in the music scene since late of 2019 when I released my debut mixtape on SoundCloud called “SADBOISZN”.
Furthermore, I have recently released a single in which was a collaboration with one of the Lambak Lord$’ members, Supahmiyagi called 'Change Your Mind.'
What were the albums/ artists/ songs that made you want to write and make music? Please describe your music journey.
The first rapper that made me start writing songs was NAV. I was inspired by his music and especially his vocal melodies and flow. The first time I’ve ever heard NAV on a song was this track on SoundCloud called “Myself” and that was back in 2016. I’ve also been recently inspired by the music from the late 90s and early 2000s such as Nelly, Ja Rule, Ne-Yo, Mario, and many more.
Have you performed your music live? If so, describe how it felt and would you do it again and with who?
Yes, the first time I performed live was at D’ Lounge in Kiulap back in 2016. I felt so nervous but at the same time, it was an exciting moment for me. Ever since then, I knew I wanted to do this again and have been performing in several events including, Underground Outbreak, Beat Culture, and Next Up Festival. I’ve also performed in Miri once at Barthyme Music Bistro back in 2018.
What’s your playlist like? Do people often get taken aback when you have an eclectic taste considering how most would stereotype one into a particular category but in reality one’s playlist could contain Shania Twain, to Slayer, to 2Pac?
Most of the songs in my playlist are typically Hip Hop and RnB songs as those are the ones where I get my inspiration from. There are times I feel like listening to other genres too and that includes House, Pop Punk and Afro.
"I don’t mind listening to any other genres because it’s not about how it sounds, it’s about how it feels when I listen to them."
Who would you want to collaborate with in the future? And would you venture outside of RnB and Hip Hop?
I’ve always wanted to collaborate with two of my idols; Sonaone and Airliftz. Their ways of making songs fit my style when I make mine; both artists can do both Hip Hop & RnB. I wouldn’t mind venturing outside of my comfort zone. I actually don’t even mind if I were to do a Rock song now. I used to play the drums a lot back then while I was in a band so making a Rock song would be nice too.
Since there’s a surge of (local) women in music, what can male musicians do to create a safe space for them?
"I think it’s so good that there is an increased number of women in the local music scene and I think the only way for us to create a safe space for them in the scene is by collaborating with them even more."
I, myself, have collaborated with a couple of talented singer-songwriters including Eyeda and Nadia and these are unreleased songs in my upcoming album with Swanz to be released end of 2020.
What’s your take on ‘Support Local’ and how can we collectively make it better for the current and future generations?
I think the term is easily mistaken with people just sharing music. Yes, sharing music with people is one of the many ways that one can support an artist.
"However, some artists and musicians would still want to earn from their music, so buying their merchandise or tickets to their gigs is a better definition of ‘Support Local’."
Riffdolla, what are your quirks and pet peeves?
I usually don’t like to interact with people when I’m hungry especially when I’m about to record a song in the studio. If I don’t have my meal, I tend to get cranky and be unproductive. So, my go-to food before a studio session is Spicy Chicken Joy with Rice and Coke Zero from Jollibee.
The 9th question is reserved for positivity -- what are the milestones that you’re proud of this year whether big or small?
"I think the biggest milestone this year for me was getting the song that Swanz and I made with MZL called “Segalanya” to reach 15k views on Spotify and was featured in one of the Malaysian editorial playlists, ‘Pop Terkini’. "
The fact that the song was next to all the big names made us proud.
Alright, we’re on our last question -- the floor is all yours. Please let our readers know your latest/ upcoming project(s), where to find you (social media), and feel free to express yourself!
Swanz and I are gonna finish the year strong with a 20-track album called “Under Control”! If there’s a project that locals should be proud of, it’s this one! The album is also gonna come with a set of merchandise to be announced soon. If you wanna be updated with my upcoming projects, do follow me on my socials @riffdolla including IG and Youtube.