Rich Boy
Album : Rich Boy
Release Date : March 13, 2007
Label : Interscope Records

customer Review :
Rich Boy appeared to come out of nowhere with "Throw Some D’s", which somehow (and I promise you I don’t understand it) became one of rap’s athems of 2007, along with Mims’ similarly perplexing "This Is Why I’m Hot". True about both is that neither hit feels as strong as some of the predominant rap hits of 2006 ("It’s Goin’ Down", "Ridin’", "What You Know", "Money Maker", "Touch It", etc...). RICH BOY also exhibits this unfortunate truth as the album has more ’potential’ than true hit material.

"The Madness" starts off Rich Boy’s album very slowly with a couple of expletive-laced bragadicious lines that won’t even faze the most naive listener. The synth-driven production may add an extra half-star to the rating of that song, but "The Madness" is rather uninspiring and makes you ask, "so what ?" after all is said and done. "Role Models" is good for another production standout (the synths are great and the drum programming is bangin’), but otherwise, it is frankly boring and uninspired rap. Even the hook is rather dreary and lacking. "Boy Looka Here" continues the downward trend of RICH BOY, though the "southern drawl" is certainly interesting, even if the material isn’t first rate. "Throw Some D’s" is the real meat of RICH BOY, even if it is one of the corniest rap songs I’ve heard for sometimes. The production is great, which seems to be the trend throughout the album, and one just wishes that Rich Boy would really come by and truly spit some inspired rhymes into the mike. Sure "Throw Some D’s" has an ounce of crediblity, especially compared to the earlier tracks off of RICH BOY, but it still doesn’t possess a T.I., Ludacris, or Jeezy worthy performance ultimately.

"What It Do" proves to be the stereotypical rap song considering the statement has only been wore out for years. Even Lil’ Jon’s production doesn’t save Rich Boy. Again, Rich Boy’s accent screams south and even drvies you a bit crazy (or at least annoys you) at times. Despite it’s utter aloof nature, "What It Do" features a more potent hook than some of the preceding numbers on RICH BOY. "Good Things" follows and the production is once again top-rate. Finally, Rich Boy actually sounds more inspired making "Good Things" one of the top tracks from his self-titled debut. It isn’t the second coming, but it is certainly better than anything up to this point (with the exception of "Throw Some D’s", of course). Furthermore, Keri’s vocal performance and up-and-coming producer standout Polow Da Don enhance the quality just that much more.

"Hustla Balla Gangsta Mack" proves to be another production masterpiece with totally killer drum programming supporting Rich Boy’s southern-tinged rap. Unfortunately, Rich Boy falls once again into the trap of the uninspired, even if it isn’t to the degree of the worst tracks. The hook is catchy though, if nothing else is truly worthy. "Touch That A**" proves to be a Polow Da Don production masterpiece, which does make up for Rich Boys BS verses. The hook isn’t terrible, but it DEFINITELY isn’t what you would suggest as "credible". "On The Regular" features a very soulful vocal performance and proves to be a stronger track than most, but honestly, that isn’t saying much considering RICH BOY’s rushed feel. "Gangsta" proves to be very brief, though after listening to less inspired numbers, brief is embraced by the listener. Again, "Gangsta" isn’t terrible, but it definitely isn’t great. It isn’t another "What You Know" or "Money Maker" by any means.

"Get To Poppin’" proves to be the first genuinely strong track without any qualms since "Good Things" ; it is definitely a breath of fresh air. "And I Love You" isn’t bad, though it lacks enough substance to be ’great’. The hook, if nothign else is perfect. "Lost Girls" has a nice reggae feel to it, which definitely differentiates it from the other tracks, especially where production is concerned. However, the 1:00+ intro is a bit overwrought without Rich Boy ever uttering a word. "Ghetto Rich" features a lovely vocal collab with John Legend, which definitely makes the track worth listening. Rich Boy doesn’t sound to shabby himself here. "Let’s Get This Paper" is too long, but Rich boy sounds more energized than he has for the majority of the album, which is sad considering RICH BOY could’ve been a better album than what it is (to Rich Boy’s credit, there is a hidden track with the nine minute duration). "Throw Some D’s [Remix]" concludes the album featuring Andre 3000 and "We Fly High" man Jim Jones.

Overall, RICH BOY is incredibly uneven. Unfortunately, most of the tracks only have the "potential" to be great with work as opposed to being great. Save for a few gems ("Throw Some D’s", "Get To Poppin’" to name a few), RICH BOY isn’t great by any means. Furthermore, the seventy-minute length is trying, which makes RICH BOY even more unbearable than if it had only been an hour or fifty minutes ideally.

Tracklisting  :
1. The Madness
2. Role Models (Feat. David Banner & Attitude)
3. Boy Looka Here
4. Throw Some D’s (Feat. Polow Da Don)
5. What It Do (Feat. Cutty)
6. Good Things (Feat. Polow Da Don & Keri)
7. Hustla Balla Gangsta Mack
8. Touch That A**
9. On The Regular
10. Gangsta (Feat. Mark Twain) Interlude
11. Get To Poppin
12. And I Love You (Feat. Big Boi & Pastor Troy)
13. Lost Girls (Feat. Keri & Rock City)
14. Ghetto Rich (Feat. John Legend)
15. Let’s Get This Paper
16. Throw Some D’s (Remix) (Feat. Andre 3000, Jim Jones, Nelly, Murphy Lee

No profanity, or inaproppriate remarks.