Anthony M. Richards

Anthony was born on June 15, 1992 in Portland, Oregon. From the very start of his life he had an unconventional way of achieving his goals, but despite the methods of madness he chose, his ability to succeed in any and everything he put his mind to is undeniable.

He was extremely confident in himself and didn’t let obstacles intimidate or discourage him. He was always a fiercely loyal person and protective over anyone that he held near and dear to himself. He had an effortless way of making those around him laugh endlessly with his witty sense of humor and lighthearted personality. Having faced consistent adversity throughout life, he took pride in having fun and encouraged others not to take life too seriously. He knew above all else that his life was only as good as he allowed himself to believe it was—and it would be an understatement to say that he loved every second of living it.

As a teen, Anthony made it a point to teach his younger brothers the importance of self reliance and what it meant to be independent. He expressed his love through meaningful gestures that would stand the test of time instead of through gifts or temporary things that had no significance. His resilience and drive to attain or participate in things on his own without help made him appreciate life even more.

Anthony graduated from high school in June of 2010. Although attending class was not his favorite thing to do, he still managed to get straight A’s in all of his classes, proving his intelligence regardless of what form it came in.

In high school Anthony and his friends formed a dance group called the “Turf Jerkz”, they found entertainment in recording videos & performing at parties and shows. He even took up skateboarding as a hobby for a few years; always taking pride in mastering new and unexpected skills. His mind over matter mentality was hard to ignore.

In 2013, Anthony became a father to Maliyah Lynn who has since been the focal point of his life. He strived to be the best father he could be and Maliyah was undoubtedly his favorite person in the world. She gave him a sense of purpose and a reason not to give up hope or give in to struggles.

Anthony was a character, he was as funny as they come; his corny laugh was always contagious. He wasn’t easily affected by things and very few things actually bothered him or evoked an emotional side of him. He wasn’t one to let anything negative influence his outlook & his outgoing demeanor made it almost mandatory to find the positive in things which he thrived on. No matter how bad a situation may have been, he would always have a joke to share and a smile to offer.

Anthony held himself and those he surrounded himself with to a higher standard than most & he was genuinely kind hearted and selfless, often times going out of his way give back to others who worked hard and had little to show for it. Those were the people he felt deserved it most.

Anthony had a charitable side to him that spoke volumes about his true nature.
This past Christmas, Anthony decided to pick 5 of his social media followers with families that had fallen on hard times so that he could surprise them. Although he had never met any of them prior to then, he arranged and met with them and gave them each $500. His reason when asked was that he had everything he wanted and didn’t feel right knowing their were families out there who’s Christmas he could make better. To Anthony, that was the real gift. He possessed the kind of morality that is rarely stumbled upon.

Anthony believed in equality and didn’t feel a sense of being whole unless everyone on his team did too. Anthony never allowed himself to become complacent or comfortable even if it were warranted because he refused to let familiarity breed contempt in his life. Anthony personified the phrase “you’ve got to keep going if you want to keep going”.

In Anthony’s later years, he rekindled his love of lyricism & making music after touring and attending rap shows with his oldest brother that’s established in music. It was then that he was reminded of his talent which was the fuel that ignited the fire and lit the way for him all the way up until his final moments.
When he got that itch to start rhyming, nothing stood in his way of becoming well known.

Anthony was always finding new ways to perfect his craft. He worked hard on the image he wanted to portray. He would post short clips on social media for both feedback & promo. It didn’t take Anthony long to develop a huge following and fan base; not just from Portland, but across the whole country. He had a certain flow and charisma that made him stand out and naturally made people take notice of him. His older brother would often try to persuade Anthony to work with him, but that “Fair pride” in him was abundantly clear and Anthony wanted to prove that he could become a success on his own.

He was fortunate enough to travel and make music his way—displaying his passion the best way he knew how. Everyone knew Anthony was a star on the rise. There’s a reason he called himself “Booga”, and that’s because given the opportunity, everyone always eventually picked him.

Anthony will be truly loved & forever missed. His legacy will live on and continue to inspire originality and spread positivity. He is survived by his beautiful daughter Maliyah, his adoptive parents James and Letitia as well as his biological parents Heather and David.
Anthony is also survived by his siblings Cherisse, Chantanay, Duvanté, Trévonté, Xavier, James, LaShonda, Brandon, DaVisha, Dayanna, DaVozhane, Julian, Julissa,
DaVonnie, and True.