Courtesy of Josh Lehnerd
Rico Love is a singer, songwriter and producer who has created music with and for a plethora of successful recording acts. Love is also a proud alumnus of a historical Black college and university in Florida.
Love made the decision to go to college because he knew it was either school or the streets. He didn’t want the second option. He specifically chose an HBCU to be around Blackness, but had no idea how impactful that decision would be on his entire life’s trajectory.
It was at his HBCU that Love’s talents were first recognized. He participated in the school’s talent show when he first arrived, rapping Biggie’s “One More Chance” and won the talent show. From there on it was up. Love quickly experienced the uplifting, supportive community that HBCUs are known for. A friend he met at school would drive Love into Atlanta every weekend to help him pursue his music career. Another friend of Love’s hooked him up with a job rapping on a song that the Corner Boys remixed for a very popular Atlanta vocalist. After hearing Love on the song, the artist invited Love to perform a showcase for him, and signed him almost instantly.
“The power of a network is incredible,” says Love.
In addition to being the Vice Chairman of the board of trustees for one of the most prestigious music awards, Love is also a chairman of the Black Music Collective — a group of industry leaders who look for ways to advance Black representation in music. This organization is incredibly important to Love because “There’s no music without Black music,” he says.
—and Black music is closely tied to the HBCU experience as it was in Love’s personal experience.
Utilizing his resources to help others in the same position that he was once in is a life mission for Rico Love. That’s why he’s partnered with iOne Digital and Walmart to give HBCU students in the music industry a head start. Together, they’re donating $5,000 to the Black Music Collective.
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