RiTchie, also known as Ritchie with a T, is best known as one of the rappers in the transgenerational and multiracial rap group Injury Reserve with producer Parker Corey and late rapper Stepa J. Groggs. He is also known for the sister project By Storm with Corey after Groggs’ passing. As Injury Reserve built their discography, their music became more and more unpredictable and experimental, exemplified by the critically lauded “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” This evidently leaked into By Storm’s “Double Trio,” and to a lesser but still noticeable extent, RiTchie’s “Triple Digits [112].”
“Wings [Intro]” is an entrancing synth intro that is reminiscent of “MG1” by Machine Girl if it didn’t have vocal samples or a witch house interlude. RiTchie’s beautiful auto-crooning enhances the song, but if you were to listen closely to the lyrics, it seems to simply be about RiTchie eating wings with someone. It’s certainly cryptic and metaphorical, but still an enjoyable intro that has replay value, especially with the “Ed, Edd n Eddy” reference.
“WYTD?!?!,” an abbreviation for “what you tryna do,” represents RiTchie trying to get the audience to think about what they want to do with their lives. The lyric “It’s a vibe they say” demonstrates RiTchie trying to understand Generation Z’s language. If it weren’t for the lyrics, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” era booming vocal inflections and experimental production patterns, “WYTD?!?!” would sound like a summer song from the 90s with its bright and peppy electric guitar-led instrumental — just like how the person sampled at the end of the song said it would be perfect for “a sunny day.”
The first single, “RiTchie Valens,” is a diss track to rappers who RiTchie thinks are hateful and backwards. The mesmerizing and cathartic instrumental was produced by RiTchie with his “We’re worried about you, RiTchie” producer tag and J. Fisher, the latter of whom previously only self-produced. The namesake of the song is a tribute to 1950s rock-and-roll artist Ritchie Valens.
Produced by FearDorian, “The Keepers” follows the evolving sample drill movement with a deconstructed house flair to it. The lyrics are critical of the practice of gatekeeping or acting as an authority to try and discourage others from enjoying the same things the gatekeeper enjoys.
“Only You” is the outro for “The Keepers” and offers an open-ended interpretation of why RiTchie focuses on the number “112” while still leaving more questions than answers. There are themes of “112” being a temperature, time and speed.
The title track is incredibly dense percussion-wise, and RiTchie flows eloquently throughout the song. The melody sounds similar to “Dummy!” or “Amalgam” from the “Undertale” official soundtrack.
“Dizzy” features Portland, Oregon’s Aminé, who previously collaborated with Injury Reserve on their tech-savvy banger “Jailbreak The Tesla” and Aminé’s introspective and forward-thinking “Fetus.” The song makes fun of people pushing thirty about their age with odd self-absorbed priorities over practical ones. A prime example of this is the first two lyrics that Aminé starts his slightly humorous verse with “You the type to link and build at a urinal. Your granny died, you taking fit pics at the funeral.”
“Looping” features existential themes with its motif of the lyric “We don’t know where to go” and RiTchie experimenting with multiple voices. The production has heavy usage of the bass drum.
“Your Worst Nightmare” is an interlude with a freestyle from someone else threatening to put pesticide in the recipient’s food as a threat.
“How?!” is another sample drill cut that is more maximalist and upbeat than “The Keepers” with a feature from up-and-coming rapper Niontay, who previously worked with MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt.
The lyrics of “Get A Fade” read like poetry and are supplemented by a beautiful lo-fi instrumental and bit-crushed vocals. The detailed lyrics “Last night, I saw your face in the hallowed light, you were standing taller than the mountain side, your long locks flowed down in blues and whites, I just stood there, bathed in the quiet” add a level of crypticness like “Wings [Intro].” The song ends with RiTchie acting out the roles of a barber and a client who wants a haircut.
“The Thing” features underground rap veteran Quelle Chris. This song is likely the most conventional song on “Triple Digits [112]” apart from “RiTchie Valens,” but the sample is off-kilter, and the flows are still unconventional and impressive. The long, old-school-sounding vocal sample at the end fits the upbeat and jazzy production.
“5onthe.” (read as “five on the dot”) is reminiscent of Injury Reserve’s “What A Year It’s Been” with how lyrically heavy it is, how RiTchie auto-croons and how he references other songs in the discography. In this case, RiTchie references the “hee-hee-ha-ha” in “RiTchie Valens.” He also delves into themes of mortality, mentioning real issues like how his rent is two months overdue and how he wishes that everyone could be clothed and fed. The song is open-ended without much closure, with RiTchie crooning at the end “We’ve been here before.” The production is mostly a quiet synth with loud hi-hats, 808s and other percussions added later. The snoring in the background adds to the dream-like atmosphere.
“[Credits]” is a shoutout from RiTchie to the producers Genny, MelikXYZ, J. Fisher, FearDorian, AJRadico and Corey, the mixer and masterer Zeroh — presumably Injury Reserve’s manager Nick Herbert and the audience under an eerie ambient production.
RiTchie has come a long way since his involvement in Injury Reserve’s “Cooler Colors” EP and “Depth Chart.” While participating in the rap game, he never lost his integrity both as an artist and as a human being. RiTchie and his team curated something that, while more playful than “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” is still thoughtful and something that time will treat nicely.
4/5