{"id":695041,"date":"2025-10-16T00:55:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T21:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/rio-da-yung-og-irl-14-hours-with-michigans-realest-rapper\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T00:55:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T21:55:14","slug":"rio-da-yung-og-irl-14-hours-with-michigans-realest-rapper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/rio-da-yung-og-irl-14-hours-with-michigans-realest-rapper\/","title":{"rendered":"Rio Da Yung OG, IRL: 14 hours with Michigan\u2019s realest rapper"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a34933b74923\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a34933b74923\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/rio-da-yung-og-irl-14-hours-with-michigans-realest-rapper\/#After_spending_five_years_in_prison_the_Flint_MC_is_learning_how_to_stand_out_in_the_internets_infinite_scroll\" >After spending five years in prison, the Flint M.C. is learning how to stand out in the internet\u2019s infinite scroll.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"deck\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"After_spending_five_years_in_prison_the_Flint_MC_is_learning_how_to_stand_out_in_the_internets_infinite_scroll\"><\/span>After spending five years in prison, the Flint M.C. is learning how to stand out in the internet\u2019s infinite scroll.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"content_blocks\">\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274972\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left image\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/000089350010_ncdqae\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/000089350010_ncdqae\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/000089350010_ncdqae\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/000089350010_ncdqae\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/000089350010_ncdqae\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/000089350010_ncdqae\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/000089350010_ncdqae\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/000089350010_ncdqae\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/000089350010_ncdqae\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/000089350010_ncdqae\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/000089350010_ncdqae\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"Rio Da Yung OG, IRL: 14 hours with Michigan\u2019s realest rapper\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"caption\"><br \/>\n      Rio Da Yung OG. Photo by Esdras Thelusma<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><br \/>\n      \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274950\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            <i>This story is part of our fall 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a>, Offline, where we investigate IRL spaces and explore our relationships with music and the internet.<\/i>\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274951\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            It\u2019s 2 PM on a Wednesday afternoon in late September and I\u2019m on the second floor of a Soho boutique watching Rio Da Yung OG take his pants off. His bodyguard and a bemused store manager point to the dressing room a few feet away, but Rio\u2019s already kicked off the Louis Vuitton Air Force 1s and peeled his jeans down to his ankles, where they\u2019re skinny enough to snag. Despite his husky build and untoned physique, Rio is deceptively agile, and smoothly executes a forward fold to disentangle himself as his iPhone, a lighter, and a wad of cash thick as a paperback spill forth from his pockets.\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Tonight\u2019s show is No.46 on Rio\u2019s first tour, when he\u2019ll play New York for the first time. The day\u2019s schedule is packed and Rio needs a new outfit, which is how I ended up here, politely averting my gaze from the 31-year-old\u2019s Supreme boxer briefs as he shimmies into a pair of crystal-embellished jeans. They fit, and he cuts a quick promo clip for the store then heads for the exit, reclaiming his half-smoked Black &amp; Mild off a ledge outside as we march back to the SUVs. On the walk over, he films a fit check for his spam account and realizes he has no idea what brand of denim he\u2019s wearing.\n          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274953\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            A year ago, Rio was in federal prison, serving out year four of a five year sentence for possession of a firearm with intent to distribute controlled substances. After his release on December 11, 2024, Rio spent the top half of 2025 recording new music at a furious clip, telling me he made around 500 songs while on house arrest. When we talked in July a few days before the tour kicked off, he was anxious to get on the road and see how the new material was resonating with fans.\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            \u201cI\u2019m finna be gone the rest of the year,\u201d says Rio. \u201cIt&#8217;s kind of like going to prison to me: I ain&#8217;t know what was ahead of me, but I did it. So I <i>know<\/i> I can do this.