Rich Homie Quan is traveling on a road familiar to thousands of other hopeful rappers from Atlanta. However, he hopes that the road he travels on takes him past his competition and into the hip-hop winners’ circle. Closing out 2014 strong, Rich Homie built a nice repertoire of solid material to hold him over.
“I listen to Prince and try to catch them tones. I listen to Luther Vandross. I don’t just listen to rap. I try to expand,” Richi Homie explains. “That’s why I say it’s a new year, new sound, just try to get new things to rap about — new delivery.”
The 25-year-old MC/singer garnered a local buzz way back in 2008 with “Stay Down,” featuring The Stack Money Boys. The hit had Atlanta clubs, Monte Carlo’s, and radios on smash. While “Stay Down” had Atlanta jumping, RHQ was still holding it down in the streets. The former Ronald E. McNair High School baseball star found himself locked down in Decatur County Jail on a burglary charge. He used that time to get his mind right. After his release, Rich Homie picked up where he left off, by forming rap group, No Sleep Gang. They inked a deal with a local label, L.O.R. But, due to the unexpected death of L.O.R.’s owner, Teezy, No Sleep Gang never released a project. But, set backs only made RHQ dig in deeper. As a result, he inked a deal with T.I.G. (Think It’s A Game). Armed with a new label, hard knocks and knack for storytelling, RHQ released the mixtapes I Go In On Every Song, Still Goin’ In, and I Promise I Will Never Stop Goin’ In to much fanfare.
Before New Year’s Eve, Rich Homie and his T.I.G. fam passed through New York to promote Quan’s forthcoming EP and album. Coming off the release of Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1, with Cash Money’s Baby and Young Thug, Quan is ready to infuse heads and radios with his radio-friendly melodies in 2015. On a brief visit, RHQ discussed his forthcoming projects, which aren’t titled yet, his relationship with Baby, and more.
On his new EP and album.
“We don’t have the official date but it will be in January. It’s the New Year, [so] new sound, new music. I put five good songs on the EP. We dropping this to determine what’s going to be the single for my album. Whatever song they messing with the most I feel as if we put the bag behind that. And, we dropping the album around April or May. I just want to perfect it. “
“I put like fourteen to eighteen on [the album]. People not dropping albums with eighteen songs no more. I want to tell my whole story. More like a ten chapter story. I say chapter ten because it’s going to take me ten years to tell my story. So, I’ll give you chapter one first, and let the people adapt to that. After that we go back to the drawing boards and give them chapter two.”
Relationship with Baby.
“Me and Baby ain’t never did no paper work. It’s just more-so like a big uncle I never had giving me a few jewels, knowledge, ways to go about different situations. Birdman been in the game twenty plus years, so it’s a lot that I can learn from him. But I’m not signed to him. I’m only signed to T.I.G. No major deal. Just independent.”
On Baby And Lil’ Wayne’s public dispute.
“I could talk to Baby about it. But at the same time that’s grown man business. I try to stay away from that. I’m only focused on Rich Homie Quan.”
Message to fans.
“I’m the same Quan, I’m still telling my story. But, read some of my comments and some of my fans be saying ‘Quan, you sounding like this now. You losing it.” Not saying that it get to me. But you want to know the people think. It’s a new me. A better me. “