Horst Christian Simco, better known by his stage name Riff Raff, will be performing at the High Dive tonight, with doors opening at 8 p.m. for the 8:30 p.m. show.
An enigmatic rapper, Raff does what he wants and is known for his wild public persona.
Prior to signing with Diplo’s record label Mad Decent, he worked with Dirt Nasty and Andy Milonakis in their group, Three Loco, and said music has always been part of his life.
“What does music mean to me? Everyday, gotta listen to music fam, it’s inspiration,” Raff said. “Also, when I eat food, I gotta listen to music; I don’t like to hear people’s teeth hitting metal forks.”
The rapper claims to only use plastic forks for safety reasons.
“Ain’t no tellin’ how many mouths have been on those Ruby Tuesday forks,” he said.
Raff’s dogs, Jody and Holly, are all over his social media and have a fanbase of their own. Holly is the more “snappy” of the two dogs and might even try to take someone’s head off, he said.
“They’re with me on tour and have a full-time trainer,” Raff said. “They have so many fans that people would try to kidnap them if I let them alone.”
Raff has made a career out of his style and personality. His facial hair has sparked Twitter debates and many questions, but the mastermind behind the zigzag pattern is Raff himself.
“I’ve been a barber since seventh grade,” he said. “I don’t like men touching my f****** face. I couldn’t imagine a guy braiding my hair, either.”
When asked who braids his hair, Raff replied with “girls, probably.”
Raff has no plans on slowing his career down. He said he has a movie in the works with fellow rapper Bones and a reality show that has been filmed with Dirt Nasty.
He doesn’t believe in defining himself, despite his eclectic style.
“I just go with the flow: If I like it I do it, and if I don’t like it, you gotta pay me,” Raff said.
Aside from performing, Raff is ready to celebrate his 35th birthday Jan. 29.
“I turn 400 years old,” Raff said. “I’ll celebrate to that.”
Raff has never been to Gainesville before and plans to stick around at the High Dive after the show.
“I’ll be gator bitin’ my way into the High Dive,” Raff said. “I can’t wait to be in Gainesville. I’m gonna do some Florida Gators stuff.”
