Rich The Kid whipped his fans into a frenzy with an ominous Instagram post on Tuesday (July 31) that read, “R.i.P. Rich the Kid 1992 – 2018.” He thanked his fans and family “for everything” in the caption and wiped the rest his account, but according to a comment on the post by Rich Forever A&R Gramz, the post isn’t as tragic as it appears.
“He changing his name,” Gramz wrote in a comment.
The “Plug Walk” rapper also “liked” a tweet suggesting he’s simply “trolling the internet.”
Rich has been critical his 300 Ent. label, recently dubbing it “the worst label ever” while pleading for his release from his contract. “I don’t wanna be with y’all label no more. Y’all suck. Y’all is trash,” he said.
So could the R.I.P. post and clean Instagram be more a reference to a figurative death rather than a literal one? The change name could potentially be a way for the rapper to continue making music while his label situation gets worked out.
Iconic rap group Rapper’s Delight — formerly The Sugar Hill Gang — famously lost all the rights to their name, but through a name change loophole, were able to tour for years performing all their hits.
Likewise Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993 while having contract issues with Warner Bros.
Rich The Kid’s team has yet to release any further details.