At Point Park, multiple students and instructors are involved in the music scene. Richard Nartey Jr., who goes by his stage name “R1 Official,” is one of many students who has taken up a lifestyle in music. 

As an alternative hip-hop artist, singer and songwriter who grew up in Ambridge, Nartey spent his formative years dedicating himself to creating music with his cousin, who goes by the name of “Young Whitz.” In his family, music wasn’t something normal to create. 

“It wasn’t until seeing my family [who] did art and everything where I was like ‘let me find another way to articulate myself,’ and music was always something that I just slowly started noticing that I was developing in,” Nartey said. 

Nartey said he realized it when he started playing the piano, experimenting with guitar, and playing the flutophone in front of his classmates in elementary school. 

His biggest inspiration in his career has always been his grandmother. 

“When I first started making music eight years ago, she was the first person to believe in me,” Nartey said. 

Nobody in his family knew that he and his cousin made music until his grandmother told the whole family how good they were at it. 

“That always stuck with me, what she said. And even though she’s not here anymore, after me improving and going through all this work, if she believed in me when I was just starting off, she would be very happy with how far I came now,” Nartey said. 

Nartey also had one of his songs, “Top G,” reacted to by American rapper DDG, who has over 1 billion streams on Spotify. Nartey also collaborated with viral TikTok artists “SOLOCELO” and “lilbenz.” 

Nartey’s mission is to inspire and uplift others through his music.

“I create songs that connect with people going through tough times, uplifting them with the strength and motivation to overcome depression, heartbreak, anxiety and trauma,” Nartey said. “By singing about life experiences and creating beautiful melodies, I strive to create connection and unity among listeners, reminding them that they are not alone in their struggles.”

Some of Nartey’s musical inspirations include A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Juice WRLD and DDG.

Nartey’s favorite song to create was “I’m OK,” which is about his childhood and how everyone is growing up. 

“Things change, people change; even [during] Covid, people changed,” Nartey said. “‘I’m OK’ is basically just about how we all lost our way and just reminiscing on the simple times.”

He also performed at Village Park in 2022 when he was involved with Pioneer Records, Point Park’s record label. 

“It was an amazing experience, being able to see how the crowd engaged with my music,” Nartey said. “I remember I told everybody to ‘pull their flashlights out’ and everybody was waving their flashlights as I was singing some of my favorite songs, like ‘No Dream Girl.’”

Nartey said “No Dream Girl” is a song about a girl from his dreams that he brought to life and made into a music video. 

“I haven’t done [Pioneer Records] in the current time, but I really enjoyed it in the past,” Nartey said. 

In the future, Nartey sees himself as a full-time artist. 

“My vision is to perform more local shows in Pittsburgh, establishing a strong presence and growing a loyal fan base locally,” Nartey said.

As Nartey continues to push forward in the music industry, he remains proactive in creating connections and making his mark among big-name artists. His goal is to gain the attention of industry figures, showcasing to his viewers that “anything is possible when you love what you do.”