Published: Monday – February 26, 2007
Words by Joi Rogers
Rich Boy Photo: Interscope
Yes, candy colored dub adorned cars, remnant of some brilliant, LSD induced psychedelic high, criss-cross around you like a synchronized swim in your newest video. Busta, Kanye and those like them make their own renditions of your hit song, and you’ve been so busy you hadn’t even a moment to hear them. You permanently add the term “Throw Some D’s On It” to Hip-Hop Dictionaries for perpetuity. Who done it? Rich Boy. That’s who? A Mobile, Alabama native with a beat and a dream who is finding himself at the top of rap charts and video countdowns nationwide.
You can gather this anomaly was the exact reason for my journey to the west side of lower Manhattan on a frigid New York evening. Of course, we were just shy of the doors closing. But not to fret! A girl must always have the promoter’s info handy (or know someone who does), and with that, I was in. Me, the girls, and a room full of industry insiders, backpackers and DJs enjoyed the open bar whilst Polow Da Don and Rich Boy previewed cuts from the upcoming album. Now, this would be the part of the story where I’d give you a quick review, but I’d rather sum it up so you can get to the good stuff. I will say this, his sound cannot be exactly defined or placed into a restrictive little box. It was refreshing in a way, that, although there are but so many regurgitated topics in rap, we can always depend on delivery and super producers to carry us through.
In conclusion, his story is interesting, inspiring and cool, not only to all the college dropouts of this decade, but to all the producers who haven’t set their inner rapper free. Our interview was as follows. Read on…
BallerStatus.com: What are you working on? What’s gonna be the second single, following up “Throw Some D’s?”
Rich Boy: The problem is that we got too much good music, so it’s just like, it’s not a problem getting a second single. I think the problem is picking the second single.
BallerStatus.com: Aaaahh, I wish everybody had that problem.
Rich Boy: Yeah, [Laughs]. Yeah.
BallerStatus.com: [Laughing]
Rich Boy: It’s a real headache. That kind of problem is a real headache.
BallerStatus.com: Is it? Is there any one that you are leaning toward more than anything else?
Rich Boy: No, I’m confused myself actually.
BallerStatus.com: What tracks on the album are you really excited about?
Rich Boy: I can’t wait ’til, like erybody get a chance to hear “Get 2 Poppin’,” the one that was produced by Brian Kid.
BallerStatus.com: Ok I heard that one.
Rich Boy: Yeah. I just think that it’s somethin I don’t think not too many Southern artists would do, or cut that record.
BallerStatus.com: How did you come up with the name Rich Boy?
Rich Boy: They call my pop Rich, and then they see me and they be like, “that’s Rich son there… that’s Rich Boy.”
BallerStatus.com: Before you really got into the rapping thing, you were a producer, what inspired you to start rapping?
Rich Boy: My boy, Polow Da don, he taught me to… and I just tried it, and sh– just went crazy.
BallerStatus.com: How’d you hook up with him and Zone 4?
Rich Boy: I hooked up with him actually, tryna sell him some beats. There was one song on there that I rapped over that was on the radio called “Cold As Ice.”
BallerStatus.com: Ok…
Rich Boy: So, he just kept calling me back like, “Man I love this song, you rhymed crazy on this song… you ought to try to rap, you know what I’m saying? I know you sellin’ a beat, but you ought to rap.” He kept just talkin’ to me, stayin’ in touch with me, so eventually we just stayed down there. I go to Atlanta, we put a demo together, and shopped it around and got a deal.
BallerStatus.com: Ok dope. Do you still plan to keep producing?
Rich Boy: Oh yea, I’m most definitely gonna do that. I did make the album. I made the album with two songs.
BallerStatus.com: Another question about when you hooked up with Polow, or if it was before, how’d you link up with Roy Jones Jr.?
Rich Boy: Ummm… through the dude that taught me how to do beats. This dude named Terrance Kid. He stayed in Pensacola, Florida, and his girl worked at the Waffle House. She had a copy of one of my CDs and Roy Jones walked in the Waffle House and she gave him a copy.
BallerStatus.com: Oh wow, that’s crazy. Being from Alabama, how do you plan to put your state on the map?
Rich Boy: Ima just stay original. My sound doesn’t sound like it’s from any other place, because we do have like, an original sound in Alabama. If I just stay original, we’ll most definitely be on the map.