\u201d\n          <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content_block paragraph triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274982\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left image\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2952_foduwi\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2952_foduwi\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2952_foduwi\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2952_foduwi\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2952_foduwi\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2952_foduwi\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2952_foduwi\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2952_foduwi\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2952_foduwi\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2952_foduwi\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2952_foduwi\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"Rio Da Yung OG, IRL: 14 hours with Michigan\u2019s realest rapper\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"caption\"><br \/>\n      Rio Da Yung OG. Photo by Esdras Thelusma<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><br \/>\n      \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274954\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            Born Da&#8217;mario Horne-McCullough, Rio was raised in Flint, Michigan, a town of 80,000 an hour north of Detroit best known for its late 2010s lead contamination water crisis. He only began r<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ing in earnest after his 2019 indictment, and although Rio became synonymous with the region\u2019s hip-hop \u2014 rapid-fire punchline rap that\u2019s wildly charismatic one moment, violently sinister the next \u2014 he was largely absent during the scene\u2019s rise to national prominence. After his release, Rio was only given sporadic permission to perform before getting the greenlight this summer for his 57-date spree.\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cWhen you locked up, you\u2019ll wreck your brain thinking about the free world,\u201d Rio says on a video call in mid-July. \u201cI just had to be a prisoner. I didn&#8217;t read no books, I didn&#8217;t rap, I didn&#8217;t do nothing but listen to music and get high.\u2029\u201d\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            \u201cIt was like a dream,\u201d Rio recalls of his 1,370 day stint with the B.O.P. \u201cI went to sleep, woke up in prison. Then I went back to sleep and woke up and I was free.\u201d\n          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274955\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            Rio says his time inside was, \u201clike therapy. It helped me be disciplined and patient, cause it was nothing I could do. No amount of money could have helped me, I just gotta stick it out.\u201d On his jailhouse MP3 player, he listened to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a> leaks of Rylo Rodriguez and NoCap, cycling through the same handful of songs on repeat. To hear Rio tell it, his time incarcerated was meditative, spiritually fruitful, even if he was a touch \u201crebellious\u201d as far as the prison rules.\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Despite the long hiatus, the new material picks up where his outlandish, darkly comic discography left off, teasing out his eye for narrative detail and sharpening his blunted punchlines to a vicious point. \u201cRIO FREE,\u201d a song he recorded approximately 12 hours after walking out of federal prison, starts somberly enough, but that quickly gives way: \u201c60 months in the Feds, it wasn\u2019t shit though,\u201d Rio sneers. Later on he\u2019ll crow, \u201cI drunk a hundred pints in jail, you can ask Sosa \/ and they ain\u2019t never find my phone, I hid it in the lotion.\u201d\n          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274956\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left video\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"fluid-width-video-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top: 56.25%;\">\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rio Da Yung OG - RIO FREE (Official Video)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0Bj6QCU3Ggg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n \/\/trackYouTubeVideo('274956');\n<\/script><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content_block paragraph triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274958\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            \u201cI was nervous &#8217;cause I was in prison for four years, [and] I didn&#8217;t write any songs or nothing. I thought I didn&#8217;t have it no more,\u201d Rio says of recording his comeback single. \u201cI kept listening to the beat over and over and I started writing. And once I got like 12 bars, I told them to change the beat and then I just started freestyling.\u201d\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            The four hour session had its speedbumps. \u201cThe power went out in the AirBNB, so we couldn\u2019t record for an hour. And then my baby mama pulled up trying to fight on some crazy shit,\u201d Rio sighs, exasperated. \u201cIt almost threw me off, but I ended up taking the energy and just putting it on the song. When I said, <i>baby mama fucking up my mood, man I hate that hoe<\/i>, that shit had just happened.\u201d One man\u2019s distraction is another\u2019s inspiration.\n          <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274959\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            Rio doesn\u2019t want to go \u201ctoo industry,\u201d but he does want to reach new audiences. 10 years ago, that might have meant hitting the radio interview circuit and collaborating with industry vets; in 2025, it means filming a barrage of vertical videos and securing <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CpJ0xbn5PRs\">a TikTok viral smash with the hottest up-and-comers<\/a>. In pursuit of the perfect frontal-lobe-gelatinizing clip, we circuitously migrate from Complex offices to the Ocky Way deli, where Rio works the grill alongside influencer Rah Money, and then to On The Radar, where he\u2019ll record a performance and a freestyle.\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            En route to OTR, Rio silently cues up a playlist of unreleased tunes, gearing up for the shoot. On a particularly menacing cut he plays twice, he muses, \u201cI really wonder what a broke n***a kids saying \/ like, \u2018I really want the shoes, daddy keep playing \/ my momma got a new boyfriend, he got a pink Benz.\u2019\u201d Lately, Rio\u2019s music has featured more of these farcical vignettes, teasing out a joke for a few lines instead of spraying new ideas every downbeat. That\u2019s ratcheted up the contrast in his raps, his deadpan punchlines brighter than ever, the depths of his chiaroscuro shadows extra bleak.