Leading by Example: Making it out of the Hood
Ricco Barrino
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icco Barrino, a High Point, NC native, comes from an extensive family tree of singers and musicians, from the church to the mainstream. His family history includes Uncles who were with Motown, 1st cousins to the two members of the famous 90’s group Jodeci, K-Ci and JoJo, and is the brother to the American Idol winner and Grammy award winning sensation, Fantasia Barrino. Ricco Barrino is headed to the top and is making history of his own. He explains his musical approach, “I live outside the box, so you never know really what you going to get, but overall I kind of approach the game like Marvin did (Marvin
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hen one hears the word ‘hood’, what is the first thing that comes to mind, honestly? While researching multiple dictionary websites for the documented interpretation of the word, I found various interesting meanings. When I typed in the search engine of Google, ‘definition of the word hood’, it brought up multiple options. The 1st definition that came up from the search stated that, “it’s a gangster or similar violent criminal, a hoodlum.” The Urban dictionary indicates that the word ‘hood’ means “the ghetto, or someone from the ghetto, or someone that acts like they from the ghetto.” I always thought that the word hood simply was a way of shortening the word neighborhood; you know kind of like slang, but more or less a description of ownership of where one lives or grew up. It is a place that holds good and bad memories, and a place that highlights either your commitment to faith or acceptance of fear!
There’s nothing like music to relieve the soul and uplift it. Mickey Hart
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Gaye)”. He continues, “Marvin had songs and topics about everything, from love, heartbreak, you know sex, partying and if you can convey that and kind of twist it and melt it in to today’s topics of what’s going on, I think those are the kind of messages I bring that keep me outside the box!” But the goal of Ricco is not to just stand out but also, “Ultimately the goal is to be able to say something to the world. I like to talk about the things that are going on, different topics that really impact the world and how we live it and how we see it; that’s my motivation when I am writing my music.” n the midst of a major shift in his life, he is on the road less traveled to fulfill his greater des-
o some the word hood has a softer, more personal meaning that represents love, hope, struggle, loyalty, trust, and respect. To Ricco Barrino, the word hood has no evil intent or harmful focus; it simply represents family, hard workers, and dreamers fighting for survival and to make their dreams a reality by all means necessary. The word hood definitely has a mental presence, as well as a physical presence, and Ricco is a leading example that when to you want something bad enough and put forth the work to achieve it, then you can be and go anywhere in the world that one desires.
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Photo by Derek Palmer
Ricco Barrino performing at the grand opening of Harlem Bistro in Greensboro, NC
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