Sunrise native becomes first hip-hop artist in U.S. Army Field Band
A Piper High School grad from Sunrise became the Army Field Band’s first hip-hop artist, turning a Broward music path into a global military stage.
Lamar Riddick, a Sunrise musician shaped at Piper High School, became the first hip-hop artist hired by the Department of Defense to perform with the U.S. Army Field Band. The Staff Sgt. now performs across the United States and overseas, putting a Broward school story inside a national military assignment as the country marks its 250th anniversary.
The opportunity reached him through a band director who told him the Army was looking for a rapper. Riddick said he assumed it was not real at first, then confirmed it was legitimate and pursued the opening. He took the stage for his Army Field Band audition in September 2021 in a process that was closer to an American Idol-style competition than a standard interview.
Riddick and Staff Sgt. Nicholas Feemster were selected as the first two vocalists with the U.S. Army Field Band to serve as full-time rappers. Both arrived in Oklahoma on Jan. 18, 2022, for basic training at Fort Sill before beginning their Army music careers. The Army Bands program says music units support official military functions, authorized public outreach events and community engagements, which is why a hip-hop performer can fit inside the service’s public-facing mission.
The Army Field Band profile describes Riddick as a trained percussionist, entrepreneur and rap artist, and lists him as originally from North Carolina and Florida. It also notes that he has performed internationally and across the United States. That reach matters in Broward because his path started with familiar local institutions, including Piper High School in Sunrise, where his interest in instruments and rapping began to take shape.
Riddick has said he was a Christian rapper before joining the Army and has framed the role as a chance to represent his faith, his family and Piper High School while spreading a positive message. For South Florida students and working musicians, his route shows a practical sequence: build a real performance skill, recognize an unusual opening when it appears, and be ready for the training that comes with military service.
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