BallerStatus.com: Have you heard the Kanye West remix?
Rich Boy: It’s craaaaaazy that you ask me that. I was just tryna listen to that, right before ya’ll called, but it won’t download on my computer.
BallerStatus.com: Are you serious? What do you think about that? Is that something that makes you feel real good, knowing that someone of that caliber is doin’ a remix on one of your tracks?
Rich Boy: Yeah, it’s a good feelin’, you know what I’m sayin’? Everybody’s jumpin’ on it, doin’ little remixes right. Rick Ross got one out… who else got one out? It’s a lot of people that got one out, it’s actually a lot — Busta Rhymes got one, you know, it’s just a lot of people got one.
BallerStatus.com: Your self-titled, what were you going for when you started putting the songs together and you started putting the beats together? Was there anything that you were gonna try to do real different? I know you want to be original, but is there anything that you really wanted to…
Rich Boy: We just had the whole fight, the whole fight that I had with myself was just picking the music, just pickin’ the tracks that were on their was a struggle, and really tryna stand out with the tracks I pick. The tracks I picked was kind of different, where it’s just like, I put my kind of swag on it. But, that’s what made it so special, that actually took time to make sh– happen. Like there is one song on there called “Lost Girls,” it’s like reggae, kinda like a Bob Marley beat. You wouldn’t expect somebody to rap over that and I pulled it off.
BallerStatus.com: What does “Throw Some D’s” mean?
Rich Boy: “Throw Some D’s” means throw some dubs on it.
BallerStatus.com: You are blowing up very quickly, very fast… you really hit the scene in 2003 and it’s only been about four years since you started. How has your life changed because of music?
Rich Boy: My life changed prolly ’cause I see the studio more than anywhere. You rarely see people, and stuff like that. It’s just out here on the road constantly, and it’s worth while ’cause you could provide things that you never could provide, but you can.
BallerStatus.com: Is there anything you want to leave off with?
Rich Boy: Oh nah, nah, nah, that’s all. I just make sure I keep good relationships with everybody, I keep doin’ good music, and I think I can last like that.
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Published: Monday – February 26, 2007
Words by Joi Rogers
Photo: Interscope
Yes, candy colored dub adorned cars, remnant of some brilliant, LSD induced psychedelic high, criss-cross around you like a synchronized swim in your newest video. Busta, Kanye and those like them make their own renditions of your hit song, and you’ve been so busy you hadn’t even a moment to hear them. You permanently add the term “Throw Some D’s On It” to Hip-Hop Dictionaries for perpetuity. Who done it? Rich Boy. That’s who? A Mobile, Alabama native with a beat and a dream who is finding himself at the top of rap charts and video countdowns nationwide.
You can gather this anomaly was the exact reason for my journey to the west side of lower Manhattan on a frigid New York evening. Of course, we were just shy of the doors closing. But not to fret! A girl must always have the promoter’s info handy (or know someone who does), and with that, I was in. Me, the girls, and a room full of industry insiders, backpackers and DJs enjoyed the open bar whilst Polow Da Don and Rich Boy previewed cuts from the upcoming album. Now, this would be the part of the story where I’d give you a quick review, but I’d rather sum it up so you can get to the good stuff. I will say this, his sound cannot be exactly defined or placed into a restrictive little box. It was refreshing in a way, that, although there are but so many regurgitated topics in rap, we can always depend on delivery and super producers to carry us through.
In conclusion, his story is interesting, inspiring and cool, not only to all the college dropouts of this decade, but to all the producers who haven’t set their inner rapper free. Our interview was as follows. Read on…
BallerStatus.com: What are you working on? What’s gonna be the second single, following up “Throw Some D’s?”
Rich Boy: The problem is that we got too much good music, so it’s just like, it’s not a problem getting a second single. I think the problem is picking the second single.
BallerStatus.com: Aaaahh, I wish everybody had that problem.
Rich Boy: Yeah, [Laughs]. Yeah.
BallerStatus.com: [Laughing]
Rich Boy: It’s a real headache. That kind of problem is a real headache.
BallerStatus.com: Is it? Is there any one that you are leaning toward more than anything else?
Rich Boy: No, I’m confused myself actually.
