Every summer dozens and dozens of records are released from superstar, moderately known and brand new artists, all vying for official summer "banga" status. Jay-Z often talks about his 8-summer stronghold on the game and artists like Fat Joe and T.I. have also achieved official "song of the summer" recognition. The summer of 2007 however, will be remembered by one record by a brand new artist from a place that was never before heard from in hip-hop. Maurice Richards aka Rich Boy, exploded onto the music scene with the Polow Da Don produced smash, Throw Some D's. The single, off of Rich Boy's self titled debut album would catapult the rapper into stardom and establish Zone 4 as a serious entity in the game. Follow up singles like Looka Here and Good Things only further cemented Rich Boy as more than a "ringtone rapper" but a real artist, dynamic enough to carry the entire state of Alabama on his back.

The release of a new street single Drop and mixtapes Pacc Man and Kool Aid Kush & Convertibles mark the return of Rich Boy to the forefront of the game. Yo! Raps gets the scoop on the new album and builds with Rich Boy on a number of subjects ranging from education to beef to NY rappers.

Let's get right into it my dude. Let's start with your origins in the game. How did you get into rapping?

Just really got into the game sitting in my dorm room. My homie taught me how to make tracks. And we had like different people from different areas on the college campus...like guys from Texas, Cali; you know what I'm saying...just different areas you know. Might be someone from Ohio or whatever but we all just freestyled together. Damn near everyone in our dorm room so that's how I got started just trying with rap. But then one day I had made a song and I really started taking it seriously.

Talk about how you got on with Polow?

After I made 3 or 4 songs, eventually, I got a song on the radio through radio personality Nick at Night. He was the first DJ ever to play a Rich Boy record. Nick introduced me to Polow and me and him forged a relationship. So that was my break, Nick at Night introduced me to Polow and Polow introduced me to the industry.

You did two years at Tuskegee Institute right?

Yea man good school!

Yea my brother went there...

Yea that was my plan to get out the ghetto right there... I was gonna do the college thing and get out the hood and never look back but then once this music kicked in... I got the basics though.

Now you came into the game stating that you were in college where some rappers appear to want to hide that aspect of their lives and glorify or highlight other aspects. Why did you choose to share it?

I'm a keep it real with you... I've been through some real shit, some street shit but that don't mean I come into the game like I'm Scarface! Everybody been through some real shit and I feel like rappers need to stop doing that. They coming into the game like they Scarface... I rather come into the game and try to be Will Smith than any street shit. I'm trying to get away from the street shit. The people that really come from the streets are trying to get away from that shit you know.

Right right, and even for the youngsters... How important do you feel that message is?

I'm going to tell you what really fucked me up one day. There was a little kid in the projects... I was riding through my homeboy projects like two weeks ago to go this girl's birthday party. And this little boy asked me, "Why y'all rappers rap about crack so much Rich Boy?" And I was already ahead of it before he asked me but it fucked me up to hear it come from the horse's mouth. That's already what I was thinking so I said I gotta come from a few different directions now and even if I rap about it (drugs), I'm talk about the ignorant side of it. I mean on my albums I'm gonna get real deep on that but on the mixtapes I'm just going in and having fun. As far as the new album though, it's real deep.  I made it to change people's lives.

Ok well speaking of the new album, first let's talk about that single Drop.  That's crazy!

Yea man, what happened was I was gonna put that on the mixtape Too Big For The City that I'm gonna put out in a little bit. I put out the Pacc Man mixtape first... I rushed it actually but it's still kinda hot. So I let Polow hear it (Drop) and he was like, "Damn you need to put that on the album." So I said, "Cool I trust your judgment, what you wanna do with it?" He was like, "I'm gonna put it out right now."

So let's talk more about the new album. Any details or idea when it's dropping?

I wanna make sure my buzz is up right before I drop it. Want to have at least three singles drop before I put it out so people know it's not just one or two songs on here.

So this being the second time around, are you feeling any added pressure?

Naw man because I did my homework this time around. I studied the greats! I studied Jay-Z, Nas... I studied all the artists I didn't grow up on and fell in love with them all I the same time. Now I understand why everybody loves them. I didn't grow up listening to them but I realized if I wanna come hard I gotta study everyone, no matter what region they from.

Ok well, you released quite a few singles from your debut album but most people will identify you by Throw Some D's.  How do you plan to avoid being considered a "one hit wonder" or what I call the "ringtone rapper syndrome"?

Well the music is so great and I put my heart and soul into recording it. It's got a modern day Motown feel to it. Like a Curtis Mayfield or a Marvin Gaye but I'm releasing my soul in the rap game. I'm putting my soul behind it and there's no better way to do your job than to put your soul behind it. If you do your job with conviction it's gonna be great.

There's a lot going on at Interscope right now... are you immune to all the cuts and drops that seem to be occurring?

