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). 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.
Early life 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.
Career 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".
In 2009, Crawford formed the record label Black Card Music, and signed himself and the label to Mack 10's Hoo-Bangin' Records.Ya Boy Hoo Bangin. hiphopblog.com (October 21, 2009) 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.
Discography Studio albums Rookie of the Year (2005) Rich Rocka (2013)
Mixtapes Year Title2003Mind Motion Rocks The Done Deal Party2004Fully Loaded Street Heat "16's Wit Me" 2005 The Future of the Franchise2006Chapter 1: The Rise2007Ya Boy Radio: Part OneThe Fix2008 Optimus RimeI'm 'Bout to Murdah This ShitThe Bay Area Bully2009Kush 2009Mohawks & Heavy Metal 2010 The Fix 22011The Fillmore Renaissance StoryPray For Forgiveness 2012 Trappy Birthday 2013 Road 2 Rocka 2014 Allegiance2015 Rich Rocka II 2016 Alien LegacyGuilty by Association 2 The Fix 32017 Definition of Explosive The Tonite Show Rocka World 2019 Lord Rocka 2023 Back From the Future 2 2025 Ya Boy vs Rich Rocka
References
External links
Ya Boy's Official Myspace Ya Boy's Official Twitter