Bridging the Gap: Ryanito's hip-hop dreams for Sarasota

Ryan Larranaga sees a problem with modern mainstream music. His main beef: Its simplicity.

"Our vocabulary is shrinking," he says. "Shakespeare used an average of 4,500 unique words; ’90s hip-hop averaged about 2,500. Now, the average is somewhere around 1,000. Things are getting monotonous."

The 28-year-old Baltimore-area native grew up listening to lyrical icons like KRS-One, Nas and other staples of the game, and he says their ideas helped focus his love for music. Larranaga, or Ryanito, as he's known on stage, says he's always enjoyed poetry, and he grew up singing in youth choirs at school. But the preferred musical outlet of his peers was always hip-hop.

"Everyone around me was a rapper," he says. "When I was 16, a friend asked me if I wanted to record some vocals. The first time I heard my lyrics on a track, I knew this is what I wanted to do."

After moving to Sarasota six years ago, Larranaga continued to write and record music, releasing an EP last year and a forthcoming LP this December. He's also broadened his work to include his own radio show on WSLR, an editorial position at a lifestyle magazine and collaborations with visual artists.

He sees Sarasota as a cultural epicenter, but he hopes to use his music and future collaborations to bridge the gap between the fine arts for which the city is known and its underground hip-hop and arts scene.

"There are a lot of misconceptions about hip-hop," he says. "Rap is an action, but hip-hop is a way of life. It's a continuation of things people have been doing since the beginning of time — dancing, painting and speaking. There are a lot of people promoting an enlightened point of view in this town, and I want to help that scene flourish."

This Saturday, Larranaga will perform at Art, Rhymes and Beer, a showcase of live art, music and beer, at JDub's Brewing Co. He, along with a handful of other musicians and artists, will perform at the brewery during the filming of a music video for his new song, "Divine."

A few days before the performance, Larranaga says he's looking forward to reaching a new audience, and he says he hopes to inspire people with the same sense of informed artistry that first captivated him.

"I want to spark a change," he says. "I want to get other people involved in this scene and pass the baton to the next generation of artists."

IF YOU GO:

Check out a showcase of live art, musical performances and beer.

This event, which serves as a live music video shoot for local hip-hop artists, Ryanito, Monteasy  and Janelle Christine will also feature food by Polpo Pizza Co. Live art by Richie Brasil, Sean Snapp, Jeremy Bealer and Jack Quack, and music by Ocean Symphony ,Cliz ,Janelle Christine ,Monteasy and Ryanito.