\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274981\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left image\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A3241_aaabpy\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A3241_aaabpy\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A3241_aaabpy\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A3241_aaabpy\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A3241_aaabpy\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A3241_aaabpy\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A3241_aaabpy\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A3241_aaabpy\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A3241_aaabpy\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A3241_aaabpy\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A3241_aaabpy\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"Rio Da Yung OG, IRL: 14 hours with Michigan\u2019s realest rapper\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"caption\"><br \/>\n      Rio Da Yung OG. Photo by Esdras Thelusma<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><br \/>\n      \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274974\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left pull_quote\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"pull_quote\"><p>I was nervous &#8217;cause I was in prison for four years, [and] I didn&#8217;t write any songs or nothing. I thought I didn\u2019t have it no more<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content_block paragraph triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274960\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            After Rio lipsyncs through a single with fellow Michigander RMC Mike twice, the OTR staff cue up the track he brought to the session, leading to an inadvertent standoff. Rio\u2019s waiting for the beat to wind down to stop rapping, but the guys behind the boards are scared they\u2019ll run out of instrumental before he\u2019s actually finished, looping the beat over twice until Rio finally trails off.\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            He raps for 7 minutes straight. There\u2019s a moment it seems as if he might fall behind the pocket, when something flashes in his eyes and suddenly, he\u2019s tumbling into an entirely different flow. \u201cI had drank in the water fountain\u2026 \/ Swear to God I\u2019ll try to climb the tallest mountain \/ \u2018fore I \/ put my trust in a hoe.\u201d $1,000 for a Balenciaga tee; $10,000 for the LV Forces; $100,000 for the rehab Rio needs but won\u2019t do. Rio used to be so broke he rode the bus; Rio used to be so broke he didn\u2019t even have <i>pants<\/i>. \u201cNow I got Chrome Hearts jeans \/ Amiri jeans \/ What the fuck I got on now? It cost 23,\u201d he shrugs, still unable to identify his new threads. When he\u2019s done, the room is all smiles, except for Rio, who calmly studies the footage to make sure he\u2019s satisfied.\n          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content_block paragraph triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274983\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left video\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"fluid-width-video-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top: 56.25%;\">\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Rio Da Yung OG &quot;On The Radar&quot; Freestyle\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JSRJLRZB1aI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n \/\/trackYouTubeVideo('274983');\n<\/script><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274961\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            Fast forward three hours \u2014 we\u2019d schlepped into Jersey so Rio could appear on a Twitch stream with Zoe Spencer, and now we\u2019re fighting through traffic en route to the venue. Rio\u2019s publicist has tracked down a braider who beats us to Webster Hall, but by the time we pull up, it\u2019s clear there won\u2019t be enough time for a retwist; Rio tells her to stick around and they\u2019ll handle things after the show.\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            Rio has been remarkably put together all day, but now, it seems as though the marathon is beginning to catch up with him. His movements are a little more languid, sloppy as the backend arrives in a manila envelope and is stuffed into his black leather LV backpack; a short while later, he emerges from the green room bathroom and announces the $500 bottle of Bond No. 9 cologne he\u2019d purchased less than 8 hours ago had slipped from his wet grasp and shattered on the floor. The green room is getting packed, but Rio seems distant, not distracted. It\u2019s hard to tell if he\u2019s thinking about the impending show or nothing at all.\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Earlier, at On The Radar, Rio had rapped, \u201cI fell asleep on stage, I don\u2019t take bars,\u201d an acknowledgement of sloppy tour dates this summer where he\u2019d been semi-somnambulent, stumbling through tracks like a drunk at karaoke. But on stage at Webster Hall, the energy never flags. Backed by YN Jay and RMC Mike, he mostly performs material from his most recent mixtape <i>F.L.I.N.T. (Feeling Like I\u2019m Not Through)<\/i>, plus a judicious selection of early hits. The crowd enthusiastically raps along to newer tracks like \u201c4 Minutes of Hell,\u201d \u201cI GO,\u201d and \u201cRIO FREE,\u201d but the biggest pop of the night has to be for Rio and Mike\u2019s \u201cParanoid,\u201d specifically the line, \u201chad a threesome with two fat hoes I need a different bed!\u201d After an hour, he closes things out with \u201cLegendary,\u201d letting the crowd rap most of the words for him.\n          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274952\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left image\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/IMG_3007_l0sp58\/rio-da-yung-og-at-webster-hall.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/IMG_3007_l0sp58\/rio-da-yung-og-at-webster-hall.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/IMG_3007_l0sp58\/rio-da-yung-og-at-webster-hall.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/IMG_3007_l0sp58\/rio-da-yung-og-at-webster-hall.