Ricky Lake left his home of Los Angeles at the age of fifteen, moving with his family to Nashville. The son of two doctors, steeped in the usual high school trappings of weed smoke, weird books and hip hop, Ricky (real name Marcus McAlpin) got a wake up call. The pseudo-progressive Southern Nashville landscape showed him the real United States: a land full of contradiction and paradox. For a few years he made it work, and for the first time, he made music. But it wasn’t until he found himself fitting into the artsy enclaves of Oakland, CA that he took on the title that he holds today – the dark but delicate trap craftsman we all know as Ricky Lake.
Collaborating extensively with musicians and artists such as Taifa Nia (OCD, Same Girls) and his found family at SF’s Text Me Records, Ricky dug deep into teenage influences like NERD, Blink 182, Crystal Castles and more; gleaning and selecting his favorite elements of modern pop and Soundcloud rap to develop a sound that’s big and glowing. He’s hedonistic, stylish and sensitive. He doesn’t give a fuck, but he really does. Maybe you’ll find him in a club with gold teeth and a bottle of Patron, a bit misty-eyed because of the last girl who broke his heart. It’s all part and parcel to the young artist who embraces the lavishes of our culture but doesn’t shy away from his sensitive side.
Featuring shining production from quite a few artists who make their home at Text Me HQ (where Ricky actually took up residency through the recording of the album), Last Summer Sucked was Ricky Lake’s most coherent, exciting release to date.Thoughtful reflections on past loves and future mistakes, McAlpin lives and breathes the stories and emotions that bring each track to life. “Everyone leaves but I can’t do that,” he reminds us on the record’s most optimistic but still-regret-tinged tune. And it’s true – Ricky’s not going anywhere. He just moved in.