Ric Rok

SINGER Ricardo 'Rik Rok' Ducent is again on the hit trail. The Big Yard recording artiste is hoping to strike it big the second time around with stable mate Shaggy, as both have teamed on the salsa rhythm hit Your Eyes. The song which is quite catchy, has been receiving steady rotation on local radio for more than a month now.

Ducent teamed with Shaggy on the worldwide chart topper It Wasn't Me, which helped to push sales of Shaggy's Hot Shot disc to more than 10 million copies worldwide.

In an interview with Splash earlier this week, Ducent revealed that his solo debut album was almost complete, and it was just a matter of time before it will see the light of day.

"I have so far completed more than 20 songs for the album. The album would be called Proclamation. The producers that I worked with include Big Yard producers Sting, Christopher Birch, Robert Livingston, and Michael Fletcher. Nigel Staff also did a few tracks," Ducent said.

The popular singer said the album was delayed because he wanted to make absolutely sure that all bases were covered to his satisfaction.

"I just wouldn't want to put out an album and have it wasted. We are sort of watching the market right now, and it's not financially feasible to put out a project until the timing is right. It makes more sense to have a song penetrating the market and then you release the album," Rik Rok argued.

Born in England to Jamaican parents, Ducent moved to Mandeville at the age of 11. He attended Manchester High and was at one time, head boy of the institution. He relocated to Kingston where he attended the University of the West Indies.

"I have a degree in chemistry; however music was what I always wanted to do. But I had to become more practical after I didn't see any opportunities emerging," he said.

He made key contacts with industry professionals and those contacts resulted in the opening of a few of the bolted doors that he stumbled upon. "It took me about eight years before I made any real headway in the business," Ducent explained.

Prior to joining the vocal group LUST (he had joined the group after the departure of Lukie D), Ducent toured as a background singer for Patra. But it was an introduction to Shaggy that Ducent's career as a singer took off. He started out writing songs for the platinum selling toaster, but it was after his guest shot on It Wasn't Me that really got the ball rolling. Since then, he was featured on Two Way and the chart hit Shake It which came from the Sexy Lady rhythm.

Among the more familiar songs that Ducent has co-written are Strength of a Woman (recorded by Shaggy), Angel (recorded by Shaggy and Rayvon), I Gotta Know by Prince Mydas, and Hey Sexy Lady.

Ducent's most recent projects include the song Reggae Party with Bounty Killer on the Career rhythm which was produced by Garfield Hamilton and Troy McLean.

The video for Your Eyes, Ducent's collaboration with Shaggy, was shot on location in downtown Kingston earlier this week. The video was directed by Delano Forbes of Phase II Productions.

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