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/IMG_3007_l0sp58\/rio-da-yung-og-at-webster-hall.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/IMG_3007_l0sp58\/rio-da-yung-og-at-webster-hall.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/IMG_3007_l0sp58\/rio-da-yung-og-at-webster-hall.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/IMG_3007_l0sp58\/rio-da-yung-og-at-webster-hall.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/IMG_3007_l0sp58\/rio-da-yung-og-at-webster-hall.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/IMG_3007_l0sp58\/rio-da-yung-og-at-webster-hall.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/IMG_3007_l0sp58\/rio-da-yung-og-at-webster-hall.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"Rio Da Yung OG, IRL: 14 hours with Michigan\u2019s realest rapper\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"caption\"><br \/>\n      Rio Da Yung OG at Webster Hall.<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><br \/>\n      \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content_block paragraph triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274963\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            With the concert handled, things start to move faster. First, there\u2019s some old school fan engagement \u2014 a paid meet and greet, where Rio flicks up with a dozen and a half diehards. Then we\u2019re back in the car, still in a rush. Rio\u2019s set to record at EMPIRE\u2019s Midtown studio later tonight, but before we head over, we have to make a significant detour for a cross-generational collab: promoting Styles P\u2019s Upper Manhattan dispensary.\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            As Rio recommends his followers tap in with the brand, I\u2019m struck by the absurdity of driving 40 minutes each way to film a 40 second Reel, till I consider how many tens of thousands of times the clip will be watched. Instagram was well-established by the time Rio started his sentence, but it\u2019s since become the nucleus of global advertising, hyper-targeted and ubiquitous \u2014 40 seconds can move units, and Rio is a consummate salesman, fluidly adapting to the ever-increasing speed of our terminally online culture.\n          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content_block paragraph triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274964\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            We finally arrive at EMPIRE Studios around 1 AM. The braider is here, and Rio disappears to wash his hair. I\u2019m watching another artist slowly but steadily hammer out a verse as RMC Mike lights up a cig indoors. I\u2019ve spent all of 14 hours on Rio\u2019s schedule and I\u2019m fighting to stay alert. Rio seems to be in a similar boat, dozing in a chair as his hair is worked over \u2014 but when it\u2019s time to go in the booth, around 2:30 or so, he seems perfectly poised, laying down his bars in a quarter of the time his collaborator had taken (Perhaps he had been dreaming in meter).\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            Earlier in the summer, Rio told me he fantasized about recording a new track on stage every night of tour. He\u2019s pretty sure it would be easy enough to set up a laptop and mic and demand the crowd get quiet for 10 minutes so everyone across the country could witness the recording process for themselves, raw and unfiltered. At the start of our interview, Rio said the biggest adjustment post-prison has been all the love people have been showing him since his release, and he wants to reciprocate. The deluge of new music isn\u2019t enough. Long nights on the road, weeks away from his kids, fragmented glimpses of his half-buried trauma \u2014 what else could Rio hope to give fans on tour?\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n             \u201cWe was thinking about giving them me.\u201d\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-274978\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left image\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2887_q6d9xu\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2887_q6d9xu\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2887_q6d9xu\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2887_q6d9xu\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2887_q6d9xu\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2887_q6d9xu\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2887_q6d9xu\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2887_q6d9xu\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2887_q6d9xu\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2887_q6d9xu\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/_M2A2887_q6d9xu\/rio-da-yung-og-photo-by-esdras-thelusma.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"Rio Da Yung OG, IRL: 14 hours with Michigan\u2019s realest rapper\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"caption\"><br \/>\n      Rio Da Yung OG. Photo by Esdras Thelusma<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><br \/>\n      \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"author\">\n    <span><br \/>\n      By <span class=\"credit_name\">Vivian Medithi<\/span><br \/>\n  <\/span><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thefader.com\/2025\/10\/15\/rio-da-yung-og-interview\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After spending five years in prison, the Flint M.C. is learning how to stand out in the internet\u2019s infinite scroll. Rio Da Yung OG. Photo by Esdras Thelusma \u00a0 This story is part of our fall 2025 series, Offline, where we investigate IRL spaces and explore our relationships with music and the internet. It\u2019s 2&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":695042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/c_limit,w_1024\/c_crop,h_529,w_1016,x_0,y_137,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/000089350010_g589zf\/000089350010_g589zf.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[70532,159166,88800],"class_list":["post-695041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-hip-hop","tag-offline-2025","tag-rio-da-yung-og"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}