Ya Boy
Ya Boy | |
|---|---|
| Ya Boy in 2009 Ya Boy in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Rich Rocka |
| Born | William Joseph Crawford January 28, 1984[1] |
| Origin | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels |
|
William Joseph Crawford (born January 28, 1984), known by his stage name Ya Boy (also known as Rich Rocka), is an American rapper from Fillmore District, California. He is best known for his 2011 single "Lock Down" (with DJ Drama featuring Akon).[2] The year prior, he signed with the latter's record label, Konvict Muzik, having first signed with San Quinn's Done Deal Entertainment to release his debut studio album, Rookie of the Year (2005). The following year, he signed with the Game's Black Wall Street Records, and later Mack 10's Hoo-Bangin' Records in 2009, although he released no albums with both labels.[3]
Early life
[edit | edit source]Crawford grew up in San Francisco's Fillmore District, and graduated from El Camino High School in South San Francisco.
His cousin is football player Stevie Johnson.[4]
Career
[edit | edit source]In 2005, Crawford signed with San Quinn's Done Deal Entertainment and SMC Recordings to release his debut album, Rookie of the Year in May of that year. In 2006, Crawford signed with the Game's record label The Black Wall Street Records, an imprint of Warner Bros. Records. After making an appearance on the label's collaborative mixtape, The Black Wall Street Journal, Vol. 1 (2006), Crawford began working with producers including Scott Storch, Araab Muzik and Cool & Dre, the latter of whom produced his 2008 standalone single, "Holla at Ya Boy".[5]
In 2009, Crawford formed the record label Black Card Music, and signed himself and the label to Mack 10's Hoo-Bangin' Records.[6] He released no projects with the label, and instead signed with Akon's labels Konvict Muzik and Kon Live Distribution in February 2010. The following August, he released the single "Party Girls" (featuring Rico Love), and later the single "Lockdown" (with DJ Drama featuring Akon) in late 2011. The latter song was shared with disc jockey DJ Drama as part of his third album, Third Power (2011). Crawford changed his stage name in favor of Rich Rocka in early 2013. He then released the mixtape Road 2 Rocka on July 4, 2013.[7]
Discography
[edit | edit source]Studio albums
[edit | edit source]- Rookie of the Year (2005)
- Rich Rocka (2013)[8]
Mixtapes
[edit | edit source]| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Mind Motion Rocks The Done Deal Party |
| 2004 | Fully Loaded Street Heat "16's Wit Me" |
| 2005 | The Future of the Franchise |
| 2006 | Chapter 1: The Rise |
| 2007 | Ya Boy Radio: Part One |
| The Fix | |
| 2008 | Optimus Rime |
| I'm 'Bout to Murdah This Shit | |
| The Bay Area Bully | |
| 2009 | Kush 2009 |
| Mohawks & Heavy Metal | |
| 2010 | The Fix 2 |
| 2011 | The Fillmore Renaissance Story |
| Pray For Forgiveness (with DJ Paul and Lil Lody, hosted by DJ Scream) | |
| 2012 | Trappy Birthday |
| 2013 | Road 2 Rocka |
| 2014 | Allegiance |
| 2015 | Rich Rocka II |
| 2016 | Alien |
| Legacy | |
| Guilty by Association 2 | |
| The Fix 3 | |
| 2017 | Definition of Explosive |
| The Tonite Show | |
| Rocka World | |
| 2023 | Back From the Future 2 |
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Ya Boy Hoo Bangin. hiphopblog.com (October 21, 2009)
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Ya Boy's Official Myspace
- Ya Boy's Official Twitter
Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 153: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Living people
- People from South San Francisco, California
- 21st-century African-American male rappers
- 21st-century American male rappers
- Hip-hop musicians from San Francisco
- Rappers from the San Francisco Bay Area
- West Coast hip-hop musicians
- 21st-century American rappers
- 21st-century American male musicians
- 1984 births
- 21st-century African-American rappers
- 20th-century African-American musicians