Ricky Harrell, Jr. (born March 7, 1987), professionally known as Ricky Racks, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is best known for production with well-known artists, most notably

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

Young Scooter Kenneth Edward Bailey (born March 28, 1986), better known by his stage name Young Scooter, is an American rapper who is affiliated with Freebandz and 1017 Brick Squad Records and CEO of his own label Black Migo Gang. Scooter grew to prominence ...

Migos Migos () is an American hip hop trio from Lawrenceville, Georgia, founded in 2008. The group was originally composed of Southern rappers Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia; Offset and Takeoff were born and raised in Law ...

, and

Lil Yachty Miles Parks McCollum (born August 23, 1997), known professionally as Lil Boat, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. He first gained recognition on the internet in 2015 for his singles "One Night" and "Minnesota" (featuring ...

Early life

Ricky Harrell, Jr. was born on March 7, 1986, in

Greenville, North Carolina Greenville is the county seat of and the most populous city in Pitt County, North Carolina, Pitt County, North Carolina, United States; the principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area, Greenville metropolitan area; and th ...

. As his father played guitar in a band called One-A-Chord, Racks' was introduced to music at a young age. While he learned the drums, he never considered being a musician, instead preferring sports such as basketball. Racks grew up listening to gospel, 90s RnB and rock, but discovered New York hip-hop himself as a teenager, listening to artists such as

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

and

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

. As Racks learned more about southern culture, he found himself gravitating to the more southern rap style of

Yo Gotti Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...

and

Gorilla Zoe Alonzo Keith Mathis Jr. (born January 27, 1981), better known by his stage name Gorilla Zoe (), is an American rapper originally from East Point, Georgia. He is best known for being a member of the rap group Boyz N Da Hood. His solo debut album ...

. He began producing music between the ages of 16 and 17, but gave it up after four years without major success.

Career

Racks got back into music production when his friend gave him a computer. Racks had previously said to him that there was no money in music, but the friend liked Racks' demo CD of rap beats, and thought that Racks had potential. Stafa, another of Racks' friends and a sound engineer, had moved to Atlanta, the home of modern southern rap. In Atlanta, Stafa met DJ Holiday who asked for some demo beats for

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

. After sending some of Racks' demos to DJ Holiday, Holiday was very interested in Racks, and offered to sign him. Racks moved to Atlanta on May 6, 2012. Racks connected with Atlanta rap group Migos through their uncle, who was a friend of Racks from Greenville. Racks' relationship with Migos would lead to production credits on their

Culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

and

Culture II ''Culture II'' is the third studio album by American hip hop trio Migos. It was released on January 26, 2018, by Capitol Records, Motown and Quality Control Music. ''Culture II'' is a double album consisting of 24 tracks, and features guest app ...

albums. He combines influences from east coast and southern hip hop.

Selected production discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Racks, Ricky Living people American hip hop record producers 1987 births