Mourning the loss of Ash Riser
On June 12, 2021, artist Ash Riser, was reported dead. The cause of the 31-year-old’s death remains unknown at the moment, but friends from all over are in mourning.
Riser was a man of many talents, claiming he’s “not a rapper, producer or singer, [he’s] an artist.” That he was. As the singer and guitarist of the band, P!stol P!stol, Riser gained major attention, leading to a solo career. Through his friend, Derek Ali, better known as MixedByAli, Riser began to find success.
Ali is one of the most known producers in Top Dawg Entertainment; you might recognize his MC’s saying, “turn me up, Ali.” Through Ali, Riser was put on to a rapper who just so happens to be Kendrick Lamar. They clicked instantly and made ‘Barbed Wire,’ one of the better cuts on Kendrick’s ‘Overly Dedicated’ mixtape. From there, Kendrick and Riser proved to be a magic pairing. In fact, we have Riser to thank for the legendary vocals at the beginning of ‘Ronald Reagan Era‘ and ‘Keisha’s Song.’ Their teamwork eventually led to Riser winning a Grammy for his help with ‘To Pimp A Butterfly.’
Despite his low-key profile, Riser is responsible for many great pieces of music that we all know and love. The above achievements are only some of the endless quality work that he put out in his unfortunately shortened career. Check out some of his various music right here (each word is a different link).
We join his countless friends in sending our condolences to his family. RIP Ash, thank you for all your work.
Written by Jason Heilbronner