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Coming full circle: U.S. Army rapper Riddick from Morgantown to the world and back

MORGANTOWN – Before Lamar Riddick was performing around the world as a U.S. Army rapper, he was making music and building a career in Morgantown.

Staff Sgt. Riddick worked as a program assistant with West Virginia University's School of Music while also developing his own career as a hip-hop artist.

"I worked specifically with the band at WVU," Riddick said. "Dr. Cheldon Williams and I are actually graduates of the same high school in Florida, but we weren't in school at the same time."

For Riddick, Morgantown was more than a place to work.

It became part of his musical journey.

He performed at local venues, including 123 Pleasant Street, and was involved with Revive Collective Music. In 2021, he was among the performers featured during Morgantown's June Arts Walk.

On Saturday, Riddick will join The Pride of West Virginia at halftime of the season-opening football game as the Mountaineers take on Coastal Carolina.

Riddick will be featured alongside the band, enjoying a bit of a full-circle moment as well, when he partners with the program that helped elevate his career in the music industry.

"Being able to leave a place and be welcomed back so openly is what everyone wishes for," he said. "Looking back five years ago not knowing where my career was going to turn, then being able to circle back and be here now means the world to me."

He also used music to create opportunities for others, establishing Revive Collective in 2017 and organizing workshops and other events for aspiring musicians.

"I firmly believe that true success isn't only measured by personal gain; it's also what you are able to do for others," Riddick said. "All in all, I just want to be an inspiration to people. I want to impact people and use my gift doing what I love. Success isn't what you obtain; it's how you grow."

Riddick graduated from Bethune-Cookman University with a degree in music recording engineering and later earned a certificate in music business from New York University. In 2020, he won an Eddy Award for Best Christian Rap Artist.

His music often carries a message of faith and community.

Then came an opportunity that could change the direction of his career.

In 2021, the Army began looking for rappers to join its professional music program.

Riddick auditioned.

It was an unconventional audition for the Army, but it worked.

Riddick and Nicholas Feemster became the Army's first two full-time rappers.

After basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Riddick joined the U.S. Army Field Band's Commercial Music Group.

Since then, he has performed across the country and internationally, including appearances at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland.

The Army's Commercial Music Group uses contemporary music to connect with audiences and tell the Army's story.

Riddick has continued making his own music, too.

His latest single, "Faith Mode," was released in July.

For someone whose career has taken him from Morgantown to international stages, the path may seem unusual.

But the foundation was built in places like WVU and around Morgantown, where Riddick spent years performing, teaching and finding ways to bring people together through music.

Morgantown was an important part of the journey.

And now, years later, Riddick is still using music to do what he has always done: connect with the people.