BallerStatus.com: What tracks on the album are you really excited about?
Rich Boy: I can’t wait ’til, like erybody get a chance to hear “Get 2 Poppin’,” the one that was produced by Brian Kid.
BallerStatus.com: Ok I heard that one.
Rich Boy: Yeah. I just think that it’s somethin I don’t think not too many Southern artists would do, or cut that record.
BallerStatus.com: How did you come up with the name Rich Boy?
Rich Boy: They call my pop Rich, and then they see me and they be like, “that’s Rich son there… that’s Rich Boy.”
BallerStatus.com: Before you really got into the rapping thing, you were a producer, what inspired you to start rapping?
Rich Boy: My boy, Polow Da don, he taught me to… and I just tried it, and sh– just went crazy.
BallerStatus.com: How’d you hook up with him and Zone 4?
Rich Boy: I hooked up with him actually, tryna sell him some beats. There was one song on there that I rapped over that was on the radio called “Cold As Ice.”
BallerStatus.com: Ok…
Rich Boy: So, he just kept calling me back like, “Man I love this song, you rhymed crazy on this song… you ought to try to rap, you know what I’m saying? I know you sellin’ a beat, but you ought to rap.” He kept just talkin’ to me, stayin’ in touch with me, so eventually we just stayed down there. I go to Atlanta, we put a demo together, and shopped it around and got a deal.
BallerStatus.com: Ok dope. Do you still plan to keep producing?
Rich Boy: Oh yea, I’m most definitely gonna do that. I did make the album. I made the album with two songs.
BallerStatus.com: Another question about when you hooked up with Polow, or if it was before, how’d you link up with Roy Jones Jr.?
Rich Boy: Ummm… through the dude that taught me how to do beats. This dude named Terrance Kid. He stayed in Pensacola, Florida, and his girl worked at the Waffle House. She had a copy of one of my CDs and Roy Jones walked in the Waffle House and she gave him a copy.
BallerStatus.com: Oh wow, that’s crazy. Being from Alabama, how do you plan to put your state on the map?
Rich Boy: Ima just stay original. My sound doesn’t sound like it’s from any other place, because we do have like, an original sound in Alabama. If I just stay original, we’ll most definitely be on the map.
BallerStatus.com: Have you heard the Kanye West remix?
Rich Boy: It’s craaaaaazy that you ask me that. I was just tryna listen to that, right before ya’ll called, but it won’t download on my computer.
BallerStatus.com: Are you serious? What do you think about that? Is that something that makes you feel real good, knowing that someone of that caliber is doin’ a remix on one of your tracks?
Rich Boy: Yeah, it’s a good feelin’, you know what I’m sayin’? Everybody’s jumpin’ on it, doin’ little remixes right. Rick Ross got one out… who else got one out? It’s a lot of people that got one out, it’s actually a lot — Busta Rhymes got one, you know, it’s just a lot of people got one.
BallerStatus.com: Your self-titled, what were you going for when you started putting the songs together and you started putting the beats together? Was there anything that you were gonna try to do real different? I know you want to be original, but is there anything that you really wanted to…
Rich Boy: We just had the whole fight, the whole fight that I had with myself was just picking the music, just pickin’ the tracks that were on their was a struggle, and really tryna stand out with the tracks I pick. The tracks I picked was kind of different, where it’s just like, I put my kind of swag on it. But, that’s what made it so special, that actually took time to make sh– happen. Like there is one song on there called “Lost Girls,” it’s like reggae, kinda like a Bob Marley beat. You wouldn’t expect somebody to rap over that and I pulled it off.
BallerStatus.com: What does “Throw Some D’s” mean?
Rich Boy: “Throw Some D’s” means throw some dubs on it.
BallerStatus.com: You are blowing up very quickly, very fast… you really hit the scene in 2003 and it’s only been about four years since you started. How has your life changed because of music?
Rich Boy: My life changed prolly ’cause I see the studio more than anywhere. You rarely see people, and stuff like that. It’s just out here on the road constantly, and it’s worth while ’cause you could provide things that you never could provide, but you can.
BallerStatus.com: Is there anything you want to leave off with?
Rich Boy: Oh nah, nah, nah, that’s all. I just make sure I keep good relationships with everybody, I keep doin’ good music, and I think I can last like that.
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