In 2015, South Central’s RJ won all-city fame with the infectious “Get Rich.” Its hook lamented the poverty of his youth and a post- adolescence spent dealing drugs: When he crooned, “I’ma get richer than you,” it sounded like a mantra and a vow—one that swiftly became true.
When RJ phones from Oakland, California,
he’s getting a foot massage prior to two sold-out shows that evening. “You’ve got to take care of your body,” he says with a laugh, adding with more seriousness: “I’ve been on my feet a lot.” As one of the main supporting acts on YG’s Fuck Donald Trump tour, he’s had his first opportunity to perform before crowds beyond the West Coast. “I couldn’t believe that they all knew the words,” he says.
His background is incredibly eclectic: He was a high-school basketball star, spent time mired
Time Out Los Angeles January–March 2017
in the narcotics underworld of both Los Angeles and Atlanta and even worked as a firefighter. Now focused entirely on music, he is budding street-rap royalty and was recently signed to Mustard and YG’s Interscope-backed 400 Summers imprint.
Offering subtle asphalt wisdom interspersed
with swaggering bravado, RJ—who won’t divulge his age—fits no easy stereotype. Case in point: He once showed up to an interview with a copy of Great Expectations in his back pocket, but pens lyrics like “I don’t trust another that’s headed all directions / Got them buyin’ all the tables closest to our section / And known killers offering protection / That’s what these guns are for.” “We brought a melodic sound to street music and made it popular again,” RJ says when asked to explain his appeal. “Who doesn’t want to know about the street life? The realer you make it, the more accepted you are in the streets.” à Hear RJ’s work at labelommio.
26
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
