Eric “Ric Riggler” Rhea is an African-American Snowboarder/Skier/Hip-Hop Artist.  Released in December 2017, “The Black Powder Movement” is Ric Riggler’s Hip-Hop mixtape-style EP of self-written songs all about snowboard & ski culture and lifestyle.

As a member of the 40+ year-old Black ski organization, the National Brotherhood of Skiers / Soulboarders Ski Club, Riggler and “The Black Powder Movement” focuses mainly on the perspective of  mountain winter sports from the eyes of African Americans who live and breathe snowboard and ski culture all the way from the resort to deep in the back country.

What started out as one song and video per season to get his friends stoked for the winter trips they would take turned into an idea for a full Extended Playing release after garnering world-wide attention from the ski and snowboard community for his song “The Back Country”, which uses Drake & DJ Khalid’s “For Free” and reworks the song to be about back-country heli-skiing, splitboarding and avalanche safety awareness and rescue

In classic Hip-Hop mixtape format, the full compilation of songs has some totally original songs and some reworks of popular raps songs that change the content to snowboard/ski culture.  The track-list and synopsis of songs are as follows:

1) Feels So Real (Riding In That Fresh Snow) - EP intro that introduces the concept and snowboarding/ski culture joys and excitement of the powder chase.
2)Japow (The Anthem) - touches on Riggler and crew’s annual trips to Hokkaido Japan, the Niseko/Rusutsu/Asahidake regions and love of Japanese snowsurf Gentemstick boards.
3)The Back Country  - touches on back country riding and skiing and safety using Drake and DJ Khalid hit song “For Free” as the inspiration and music.
4)Black Men Ski - touches on Riggler’s intro as a 4-year-old black kid in the 1970’s to skiing through the National Brotherhood of Skiers/Jim Dandy Ski Club, bringing awareness to the world of African Americans’ passion for the sport and history of some of the Black pioneers in winter sports. With a borrowed sample from comedic artist/band Stew and the Negro Problem for the song’s hook.
5) Until the Chairlifts Close - touches on Riggler’s addiction to snowboarding and ever-growing quiver of boards using rap artist Gucci Mane’s “Both Eyes Closed” song as the inspiration and music.
6) Shorty Wanna Ride (The Snowboard Anthem) - The first song Riggler recorded around snowboard life and culture, this track flips G-Unit’s artist Young Buck’s song “Shorty Wanna Ride With Me” from a gangsta track to a snowboarder’s adventure.
7)Powder Love (Let's Ride)(feat. Tunesia Turner of Black bottom Collective) - touches on living the snowboard life and blending love for powder and the mountain with love for a spouse or significant other that either shares the passion or has no interest in it.
Although told from the perspective of  broadening the often, little-known  awareness of African Americans’ passion and involvement in the sport on all levels, and it’s racially targeted title “The Black Powder Movement”, the full compilation of songs can be truly enjoyed by people of all races, genders, and ages, however as Riggler states on the intro song “You don’t have to be Black to listen, but you do have to ski or ride”.  To fully enjoy and understand the musical experience of this project one has to be knowledgable about snowboarding and/or skiing and have a genuine passion for it and have some affinity for hip-hop music.  “The more knowledge and passion you have for both the more you will realize how good the content of the EP is” - Riggler states.

Eric &quot;Ric Riggler &quot;Rhea -The Black Powder Movement is following

Eric "Ric Riggler "Rhea -The Black Powder Movement is following