Johannesburg - To celebrate the memory of the late South African rapper Rikhado “Riky Rick” Makhado, Legends Barbershop relaunched its Waterfall store on what would have been the rapper’s 35th birthday this past Wednesday (July 20).
Riky Rick passed away on February 23 this year.
Adding a twist to the relaunch, Legends promised to give the first 35 customers free haircuts, provided they bring a blanket on their visit to donate to an orphanage of the barbershop franchise’s choosing.
Sheldon Tatchell, Legends Barbershop founder and Riky Rick’s close friend, said they chose to relaunch the Waterfall store to honour the “Boss Zonke” (2015) and “Ungazincishi” (2020) hitmaker because he played a significant role in the establishment of the Midrand-based branch.
Tatchell said the role Riky Rick played in the branch paved the way for a great partnership between the rapper and the franchise.
He also said Riky Rick was fully committed to making the franchise a success and would come to the store to lend a hand since the store was closer to where the rapper lived.
“The Waterfall store is very special to us.
“It was our 10th store but was our first franchise store, and the person who wanted to make it a franchise was Riky himself.
“When the opportunity to turn the business into a franchise came up, he jumped right in.
“The store is also memorable and special because Riky was involved in it from the start.
“He was all hands on deck.
“Whether it was cleaning, making sure that customers were taken care of or doing whatever needed to be done, he was there,” said Tatchell.
The Legends Barbershop franchise has stores across Southern Africa.
Tatchell said after Riky Rick’s passing, he and Riky Rick’s wife, Bianca Naidoo, came up with the idea to keep his legacy alive.
And revamping the Waterfall store was the first step they took to preserve the rapper’s legacy.
“One thing we came up with as we brainstormed with Bianca was to create a gallery of Riky’s images at the shop.
“The gallery has images that speak to the highlights of Riky’s career and business achievements; everything that he stood for and represented is displayed there,” he said.
The gallery images show Riky Rick performing on stage, family photos, award-winning albums and the ones that went platinum (30 000 album sold) and hit songs.
While celebrating his friend, business partner, and hip-hop icon, Tatchell said they could not honour Riky Rick without giving back to the community.
He said giving back was part of who Riky Rick was, which is why celebrating him without giving would not have been enough, Tatchell said
“When we came back from the hard lockdown, Riky came up with the idea that we give free haircuts to everyone.
“He wanted to give back to the community in so many ways.
“That is where the whole donation idea for his birthday came about. We wanted to do something he was passionate about.”
Legends Barbershop will donate the donations made by the 35 customers to an orphanage in Thembisa township, formerly known as Tembisa in the East Rand.
Tatchell said they chose the orphanage because it was one of the places they have visited in the township.
Aside from the gallery and the donations, Tatchell said a foundation would soon be established in Riky Rick’s memory.
However, Tatchell did not divulge more information about when the foundation would be launched.
“The store was one element to ensure that the public does not forget about Riky.
“Another element would be the establishment of the foundation.
“We are working with the family on it.
“The foundation would be focused on various projects which include assisting people to pay school fees, promoting upcoming artists, that sort of thing,” said Tatchell.
He said the hitmaker’s passing left a huge gap not only in the music industry but in him as a close friend.
He said he missed the star’s warmth, intellectual capacity and how family-oriented he was.
“He was one of the most brilliant people I knew.
“Not only because of his business acumen but also being able to give you advice that would not only help you on your business journey but in life in general.
“I think the things I miss most are the conversations we have had about business, the advice he gave and his love for family.
“Riky loved his family and considered everyone around him as family,” said Tatchell.