Meet Ricquelle Badger | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ricquelle Badger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ricquelle, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
I feel the most important thing that I have done as a parent in terms of impact on my children is instilling the value of maintaining strong faith in God. My children have witnessed my successes, my shortcomings, and everything in between. It’s truly humbling being a parent because your children’s actions mirror yours. There have been many times where I have given advice or feedback to one of my sons and I reflect on the very words that I told them. It resonated so strongly that it reminds me to take my own advice. One of the phrases that we are always saying around the house is “God Provides.” It holds true in so many situations where I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I frequently encourage and remind my children that they are intelligent, strong, brave, resilient, and my prayer for them is that they grow up to be God fearing men. The reality is that people will disappoint and sometimes fail you however, God never fails. His timing is always divine, and his plans surpass anything that humans can ever imagine or fathom. I grew up in church with a solid foundation in the word. I also come from a family that prays. My mother prayed for my children before she even had the opportunity to meet them, so I wholeheartedly believe that they have favor and anointing over their lives. I share with them daily bible verses to keep them encouraged and growing in their faith journey. I’m also a parent who doesn’t sugarcoat because I feel it is important for them to know and understand the realities of the world as they are young African American men in America. Me and their father remind them of the value of hard work, discipline, humility, and never allowing anyone to dim your light. The world may not always stand by or behind you, which is why you need to know not only who you are but whose you are. You need to be secure in yourself and not seek praise or validation from the outside. Instead seek peace and stay constantly prayed up when life throws distractions and hurdles your way. My mother used to tell me and my siblings to never allow your emotions to conquer your mind or cloud your judgement, which is a quote from Nelson Mandela. I share the same quote with my sons. I’m blessed that I have a village of not only their father but also brothers and my dad who can also pour into them as men and teach them things that I can’t about being a Black man in America specifically how to navigate and maneuver when faced with adversity. Even though we as parents are to be the primary educators for our children, my children teach me things about myself all the time. I have grown to be more patient, understanding, and have come to realize the importance of sacrifice. Before I became a mother, I’ll be honest I was very impulsive, selfish, and didn’t take into consideration the needs of others. Now that I am a parent, my actions don’t just affect me, so I must be mindful. Going back to sacrifice, my children have had a front row seat to my journey of pivoting and starting from the ground up to create a better life for them. My sons, along with the rest of the world have seen me take L after L and still get back up. One of the biggest sacrifices that I have made was initially relocating to AZ from WI and temporarily being separated from them. I’ve mentioned before during that period, I was a little depressed, lots of tears were shed, and I briefly questioned if I had made the right move. However, I had family, a community, and a village who supported me and kept me going and focused on the end goal. I also grew stronger in my faith during that period of isolation. I’ve shared before that my life verse states that “I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). I pray this over my life, over my children, and over my team because it’s so important to remind myself of the promise that God made and the blessings that he has for his people who continue to stay steadfast. As my children and the world are watching my journey, I hope that they are determined, inspired, and motivated to continue to reach for the moon because even if you miss, you’ll still land among the stars.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When asked the question of what I bring to the table that differs from other artists, I revert to my supporters. Only my supporters can answer what makes me stand out whether it be my work ethic, my ambition, my talent, or my grind. The fact that I’m very focused on perfecting my craft and strive to put out quality content that my audience and listeners can be proud of is very important to me. With this upcoming project I really wanted to tap into my female supporters and touch on topics such as friendship, relationships, feeling confident in yourself and embracing your imperfections. For those who have been listening to my music since day one, you’ll definitely hear the growth in production, lyricism, vocals, subject matter etc. You’ll have those empowering songs that make you feel motivated and unstoppable. You’ll hear those party vibe tracks that’ll make you want to have funners and dance. I’m constantly saying that I’m forever a work in progress and am learning lessons daily. As the saying goes new levels, new devils and as I continue this journey, I’ve noticed the more I am tested. People take my kindness for weakness or try to play in my face. I’ve learned to use my discernment when it comes to cultivating the right business decisions and not compromising my artistic integrity. I’ve shared before I have taken plenty of L’s on this journey and I have no problem walking away from a situation if it doesn’t serve me. It’s not always the easiest thing to do however, I’d rather walk away with confidence knowing I have nothing to lose than to lose sleep at night contemplating if I made a mistake. I’ve had far more W’s on this journey and have no regrets over the decisions that I’ve made because they have made me the artist that I am today. How I have gotten to where I am professionally is by trusting my gut. My instincts and discernment when something didn’t feel right is what keeps me from making a bad business move. I also pray for God to give me wisdom and direction when it comes to business decisions. God hasn’t failed me yet so I continue to trust in him and let him lead me on my journey. One benefit of being an artist who uses real life as inspiration is that I’m able to get writing material and channel the noise and nonsense into art. The end result is creating music that the world can relate and vibe to. I have a special surprise on this project for my supporters that I’m not going to give away so you’ll just have to wait for the release. Stay tuned!