Ricky Rivera aka Ricky Bats is a hip-hop artist, entrepreneur and activist. The South Bronx native came from a childhood affected by crime and struggle. Since then, he has turned his life experience into a successful music career and inspiration for his community activism. This past December he contacted Foodstream about a food drive he was planning at P.S. 53 and I.S. 313 in The Bronx. With help from Sharing Excess, Foodstream and Ricky were able to bring over 4,000 pounds of fresh produce to his event and the community. We recently talked with Rivera about hip-hop, his journey and giving back to the community.
Foodstream: Where are you from?
Ricky Rivera: The South Bronx, 161 St. and Park Ave. near Yankee Stadium.
Foodstream: How did you get involved in music?
Ricky Rivera: Growing up, I always wrote rhymes, even before I knew how to write the words, I would write what they sounded like to me. I looked up to the older guys that wrote rhymes.
Foodstream: How would you describe your music?
Ricky Rivera: Conceptual… I write about reality. I write about life & death. I write about my experience.
Foodstream: Where did the idea for your event come from?
Ricky Rivera: I wanted to do something, and I met Rafael from Goya (Rafael Toro, national director of Public Relations at Goya Foods) at an event in Manhattan for the Christian Riviera Foundation, that I went to with Fredro Starr. Rafael mentioned contacting Foodstream to help with food donations. I had already been getting food from a contact at Yankee Stadium and donating the food to homeless shelters in the area, but I wanted to do more.
Foodstream: Who is Fredo Starr, by the way?
Ricky Rivera: From Onyx (hip-hop group).
Foodstream: What motivated you to do community work ?
Ricky Rivera: I have been through a lot in my life. I see what people go through. People’s circumstances are difficult. I want to give opportunity. It’s not just about giving people food, but giving them opportunity and community. I give them food or shoes or teach kids about music, so they go and do other things and have one less thing to worry about.
Foodstream: Can you describe the event you hosted?
Ricky Rivera: Foodstream helped us get a donation of fruits and vegetables. It was four full pallets. They said it was 4,000 pounds. My partner Franklyn Alejandro also had a van full of bread and other food. We set up tables, set up a line and started giving people the food. It was everyone from the community. People were thankful and it was a celebratory environment. We fed around 800 families. What we had left we gave to the homeless after the event.
Foodstream: What are you working on now?
Ricky Rivera: I have an afterschool program in NYC schools called Gotham City Kids that teaches kids about music and gives them mentorship. We teach them how they can make beats and write their own rhymes. The kids even made a song called “Soccer” that was played on Hot 97 (local New York City radio station). Franklyn has a hydroponic farm program in Brooklyn called Universe City that teaches how to grow food with hydroponics.
Foodstream: What would you like to do in the future?
Ricky Rivera: I would like to bring a music program to incarcerated people. Teach them how to be creative, teach them how to do things like sound engineering so they have something for when they get out.
Foodstream: Is there anything you want people to know?
Ricky Rivera: Respect the process…
Our team at Foodstream continues to look for new ways to help our members serve their communities. If you would like help with healthy food access, food donations, food education, project ideas or more information, contact us through Foodstream Network or email us at support@foodstreamnetwork.com.
For more information on Ricky Rivera, his music or his community work, follow him on Instagram:
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