Makeba Riddick went from singing alone at her piano in West Baltimore to writing songs for Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Riddick, who graduated from the Baltimore School for the Arts and the Berklee College of Music, was building her song reel when she broke into the songwriting industry. “Eventually my songs landed in the hands of Francesca Spero at Bad Boy Entertainment [Combs’ record company], but Puffy wasn’t initially blown away. So I said, ‘I’ll show him,’ and I got my first hit song when I was 21 — it was Jennifer Lopez and LL Cool J’s ‘All I Have,’ ” Riddick said. “After that, Puff became a believer and signed me to my first publishing deal.”
» Where: Violetville Elementary School, 1207 Pine Heights Ave., Baltimore » When: 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday » Tickets: Free » Info: www.badboyonline.com
Since then, Riddick has written songs for several popular artists, including Beyonce, Michelle Williams, Mariah Carey, Girlicious, Toni Braxton and more. Her most recent hit is T.I.’s “Live Your Life,” featuring Rihanna, which is currently No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Chart, as well as the Hot Digital Songs chart.
Now Riddick, who resides in New York City, has decided it’s time to give back to the community that raised her. She recently founded the Adorable Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to inspire Baltimore’s youth.
“Basically, it’s an organization that I started to give back to the community and the underprivileged kids where I grew up,” Riddick said. “For the past three years we’ve been doing a toy drive every Christmas, informally, where we buy toys and host Christmas parties for kids that live in foster or group homes or shelters.”
This year marks the first official Adorable Holiday Toy Drive, which will be held at Violetville Elementary School on Saturday.
Riddick also expressed interest in establishing a BSA scholarship for city kids. “I received numerous scholarships and grants to go to school, and so I want to set up a scholarship in my name. I also would love to help expand the music programs in schools — I know they are taking funding out of schools for the arts, and I really want to work on an initiative to keep the arts in schools,” she said.
Baltimore School for the Arts Executive Director Leslie Shepard said that alumni giving back is common. “Nothing is more meaningful to us than having former students come back and talk to students about their careers, or helping them choose colleges, or even giving to our capital campaign. They give both of themselves and of their experiences, and when they can, they donate. I can’t tell you how much it means to us.”
