The Playground Meets: Seth Narley & Aqua Rich
By: Ryan Crowley
Growing up in the cultural streets of New York, music is never too far away. This became clear early on for Bronx rappers Seth Narley and Aqua Rich. From Jamaican and Puerto Rican roots to the 90’s R&B scene, there was no lack of diversity in their growing taste for music.
Narley: “My pops used to do road management for Tito Nieves, so I had that around me. Then around 10 or 11, I was raised by my aunt and my grandmother so they were playing a lot of R&B and 90's inspired music around the house. So that was my introduction to music really”
Aqua: “Yeah my introduction was kinda different, I’m Jamaican so my mom would play a lot of Jamaican music, and we used to go to church back in the day so a lot of church music type shit but, as I got older I started listening to more rap, R&B, I was really fuckin with the 90’s music, that’s what stuck with me first until it got more into the 2000’s and other stuff”
While going to the studio wasn’t his first instinct, he ended up there pretty consistently due to friends and family who were involved in the scene. Eventually, he was convinced by the same people to stop watching and start rapping, and the rest is history.
Narley: “I mean shit, at first I wasn’t even rappin, like my friends fake made me rap. Like in my hood everyone was doin that shit so it was just second nature so it was like ight, I’d always be in the studio with my friends that was rappin and shit. It started out just for fun”
Aqua: “Well, for me I liked to do it for fun for real, just smoke and throw on a beat fuck it. And n***as was like yo you deadass kinda nice, I was more so focused on just makin the people around me happy with what I was saying. I didn’t start taking it serious till like 3 years ago, when n***as was like yo we all know you wanna rap. So I was like ight bet, I fake didn’t have the confidence at first but I kept goin and it took off.”
The last year has been unprecedented, and staying inspired has not come easy for artists. Narley and Rich emphasize the strength of goals and loving the craft, and their passion for creating has helped keep them on track through it all.
Narley: “I just genuinely like creating fire shit, like I'm just a creator so creating keeps me going. I don’t think I’ll ever stop creating whether it’s music or anything else.”
Aqua: “Depends how I’m feeling, sometimes I wake up lit and somedays I can’t do all that rah-rah shit so I need some slow vibes that’s gonna make me think about something bigger and better than how I’m feelin then.”
After being introduced by a mutual friend from the Bronx, the duo began experimenting at each other’s sessions. After the first two songs, it was clearly visible that their styles were complimentary, and they got right to work together. These collaborations would come together in the form of Cartier Visas, the duo album that was released in late March.
Narley: “We met through the same friend, so it was some organic shit, we were already making music seperately and we were fans of each other so we just started pulling up to the sessions with the mutual friends and we were rockin out after that.
Aqua: After that first song, we weren’t even thinking about it too much just organic and then we started seeing we had songs that we could take around the world.”
Making a full-length project was no walk in the park in 2020, even when both artists are on the same page. However, patience and chemistry allowed the duo to stay inspired and complete their vision the right way. The consistency and organic process kept them on track and led to a full and versatile tracklist.
Aqua: “Ain’t gon lie it was a couple blocks, especially with last year being so crazy, being focused was kind of tough but through it all we never let it go downhill, balance was everything.”
Narley: “The beginning was a lot simpler than the end, We was like 4 songs in and things just started happening out of our control and there was some tough shit but we never had no creativity blocks or writing blocks. Once we got going the process was pretty organic so we just worked off each other.”
Cartier Visas has been well received on all platforms, accompanied by strong visuals like “Bernie Madeoff” and live performances like “600 a Zip” that emphasize the personality and energy of the pair. They hope to inspire fans to live well and boss up in their own right, as the Cartier Visas lifestyle entails. They are excited to take the brand and music around the world as things return to normal this year.
Narley: “We really just want people to listen, watch the visuals and understand the lifestyle about it. We ain’t no gang, we’re just two artists with luxurious living. We have a whole lifestyle brand that’s just about quality everywhere from the brand to the music to everything we do. We just wanna travel the world and get cartier visas everywhere, get everyone rockin Cartier Visas. I wanna get money don’t get me wrong but that’s not really the force that’s driving us, we just wanna build our brand as organically as possible.”
Aqua: “Yeah we just love seeing the love from the merch to selling out shows, everything. The money is cool, but what’s crazy is when I look in the crowd and I’m like yo this dude is yelling my song word for word right now.”
The process wasn’t always easy, and the two remain humble and dedicated to the attitude that got them here. They say that the key for new artists is to stop thinking and jump in, and just being consistent with your process will take you far.
Narley: “You just gotta do it. As corny as it sounds you really gotta quit thinkin about it and one day just get up and do that shit. And you gotta stay consistent, ain’t nothin in life gonna work without consistency. That’s where I done messed up in the past not being consistent about dropping shit. It's so much music coming out if you aint consistent somebody gonna come in tomorrow and take your spot.”
Aqua: “And sometimes you could be your biggest enemy, holding yourself back from potential just cause of doubt or support and little stuff. Like having a whole team will make everything run smooth but if you don’t have at least like 2 or 3 people there that really care then it gets tough and you gotta find the passion yourself.”
This attitude has taken them far, and it is continuing to help them build a loyal and appreciative fanbase. Throughout the summer, they plan to bring fans inside the creative process and show what Cartier Visas is truly about - as well as new videos and performances as venues return.
Narley: “So we got like 4 more visuals comin out from Cartier Visas, we gonna start premiering the full length vlogs we been posting, a ton of stuff. More merch, we got a pop-up shop and all that so yeah we just taking Cartier Visas around the globe.”
As Cartier Visas continues to spread, Narley and Rich have a lot of plans to keep the momentum going. Expect a big visual presence from the pair, as well as lots of behind the scenes action and new merch. Make sure to stay tuned with them on social media for the updates, and stream Cartier Visas now!
Check out our interview below with Seth Narley and Aqua Rich from The Playground’s Ryan Crowley (@rcdigital_) below, and follow @pressplayground for the full video and more interviews with your favorite artists.
Q&A
Dream collaboration?
Narley: “Dream collab? We’d probably like Future on some shit, singing for us that hook would be crazy. I don’t even want some bars from Future, I need some heartfelt shit like Xanax . He one of my favorite artists period.”
Aqua: “Not gon lie I like the bars from Future like Accepting My Flaws, he different with the bars. He top 5.”
What would you be doing if you weren’t rapping
Narley: “I’d be working for the pharmacy, like Wokhardt Pharmaceuticals, yeah I’d be doing that. He’d probably be working in the bank.”
Aqua: “Yeah I’d probably be a claims specialist, dealing with everybody’s bullshit, fixin everybody’s problems. Shit I do in my regular life, fixin everybody problems.”
Favorite artists right now?
Narley: “I listen to Justin Bieber and Rio Da Yung Og, I ain’t lyin bro look. I really be listening to Justin Bieber. I just don’t listen to any of the music I make. None of yall rapper’s inspired me, ight? I just don’t listen to my kind of music, that’s how I stay creative and original to set trends.”
What would be a good theme song for your life?
Narley: “Codeine Crazy”