KAKAOW Bio

KaKaow, from Kingston, Ontario, is a psychedelic and funk infused multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, performer and creator. Receiving the Creators Award at the 2021 Kingston Mayor’s Arts Awards, KaKaow has established himself as a leader within the local music community, striving to connect, promote and most of all create.


Throughout his Life, Ricky has battled with chronic kidney disease, leading to many challenges, ranging through years of sickness, hospital stays, 2 kidney transplants, multiple rejections, dialysis, mental health issues, addiction and living on the brink of death. Throughout all thee challenges faced, Ricky has an overwhelming amount of strength and resilience, that can be showcased with his passionate and energetic performances. 


“Every ounce of the fabric of my spirit and being is given into every performance, so much so that every hour performance will wipe me out for at least a couple of days.” 


Being involved in music since grade 8, Ricky, picked up his first guitar and never looked back. Now, after decades of performing, KaKaow has finely tuned and crafted his music to become an invigorating force driving Kingston’s music scene forward into the future realms of music production and performance. 


Releasing 2021’s “Steppin’ Out” and 2022’s “Earth to Station” albums, singles on Breakbeat Paradise Recordings - “Shimmer ft. Helena Hannibal”, “Fonky Kingston” and EP’s including 2023’s “MEMENTOS”, “METATRONIC”, 2024’s “Quantum Entanglement” and many many more, KaKaow is solidifying his sound in a cosmic funk of psychedelic saturation, bombastic rhythms beating basses and groovy synth work.

Having displayed his work at such events and venues as: The Isabel Bader Center for the Performing Arts, McKinnon Brothers Back to the Farm Music Festival, Sonic Springs Music & Arts Festival, Skeleton Park Art and Music Festival, Electronic Circuits Music Festival, Spring Reverb Music Festival, Reflections Music and Arts Festival. 


Drawing from a wide array of influences from Parliament-Funkadelic and Hendrix to K+Lab and Stickybuds, KaKaow takes you on a funk filled journey through a cosmos in your mind, making you want to get up and move. Brandishing the power of dance rhythms, gritty electronic basses, and searing guitar work, KaKaow is an up and coming contemporary Indigenous artist not to be missed.

Drawing from a wide array of influenced from Parliament-Funkadelic and Hendrix to K+Lab and Stickybuds, KaKaow takes you on a funk filled journey through a cosmos in your mind, making you want to get up and move. Brandishing the power of of dance rhythms, gritty electronic basses, and searing guitar work, KaKaow is an up and coming contemporary Indigenous artist not to be missed.