Man I'm not even tripping, legends are gonna be legends no matter what man and that's what I'm aiming to be so I'm shooting for the stars. I can't worry about what going on around me, I just gotta worry about what I'm doing you know.

Yo Raps: to the first album?

I just feel like I learned to express myself better. I was learning a lot the first time around.  I also reflected on my own life more this album. I got more into depth with my actual experiences. I mean certain things you can't put on record but I got as deep as I could.

Anyone else handling production on the new project besides Polow?

I did a lot. Polow did like 4 tracks. I got with Drumma Boy and we put something together and he gave me something on his own. I got with Justus League... Hit Boy... We got a lot of hot production on there. Bangladesh, he had something to do with that Drop record. I mean it's a good album. I know it ain't gonna sound like no one else's album I tell you that. Won't be any similarities.

Any guest appearances or collabs?

I got Mario on there, I got Lloyd. Trying to get The Game on there last minute because he's with my new management.

Yea you're with Czar now?

Yea, I just had to rearrange the whole structure that was surrounding me and come back to Zone 4 with a good album.  

As one of the leading new voices in the Southern hip hop movement, you just spoke about studying artists from up north...

Man we got spread our horizons. Like I checked out some Joell Ortiz and I like that. I mean I just like when you switch up the topics. As far as NY, they love to battle rap. That's from the beginning! You gotta stand up on that corner and go head to head. That takes a lot of talent. At the same time though they need to take that talent and flood the market with some records. The same energy they give on that corner they need to be in the studio recording you feel me. Them boys got a lot of talent and they're the ones that started off being lyrical then you had the dudes like Outkast and Trick Daddy that brought the lyricism down here... the T.I.s and Scarfaces. But I definitely give them boys (NY) credit for lyricism.

Now by much of what you said in this conversation I'm assuming that you want to put your name in that category as well?

See what I learned from NY and Jim Jones taught me this... like Dipset was a perfect example of how NY should be doing it. That should always be going on and I don't know what happened but shit like that needs to stay in NY. It needs to stay jumping. They talked about different topics, they kept it real and they had the presence. It was a movement. NY had movements... Rocafella was a movement! NY needs to have more movements at all time. People need to come together instead of beefing.

That's the perfect segway into my next question...

Yea there's too much talent for them to beef like that.

And that's what I always admired about the South.

Yea we'll come together! I don't care if I'm not from your hood and he doesn't care neither. We're gonna come together and get this money.

Yea but now we're seeing something brewing with Trick Daddy and Rick Ross.  You had the T.I. and Shawty Lo thing and recently this whole Alfamega situation, seems like that unity that once was the trademark of the South is beginning to crack.

[Laughs] Yea man... I just disagree with any kind of beef because I don't care what race... if you ain't Caucasian you came from a struggle and I feel like for you to come out of slavery or come across the border whatever your situation, it doesn't make any sense for all those lives to have been lost so we can read and write and sit in a restaurant for us to be beefing. That's asshole backwards!  Before I beef I think about a Malcolm X or Martin Luther King or even a Tupac or B.I.G. who lost they lives over beef. Then I think about the kids.  Am I feeding them something positive or just filling them with my anger? I don't bring anger to my job and this is a job for me. I wanna entertain people. I come from real situations but still I want to entertain people.

Do you attribute some of the beef to all the money that's in the Southern hip hop scene now?

See I would still be doing this if there was no money involved. I was doing this in a college dorm room for no money. I feel like the majority of these rappers wouldn't do this if there were no money or cars or jewelry involved. So I feel you definitely need a passion for it before you think about the money. You gotta love it first. That's how Jordan became the greatest. It wasn't the money. He loved the game!

What are you hoping to do with this new project and beyond? What legacy do you want to leave as Rich Boy?

I wanna change lives and I wanna change the mind frame of every male and female in the ghetto. I want to build a confidence in them to become something successful and not Scarface or Pablo Escobar you know.

That's a bold statement!

Yea even though I know a lot about the streets and the dope game I didn't come here to encourage anyone to get into that. I want to talk about it to try and stir them away from it.

I feel you homie! Well before you roll out give your fans all the information on how they can keep up with you.

Ok, www.myspace.com/richboy also www.richboyonline.com. I got the twitter account www.twitter.com/cartierbenjamin... I'm gonna get the Rich Boy account but someone started it before I can even get on there. So twitter me man I'll definitely be on there and I plan on doing big things in my career. Open up bowling lanes and movie theaters all in due time. I'm just trying to master the rap game right now.

Is there anyone you want to work with before your career is over?

Oh yea definitely Jay-Z. I was glad I got to go in with Nas and Wayne. Anyone who wants to make history I want to be a part of it.

Any last words for your fans? Any words of encouragement?

Yea man, everyday take an hour or so out and plan out your life man. Get a plan or you will find yourself nowhere. And let everyone know the quote for the day is "All bread, no beef!"

- By D. ShanX