Riky Rick’s wife confirms Cotton Fest will go on

Following the shocking death of hip hop artist Riky Rick, Cotton Fest goers will have to wait another month before they can sing along and dance to their favourite songs as the festival has been postponed to April.

With the ongoing flood of love and support from the public, as well as the SA entertainment industry at large, the Cotton Fest team yesterday confirmed that the two-day sold-out festival planned for later this month would still go ahead, but would be postponed to April 23 to 24 in Newtown, Johannesburg.

Known for showcasing the diversity of music genres with the aim of fusing the gaps within the local movements, Riky Rick created the festival to merge both well-known and young emerging SA artists.

Bianca Naidoo, the wife to the late rapper, Riky Rick, said her husband’s spirit and legacy had to be kept alive, and the work he started had to continue.

“Cotton Fest needs to go ahead as planned by him. His love and belief in showcasing young and upcoming talent are unquestionable, which is how Cotton Fest came about a few years back,” said Naidoo.

She quoted one of Riky Rick’s songs: “We never die, we multiply.

“Let’s build on this energy, and continue to spread the love and light at a time when we need it the most.”

Speaking at the late artist’s memorial, which took place at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on March 4, SA rapper Cassper Nyovest revealed that he was supposed to come out as a “surprise” performer at this year’s Cotton Fest.

“I and Riky spoke so many times because he always used to force me to talk to him. I would like my brother to rest in peace and I think it is up to all of us to make sure that his legacy continues, starting with Cotton Fest. We have to make sure that it happens, it has to happen annually,” said Nyovest.

The Cotton Fest team assured festival-goers in a tweet that Riky Rick’s vision would be kept alive by bringing cotton eaters together to celebrate the fusion of music and fashion.

In another post, the team apologised for any inconvenience caused to ticket holders who might not be able to attend on the new days.