About Richard Pigkaso

Richard Pickett, known publicly as Richard Pigkaso, is a yo-yo competitor and hip-hop artist from Castle Hill in the Bronx, New York. He took up yo-yoing in high school as a coping mechanism after experiencing bullying, buying an orange yo-yo from Toys “R” Us on Buckner Boulevard. He has been throwing for more than two decades, assembling a collection that at its peak exceeded 3,500 yo-yos sourced from trades with players worldwide and online bidding — later pared down to around 150 favorites including vintage and rare 1990s models.

Pigkaso entered his first competition in 2007 at the New York State Yo-Yo Contest, placing third despite feeling outclassed by players from around the world. He subsequently built a reputation in the New York yo-yo community, becoming Creative Director at the New York Yo-Yo Club (NYYYC) and founding the lifestyle merchandise brand Peace, Love & Yoyos. He teaches yo-yo tricks publicly and has introduced the hobby to students and community members across the Bronx.

His competitive style fuses 1A string tricks with hip-hop performance, treating the three-minute freestyle slot as a full stage show. He describes the goal as demonstrating the full range of the art form: walking the dog and rocking the baby alongside contemporary technical freestyles, all while performing live rap. His stage name derives from his father’s password “pigkaso1” and his admiration for Pablo Picasso. Alongside his yo-yo career, he signed with Coalishun Entertainment in Yonkers in 2016 and released the three-album Lusus Naturae series.

In Their Own Words

From interviews with the Bronx Times (July 2025, by Sydney Froelich) and Stereotype Co:

On his 2007 debut competition:

“I thought I was trash, because all these players from around the world came.”

On his mission:

“My mission is to bring happiness with the joy of a fun skill.”

On performing:

“I want to be able to travel the world performing on stages giving back to children, teaching them how to do yo-yo tricks.”

On identity:

“The world is already judging you the moment you’re born so you might as well do whatever you want. Don’t ever hide who you are and how you feel.”