The Canadian hip hop community lost one of its quiet giants this week with the passing of Rick Noble, known to many as “Ric Threat,” “Rick Thret,” and “Showbiz.” Based out of Nanaimo, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, Noble was making rap music as far back as the 1980s, long before the genre found any real footing in that part of the country.
His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from musicians, managers, and fans who say his influence quietly shaped an entire regional scene that most people never knew had roots in one man.
Details Music, a Vancouver Island hip hop artist, was among the first to pay tribute publicly, postponing a scheduled Facebook Live broadcast out of respect. In a heartfelt post, Details drew a direct line from Noble’s early work to some of the most recognized names in Canadian rap.
The argument was simple but compelling. Without Rick Noble pioneering the urban music scene in Nanaimo, there would have been no Swollen Members. Without Swollen Members, the Telepathics would not have had the foundation they needed.
Without the Telepathics, there is no Homegrown Inc., and without that entire movement taking shape over decades, Details himself says plainly, there is no him.
That kind of generational credit is rarely given so openly in any music scene, and it speaks to the regard people held Noble in.
More Than Music
What emerged from the tributes was a portrait of someone who was as beloved a person as he was respected as an artist.
Jason Kirkness, a musician Noble had been managing, described him as the kind of presence who could call you out, hype you up, make you laugh, and somehow organize complete chaos into an actual plan, all within a single phone call.
Kirkness announced he would continue releasing his upcoming music, including the single “Small Town World,” because stopping would have been exactly what Noble would not have wanted.
Peter Hudson, who grew up alongside Noble in Nanaimo, noted that Noble and his group, Finesse and Showbiz, were among the first people from their circle to appear on Much Music, the Canadian music television channel that served as the benchmark for mainstream recognition at the time.
For young people from Nanaimo who had every reason to believe their city was too small and too far removed to matter, seeing someone they knew on national television changed the way they thought about what was possible.
Cassandra Smith, who crossed paths with Noble regularly at the Canadian Country Music Association events over the years, remembered him as someone who was always smiling, always ready with a laugh, and completely unafraid to be himself.
She recalled discovering after his death that he had posted a candid and unflattering photo of her on his Facebook page, and her reaction was not annoyance but something much warmer. It was just Rick being Rick.
Chuck Mac summed it up simply, saying Noble was probably the kindest person he had ever encountered in hip hop. In a genre that sometimes prizes toughness over warmth, that is no small thing to be remembered for.
Rick Noble leaves behind a legacy woven into the fabric of West Coast Canadian rap, even if most listeners never knew his name.
