The echoing, intense atmosphere in the live recording room at Belfer Audio Lab was apparent immediately upon arrival. Separated by a glass window was the mixing station, where setups were quickly taking place. This place meant business.

However the quietness was sliced by the casual, comfortable presence of 19-year-old Ricky James Laubenstein, a sophomore in the Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries. Wearing a green thermal shirt, blue jeans and a backward Eagles hat, Laubenstein made the setting comedic immediately by quipping about how he likes fashionable hats despite being a Boston fan.

“I grew up in Hammer, Massachusetts, which is a suburb of Boston,” Laubenstein said. “My actual environment was relaxed and chill, and not hectic.”

Laubenstein is more commonly known by his stage name, Rip City Rick. It is this environment exactly that inspired the vibe of his music and also gave him his name.

“I used to chill with my friends all the time and spit freestyles and stuff, and when I used to spit freestyles I used to rap really fast, like I’m ripping freestyles,” Laubenstein said. “So that just turned into Rip City, like ripping it, just like killing it.”

Since his days growing up near Boston, Rip City Rick has become an online sensation. The music video for his song “Summer Time” from his debut mixtape “Head in the Clouds” has received almost 17,000 hits on YouTube. Since his debut mixtape dropped in the summer of 2011, Laubenstein hasn’t slowed down.

Despite lyrics discussing hard times, Rip City Rick’s music is primarily optimistic. He is inspired by his future potential more than his past hardships or even his successes.

While Laubenstein describes “Head in The Clouds” as having a “relaxed, old-school, early ’90s hip-hop vibe,” his second mixtape, “Food for The Soul,” which he released during his freshman year, gets a lot more personal.

“It’s progress. Songs about relationships, me contemplating what I’m doing in my life,” Laubenstein said about his second mixtape.

Laubenstein talked about how much more personal this mixtape was, specifically the last song, “Gatorade Flow.” He described it as an opportunity to talk about dealing with doubts from others about his situation.

It made up for some of the regrets he had about the music video for his song “Summer Time.” Although it gained quick popularity, it characterized him as a certain type of kid.

“Maybe my first video should have been not so partying,” Laubenstein said. “More of just me rapping.”

Laubenstein is currently working on his third mixtape, “Rise and Shine,” which he expects to drop this spring.

Success doesn’t come easily, though. He often has to push against the grain to pave his own path and stay true to his sound.

“A couple small indie labels in Boston tried to push me into a direction that I didn’t really want to go. ‘You got to become a skater dude, and this will be your image and you have to make this type of music,’” Laubenstein said. “In reality, I know what type of music I want to make. I just want to do it my way and on my own time.”

He also works overtime to overcome racial stereotypes and escape the narrow lenses under which he is viewed.

He struggles to fight against comparisons to Asher Roth and Machine Gun Kelly, a preppy party rapper and mosh pit rapper, respectively, simply because they are both white. Laubenstein’s own style differentiates from those two, he says, especially in his ability to incorporate singing into the music.

Not only does he like singing more than rapping, but his singing career actually goes back further than his rapping career does.

“I started my freshmen year in high school, producing a lot of hip hop and R&B music. I didn’t really start rapping until my senior year in high school,” Laubenstein said. “I sang a lot in a cappella groups, and then one day I was like ‘Hey, let me rap over one of my own beats and see what I can do with it,’ and it just started from there.”

Laubenstein said inspiration for his music can come from just about anywhere. Passing something on campus while listening to his iPod can lead to a moment of inspiration or even just thinking about a girl in his life. Laubenstein said that it all depends on the mood he is in at the moment.

Rip City Rick contains more in his persona than what can be found merely by glancing at his casual dress and relaxed posture.

Said Laubenstein: “Honestly, I just believe in myself. You have to believe in yourself if you’re going to accomplish any type of goal. How is anyone going to believe in me if I don’t believe in myself?”

Published on October 23, 2012 at 2:58 am