Michigan Rapper Rio Da Yung OG Reveals How He Got the Scar on His Face

Flint, Mich. rapper Rio Da Yung OG is known for being an expert storyteller, but it’s often difficult to distinguish between the truth and fiction in the tales featured in his tracks. As a result, it can be tricky to get the whole truth (and nothing but the truth) about certain topics from him. 

One thing some of his fans have wondered is what happened to his face — Rio has a rather prevalent scar on his right cheek. As it turns out, he got it when he was 12 years old. Here’s what we know.

In a recent interview with No Jumper, Rio gave some insight into what happened to his face. “I was like, 12, smokin’ weed — wasn’t supposed to be smoking weed, first of all,” he said. “My mom used to club hop a lot, so she’d come home at like 6 in the morning and then sleep all day. So one day, I’m chilling with my friend, we’re smoking [...] I got high as h--l, I’m like, ‘Man, I’m hungry.’”

“So me, watching my cousin, she used to cook fries. She’s like, ‘You gotta let the grease get hot first, then drop the fries.’ So, I put the stove on high, put the grease on there, then go back in my room and smoke, and totally forgot about it. So the fire alarm went off, now I’m trying to hurry up before my mama wakes up, because I’m finna burn the house down. I ran in there, the pot of fries is on fire. Mind you, I’m 12, so I see fire, all I think is, 'Water!'”

“I grab the pot and, I’m trying to ease my way to the sink [...] I put the pot of grease under the water, and the s--t just went everywhere. Hit me in the face, my whole right side of my face, my neck.” (Just as a quick aside: If you ever encounter a grease fire, do not put water on it. Smother the flame or pour baking soda or salt over it instead!)

At first, Rio didn’t think the grease was still hot, but as he started to wipe the grease off, he realized that there had been a lot of damage done to his skin. His mom rushed him to the hospital, where he ended up spending approximately three weeks — including the day of his 13th birthday.

Rio says the doctors offered to do a skin graft for the burn on his face, but he declined the treatment, saying the scar didn’t bother him. “It really made my character for real because it showed me how strong I am, mentally,” Rio said.

These days, Rio still definitely isn’t sensitive about the topic. In fact, he mentions his scar in the title track of his latest album, “Accidental S--t Talking.” “Burned my face tryna cook fries and left a light scar,” he raps on the track. As it turns out, the line about making fries really did happen.

Rio also says that these days, his scar acts as proof of his identity when he’s out and about — fans will sometimes stop him in the street and ask to see his scar to make sure it’s really him. That’s certainly one way to prove you are who you say you are!

Although Rio Da Yung OG’s scar is one thing that sets him apart from other artists, his fans obviously care more about the music he’s making than what his face looks like — and he’s been making quite the impression on that front! Rio has quickly become one of the Midwest’s premier rappers, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him gain even more attention as time goes on.