Virginia May Be for Lovers. But, What is it For Artists?
July 21, 2025; 8:00 a.m. E.T. - UPDATED 7/23
Written By Tranae Cearnal
The press surrounding Clipse’s much-anticipated album Let God Sort it Out has been one for the books. Millennials like ourselves are rejoicing in the almost-lost art of press rollouts for albums and movies.
But a recent clip from an interview with The Breakfast Club has caught the eye of many Richmonders. In it, the Virginia Beach natives are asked why they think Virginia doesn’t “get the credit for being a Hip Hop hotbed,” or even better, “a BLACK MUSIC hotbed.” And even though, prior to this question, Pusha T relished how it felt to see some of his high school comrades “make it”; like Teddy Riley, Missy Elliott, and Timbaland, to name a few; his answer was: “Anyone who is from Virginia has had to leave Virginia to make it. They didn’t make it in Virginia… like Clipse broke in Philly.”
This response got us wondering if this is a true sentiment, or if Richmond and the rest of Virginia just aren’t getting the media coverage needed to skyrocket. And, could social media finally be the bridge to us being SEEN?
It’s no surprise that Virginia has birthed a lot of greats. Allen Iverson, Michael Vick, Pharrell and the Neptunes, and even Chris Brown, who hails from the rural swamps of the Northern Neck (what up, hometown). And even there, you have MCs like Bass Thompson, whose visual and lyrical artistry is equal to many giants we see today.
Here in Richmond, we have Radio B, O-Z, HernBean 5150, Grammy-nominated Mad Skillz, Noah-O, Illa Styles, Ty Sorrell, and King Kaiju. We HAVE giants. But where is the love for Virginia?
“I think it’s like that everywhere—hometown folks just don’t get looked at the same. So I don’t take it personally”
During our time on the scene, we’ve often asked whether Richmond has what it takes to TAKE OFF. Viral rapper Chandler spoke about his 757 roots during our sit-down interview. At the time, he was preparing to move permanently to NYC. Ultimately seeking “better opportunities” for his career. Read More.
Born-and-raised singers Ronnie Luxe and Aurora SaRose both hinted at the difference in community support between Richmond and larger cities like D.C. Ronnie said, “If you're not from the hood, or you don’t have a whole Gilpin Court behind you, it’s harder to shine.” Aurora Sarose told us, “I love Richmond, but we’re a little more laid-back and less fast-paced, maybe. Richmond has more deep thinkers.” She also noted that most of her streaming audience is outside the city.
So is that it? Is Richmond disjointed therefore making a collective come-up less likely? Or, as Poverty Worldwide Records manager Torren Shanae once alluded, do we simply not have enough people doing the groundwork (like The Richmond Seen) to help push underground artists to the forefront through news and socials?
Last week, we asked several Richmond artists their thoughts.
Alex Blvck from the CIRL (Cool In Real Life) podcast said, “I wholeheartedly disagree! For the last 5 or 6 years I’ve been preaching that we need to stay in Richmond in particular, instead of going to bigger cities to ‘get on.’ Coming from us being the former capital of the Confederacy, we’ve become so much more inclusive, and it’s up to us to take advantage and build it up instead of moving away and adding to the creative scene in other cities. And look what we have now… The Grits Collective, Charged Up, RVA Rap Elite, All City Art Club, Chilalay, Everything’s Dope. Shoot, even CIRL is a hybrid between Richmond and Philly, and we all stayed home and commuted to build up our brands in the city we’re from.”
However, other artists we asked had different sentiments about leaving or staying in VA.
AWOL Beatz shared, “I once believed that you could stay here and make it, but I now understand you have to leave; even if it’s just for a year or two.”
Similarly, visual artist Silly Genius and rapper CJ the Profit find it NECESSARY to leave Richmond for a minute. Both reflected on Richmond’s lack of overall infrastructure and community. With limited venues that support Hip Hop culture (even the new amphitheater fails to have anything remotely Hip Hop on its current concert roster and the Coliseum remains closed and growing more dilapidated by the day, no city council pushing the agenda, and Black artists and business owners failing to collaborate; both artists gave varying reasons why Richmond needs more to get more, and whether we should stay… or go.
“This city has the Golden Goose and is content to just let it die.”
Silly Genius
Silly responded, “There’s still some truth to that. The internet and social media have leveled the playing field to varying degrees, depending on what it is that you do. Like, if you’re acting, you still have to go to LA or NY. There's no real film/TV production happening in VA; you HAVE to leave. Visual art is kind of in the same bucket as acting. The galleries where the money is being made aren’t in VA. Even with Richmond’s relatively recent acceptance of public art and the rise in national attention for our arts & culture, the city is still a long way away from an environment that can support artists. Cities like Philly, Miami, and Detroit are sort of the benchmark and we aren’t there yet. I have a laundry list of reasons why, but to stay on topic, moving away is still something a lot of artists here have to consider. This city has the Golden Goose and is content to just let it die.”
CJ the Profit agrees: “As actual infrastructure… to me, we don't have nowhere. Like, people. The venues. Big artists don't tour here. They don't stop in Virginia. That’s not a popular thing. We just don’t have the infrastructure. Like, it’s literally just that. So when I say that, it’s not a personal thing about anybody. We don't have the capabilities to do it. For whatever reason. But we need to somehow create it. I don’t know what it'll take; but definitely more unity, more community shit.”
CJ gave homage to Richmond legends like Noah-O, who’s making noise about Richmond and shining the spotlight on Virginia. “He's doing a great job at being in those rooms, you know, to get people to talk about it. And it's gonna take more of that. I can do better, too..my damn self, you know what I'm saying? I know there's a lot of boards that happen and committees and stuff. We got to start thinking that way.”
Chelsea Higgs Wise, a nationally recognized voice within cannabis policy reform, and racial injustice, chimed in on the gap between hometown love and how she’s perceived at home. “I think it’s like that everywhere—hometown folks just don’t get looked at the same. So I don’t take it personally. Noise reaches, but people don’t really hear me until I bring in an expert from outside Virginia. It’s the same pattern: I get brought in elsewhere to validate their hometown folks, too.”
Noah-O
Noah-O, one of Richmond’s most respected artists, entrepreneurs and cultural builders offered his unique perspective. “You don’t need to necessarily move away, but you need to move around. Which means traveling outside of Virginia to expand your network and get more visibility. Virginia doesn’t have the infrastructure in place, music-wise —. venues ,press outlets media/marketing etc. I’m successful in my own right but that success involves being in outlets outside of Virginia which has helped me get more known. Some artists have gone viral or caught a wave online, but still size-wise, it’s still a smaller market — it just is what it is. At some point everyone here who has done ok has gotten a look from someone out of town.
What do you think? Should creatives in Virginia seek outside opportunities for success? What does a healthy creative ecosystem look like? And how can we continue to build that in our city?
Got something to share? Email us at info@therichmondseen.com or share your thoughts below.
