Riky Rick: I want my kids to go through a little bit of pain so they learn

Rapper Riky Rick is not only one of the biggest artists in Mzansi but a doting dad that wants to teach his kids the value of money and how hard knocks can make you in life.

Growing up in Vienna, Austria and schooling at the prestigious Hilton College in KZN, Riky told 702's Bruce Whitfield this week that his family never talked about money growing up so he never understood the financial pressure that his parents had by sending him to Hilton.

Now that Riky has a 10-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son, he wants his kids to be more aware of money and even start working early in life for the things they want.

"We never talked about money. You never talk about money until it is not there. The biggest takeaway that I got from my childhood was to keep the communication open with the children, what the situation is... It is not a taboo to talk about money in a household."

He said that hardships in life, including not having money at times, shapes a person- a lesson he doesn't want his kids to miss.

"I would never want my kids to grow up in beautiful circumstances all the time. I also want them to go through a little bit of pain."

In a heartfelt open letter to his son last year on Instagram, Riky reflected on his own childhood, and how his dad was often too focused on chasing money. 

"My father was a good man but I wish he could’ve been allowed the space not to have to chase money his whole life, I wish I could’ve told him, 'papa all I need is you.'"