For a rapper to name himself Rich Boy seems a little audacious if not un-
original. Rich Boy hails from Mobile, Alabama, again raising a few red flags. Is Rich Boy just another flash in the pan from the southern states? Another rapper to come on the scene with weak lyrics and a funny dance craze? Well, appearances can be deceiving. Rich Boy’s debut album oozes the swagger and drawl of the south but in ways that seem wholly genuine.  Rich Boy doesn’t take any tracks off; there isn’t an ounce of laziness on the record. Instead what you get is a 21-year-old kid trying, and succeeding, to prove himself to hip-hop heads everywhere.

Rich Boy’s story isn’t the typical rapper’s story. No coming up through the ranks of street dealers, no hard time spent in prison, and no bullet wounds to impress the young kiddies. Instead Rich Boy was going to school to become a mechanical engineer when one day he happened upon someone making a beat on their computer. From then on Rich Boy put himself into his music.

Good thing he did too. This album is filled with pleas-ant surprises track after track. Guest spots by other artists play a substantial, obvious role in the success of the record and, in turn, Rich Boy doesn’t disappoint. We get both memb-
ers of OutKast, but on different tracks, David Banner, John Legend, Pastor Troy and Jimmy Jones, just to drop a few names. Some of the best tracks on the album include “Get to Poppin,” “And I Love You,” “Boy Looka Here” and the street anthem “Throw Some D’s.” Production on the album is tight, and having Lil’ Jon produce some of your tracks wins points with me every time.

Rich Boy isn’t going to
solve the world’s problems but he is going to lay down the truth over banging beats. The south is no joke.