Composing music is a skillful craft that requires knowledge of sound, patience, and creativity. An art with various styles, music compositions ascribe to several genres that give it a meaning and perspective for listeners to understand the emotions a songwriter intends to evoke. Many artists create music to express themselves and resonate with the audience who have undergone a similar experience or hold the same thought or opinion about a particular subject. A successful hip hop rapper, Mario Joseph Jacovino, aka Rioma from New Jersey, shares the essential ingredients of music that he subscribes to for composing his music.
Melody – The melody is the most impressionable element of music, for it has the power to linger in the minds of the listeners. Otherwise known as a tune, it is the part that gets the creative ball rolling for me. I often listen to music that influences me to get the ideas flowing in my head.
Rhythm – The pulse of music composition, rhythm is akin to a heartbeat. Over the years, I have trained my ears to pick the beats in compositions and master it. Today, I think in terms of rhythm and create my music.
Harmony – Much of my compositions are about balancing chord progressions from different genres. I explore and discover unique ways to combine chords to create my signature sound.
Emotion – Music is nothing without emotion. A medium of self-expression, music emanates from the emotion that gives it its true meaning to convey oneself and resonate with the listeners. Emotions have a powerful effect that creates a connection and helps build a fan base. A critical piece of form, it also helps to create the musical story by offering a narrative to shape the beginning, middle, and end.
Inspiration – Listen repeatedly to the works of artists and composers you admire and devour their creations to produce your music. My work is heavily influenced by my idols Travis Scott and Post Malone. Travis transformed the way I perceived music. When I first heard “days before rodeo”, it became my favorite genre, which I now pursue.
Rioma has made waves in the hip hop music scene with his unique music style and flow, powerful vocal presence, and poetic lyrics. His repertoire includes hit singles ‘Better Off’, ’35’ released in 2019, and recently released album “Sub-Zero”.