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would first go to Shady Valley Park or Rock Mill Park. It’s a great place to take the kiddos to play while doing yoga. Very peaceful and gorgeous atmosphere. If you want to get your hair done, whether you’re a natural hair girlie, braids, wigs, sew-ins, you name it, check out The Press Room Salon in Atlanta or Go Sleek Salon. Paschal’s is great if you’re in the mood for soul food. Love the fried chicken and greens. If you have a taste for Mexican, go to Señor Patron in Midtown. For nightlife we can go to Escobar Restaurant and Tapas. They have good food, great music, and good vibes. The entertainment at Magic City is lit and the dancers are beautiful, super athletic, and acrobatic. We’ll have funners! Another spot to check out if you enjoy skating is the legendary Cascade or Sparkles. If you are wanting to see a dope show or concert, the Coca Cola Roxy is where you want to go. In all honesty, it’s who you are with that makes the funners and the memories that will last a lifetime!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people who deserve credit for my story and who I am today. For starters, obviously my family; my parents, grandparents, aunties/uncles, siblings. This includes my extended church family from Madison and now Phoenix. They say you can’t choose your family, but the family that I have chosen to be part of my life and my children’s lives have blessed us in so many ways. As I’ve mentioned before I started out singing in church choir, so Mt. Zion Baptist Church deserves a shoutout. To my aunties Carola Gaines, Jackie Colbert, Laura Davis, I love yal so much. These women helped plant those music seeds along with my mom and helped cultivate my ear. Shoutout to all of the women who were prayer partners with my mother. These women not only poured into me when I was growing up but also now pour into my sons on behalf of my mom. I also want to thank the people who pray for me and my family daily. Those prayers are felt, and they truly keep me going each and every day. To my church family New Beginnings Alliance Church; Sis Rozana Porter, Nunu, Gigi, Pri-pri, Sis Terri Her who continued to develop and help shape not only my ear as a musician but also plant and harvest seeds as I grew and entered maturity as a young woman. Still to this day they are sowing and instilling values into my children and for that I am eternally grateful. Shout out to my sorority sisters of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc and my Frat brothers of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. who taught me things about myself I would have never known or tapped into. I would not know the true meaning of resilience if it weren’t for this group of women and group of men. Some people have negative connotations about Greek life, but a lot of people are misinformed about the purpose and history. In real life you go through things that can break you down to build you up. I can honestly say Zeta prepared me for life’s breakdowns and equipped me with the tools to rise again. If you have been listening to my art for a while now, you can hear the influence in not only my church roots but also gems from my Greek life. I’m beyond proud to say that I have been able to cultivate personal and professional relationships that I still have to this day. I also need to give a shout out to my team and peers I’ve worked with. They keep me determined, inspired, and motivated to go harder. I’ve shared before that on this journey I don’t want any “yes men” around me. I need people who will be honest with me when it comes to providing feedback on the art I release to the world. That includes music, cover art, photo shoots, videos, hair, makeup, live performances, etc. Speaking of music, I need to give a special shout out to my bro Profit Made. If it wasn’t for him and L.I.3 (Loyalty is Everything) honestly, yal wouldn’t have heard any music from me. Literally without them allowing me the opportunity to sing as a feature and reignite my passion for music after my mom died, I’m so grateful for them. I also want to give a shoutout to my cousin Erinna Hinds who allowed me the opportunity to write and create music for her first short film When Daughters Cry. As I continued grinding and writing in Milwaukee, I also need to give a special shoutout to Paper Stacks who gave me my first feature on the Milwaukee music scene and opened the door for me to meet and collaborate with other phenomenal talent in Milwaukee. Whether it was tracks we collaborated on or their use of music in our yoga mixes, they to this day encourage me to constantly push my pen. It’s like an iron sharpens iron type of vibe and when I see them succeeding and accomplishing goals, it motivates me to go harder at accomplishing the goals I set for myself and not let anything, or anyone stop me.

Website: https://linktr.ee/quellez

Instagram: https://instagram.com/_quellez_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricquelle-badger-7163129b?trk=contact-info

Soundcloud: https://m.soundcloud.com/quellez_3

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ricquelle.badger/

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@quellez0313

Other: https://www.patreon.com/c/quellez/shop?view_as=patron

Image Credits
@_bridney_
@quayology
@bedsidenailz
@luckythebeauty1
@rosebudteemakeup
@fashionable_demand
@shunpfilms
New Beginnings Alliance Church
Enrique Garcia