Long Form Bio (Wikipedia, EPK, Website)

 

Shaquille D. Mitchell (born on March 18, 1994), known professionally as Rio Narley, is an African American songwriter, rapper, and producer living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Rio was born in Georgetown, South Carolina to a mother of African and Creole descent and a father of Cherokee Indian and Irish descent. His creative talent began when he was very young. He made his poetry an emotional outlet, which later became the lyrics for his first song (2005). Rio started recording and distributing music on Myspace, when he was 18 years old, later progressed to other social media platforms such as Soundcloud, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Rio attended college for a while but soon discovered it was consuming too much of his time. He no longer was able to create music and dropped out of school. Dropping out of college led him to focus more on music and taking his artistry more seriously.  In the end, Rio Narley was able to obtain local and out-of-state performances.

 

Over the years, Rio's built a large following and fanbase on social media, creating his presence and directing his efforts to his demographic market for each live and virtual performances to promote his music. He constantly engages with fans through social media to stay relevant and to keep them wanting more. A few years later, he teamed up with his friend Kali Kasper to form Soul Surferz, which toured the United States and performed in smaller venues, ending in Los Angeles, California. In the last couple of years, the rap duo broke up due to creative differences. Rio finds himself pursuing a solo music career again, this time with a more refined view on life. In the last couple of years, the rap duo broke up due to creative differences. Rio finds himself pursuing a solo music career again, this time with a more refined view on life.

 

Rio’s major influences come from the likes of rappers Logic, Travis Scott, Drake, and the late Nipsey Hussle. The one quote that brings inspiration to his craft, “Fear is the enemy of hope.” ~ Dave Ramsey. With that in mind, Rio unquestionably chased his musical dream even harder to take a leap of faith and move to Los Angeles, California when he was just 20. It ended up becoming one of the best decisions to put him in the creative environment he longed for and help build more entertainment relationships. The relationships he developed have made for a lifelong network of artists and entertainers. During his time in Los Angeles, he was able to gain more exposure through live performances at different venues on the west coast at events like the Coast to Coast Live. However, the relocation only lasted a little over a year before he found out his mother was in a bad car accident and had to move back to his hometown, momentarily postponing his career to take care of his mother while she recovered. When he moved back, he didn’t let his situation stop him from releasing new music like Genie, gaining over 75k streams on Soundcloud or reaching a new milestone with over 10k followers on Twitter. All of his life experiences are on display, opening his vulnerable state of mind to the world, allowing him to unreservedly express his raw emotions unapologetically through his lyrics. Rio Narley's distinctive voice destroys the stereotype of hardcore rap with his high pitch vocals, positive energy, and image, creating pleasant music. Sending waves of positivity, catchy metaphors, and lyrical intelligence summoning the powerful reactions from fans. It is easy to hear why Rio's music will have you up dancing or quickly bobbing your head to his music. Adding any of Rio's songs to your playlist will keep you in happy spirits.

 

In his spare time, Rio enjoys online Forex Trading, writing music, dabbling in playing the piano, skateboarding, and spending time with his family. Rio Narley's, dreams have fluctuated over the years, but one thing still remains is his passion for music and building his legacy through entrepreneurship.  He has recently begun involving different business opportunities in the entertainment sector to build a more financially stable infrastructure for his Hippy Trip Gang brand. Pursuing these business goals, he would like to set up an entertainment label, clothing line, real estate entity, and build his Hippy Trip Gang brand. The quote Rio’s music resonates with most is, “Intuition will find you when you follow the nudges of your soul”.   His music has a way of expressing his thoughts and feelings surrounding life situations to encourage others to keep pushing forward, through depression, discouragements, and finding the true joys of life in nature.  He conquers the most difficult challenges of life on his own terms. This is evident in his latest released single, “Brighter Days”, which is also a feature on his upcoming Ep.  Stay tuned for his upcoming performances.