Earlier this Fall, when Interscope denied southern rapper Rich Boy‘s request to release his song “Let’s Get This Paper” as single, the former Tuskegee engineering student did something many wish more artists would do: He stood up for his views that the track needed to be heard, and used his own money to make the video. A far cry from the irreverent materialism of his first single “Throw some D’s,” the lyrics to “Let’s Get This Paper” touched on subjects that those who have unfairly type-cast Rich Boy as a “money, cash, hoes” rapper might be surprised to hear:
“They shippin’ boys off, they fightin’ in Iraq/
It’s soldiers in that war that ain’t never gon’ make it back/
Nigga this the battlefield, fake niggas scream ‘keep it real’/
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Yeah yeah, rob, steal, anything to pay them bills/
Hey nigga times harder, and so we grind harder/
We takin’ chances wit’ that cocaine comin’ ‘cross that boarder/
Tryin’ to get up out this ghetto, life ain’t gotta be this way/
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Them pigs they came and kicked my mama door in yesterday/
I prayed a thousand nights, I did a hundred crimes/
And now I’m beggin’ Lord that you don’t let me down this time“
HipHopDX recently caught up with Rich Boy to talk about the new song, his upcoming album, and expanding his musical boundaries:
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On using his own money to release “Let’s Get This Paper”:
“They said it wasn’t a single and I felt like it needed to to be put out regardless so i just went out and did it, you know? Labels like radio friendly songs to play at the club and stuff like that. I felt like what I needed at the time was gonna really represent what I wanna represent. It’s a great song that’s really representing me, so I just had to go on and do what I had to do. But I felt like it needed a visual with it, so I was like, I’m not gonna just put the song out on CD, I’ma shoot a video so people can feel the whole effect of what I’m tryin to do with it”
Rich Boy used the song to prove his critics wrong after his hit first single, “I don’t think they’re getting the wrong impression; they just aint got the full story behind what I’m doing yet. They just understand I can do a song like ‘Throw Some D’s’. They just understand I can record a good song. But they don’t understand the types of songs I love doing. You know what I’m sayin? The type of stuff I like to do. [ “Let’s Get This Paper”] is the type of song that is me…I always recorded songs like that, but the label never really said ‘Ooh, I like that song’ or whatever so I was like damn, why they don’t wanna put out none of these songs when I’m just really talkin’ ’bout life and real stuff on it, you know?“
The Mobile, Alabama artist went on to point fingers back to the label that helped birth his mainstream status. “The bigger label, Interscope...i feel like…they just don’t know [how to market me as a more well-rounded artist]. but its not their job to know how to deal with he type of artist that I wanna be…. I’m just working at it and I feel like I’m going at a good pace. I didn’t wanna come out as this extra big artist or with an extra big first album, I feel like I wanna grow, you know? So people can grow with me…”
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With that being said, Rich Boy has touched on a more conscious-minded style to come.”Yeah, most definitely [I want to become more political]. .. I don’t want my purpose to be ‘get money;’ I want to have a real purpose behind what I’m doing that means something to people. I want people to really remember my songs, you know? I want people to really connect with the songs that i do. I don’t want them to just be like ‘Oh, this a tight beat,’ or ‘Oh, he can rap,’ I want them to say ‘Oh, I feel what he’s sayin’ on that.’”
Rich Boy‘s currently untitled album dropping this summer will hopefully showcase four tracks produced by him (he produced two tracks on his last album). He also says he is in talks to collaborate with the likes of Lil Wayne and Nelly Furtado.
