Even though being born visually impaired is synonymous with a life of despair for many, 20-year-old student Richard Larbi is bracing the odds to become a hip life artiste.

While many of his counterparts make a livelihood by begging for arms on several streets across the country, Richard Larbi is concurrently pursuing his education at the Ghana National College in Cape Coast in the Central Region, while training to become a Hip life Artiste.

Speaking to Myjoyonline.com, Richard narrated that his condition is from birth but his mother and other siblings were deserted by his father in Tema. The latter had condemned Richard as a burnt out case due to his condition.

Subsequently, his mother took him and his siblings to her village, Jukwa, a suburb in Cape Coast.

Asked how he got into hip life music, Richard said he discovered the talent in Junior High School even though he was not keen on it.

It was however during a “Talented Kids” Programme organised by the Cape Coast based Coastal TV that he first shone. He recounts that encouragement from his friends pushed him to participate. Surprisingly, he came second. “That urged me to put in more efforts in my pursuit”, he noted.

In spite of challenges confronting the budding star, Richard is not leaving any stone unturned to achieve his dreams. He told Myjoyonline.com that he has featured about thrice in the Adom FM’s Kasa hare Programme; a rap show in Twi, a predominant Akan dialect.

He also has dummies of his music, but says his major challenge is funding. “I hope to go very far with my rap music but I'm just looking for sponsorship because with sponsorship you can do whatever you want to do”, he stated.

So it won’t be surprising to see Richard on a Showbiz stage either grabbing an award or rapping. It would be a combination of hard work and taking advantage of available opportunities.