R.I.C.O.
by Meek Mill (featuring Drake)

Album: Dreams Worth More Than Money (2015)
Charted: 40
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Drake kicks thing off on this track with a braggadocio verse, which finds him referencing the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a US federal law that focuses on racketeering and punishes acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. Drake worries that with his flashy lifestyle, the federal authorities might indict him under the RICO Act.

    Meek Mill spits the second verse in which he explains that he tries to keep himself in check since with his criminal record he thinks the authorities are still tracking him.
  • Meek and Drake previously teamed up on "Amen" the lead single from the Philadelphia rapper's debut album, Dreams & Nightmares.
  • According to Meek Mill, Drake doesn't write his own raps. He tweeted: "He ain't even write that verse on my album and if I woulda knew I woulda took it off my album..... I don't trick my fans! Lol."

    So how did Meek Mill find this out? He said: "When [Drake] said the dream girl s--t on 'R.I.C.O.' I thought he was coming at me. lol Then young bull played me the verse in his voice before my album came out. I was mad as s--t! Lol"

    'Young bull' is Philly slang for a younger male.
  • The alleged ghostwriter is rumored to be one Quentin Miller, an Atlanta rapper who has received writing credits on several Drake songs including "6 Man," "Now & Forever," and "You & The 6."
  • The song was produced by Vinylz, Allen Ritter and Cubeatz. Ritter recalled to Genius: "Vinylz and CuBeatz made the beat. So I heard the beat already with Drake on it. Vinylz sent it to me and said, 'You need to add a little breakdown.' What I added was supposed to be for a chorus, but they used it as an outro. Once I sent that, I heard Meek Mill on it when it came out. I'm not even sure whose song it was first. But I heard Drake on it first. This happened probably the end of 2014, early 2015."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.