Take one undeniable rap anthem, one remix of said anthem showcasing popular rappers of the time, stir in a Mick Boogie mixtape, and you’ve got the modern day recipe for how to sell a rap album and make a name for yourself, especially for most of the artists in the recent Southern rap boom.

    Coming straight from Mobile Alabama, Maurice Richards, a.k.a. Rich Boy follows this recipe step for step it would appear, with his anthem being “Throw Some D’s,” which still sounds fresh despite it being nearly a year old. The remix in Rich Boy’s case is the amped up and Lil’ Jon backed “Throw Some D’s remix” that features an absolutely incendiary guest spot by… Andre 3000?!? The fact that Rich Boy got Mr. Cupid Valentino himself to spit a guest verse (no disrespect to Andre’s singing, its just refreshing to hear him rip the mic again), is the first indication that Rich Boy, who may seem to fit the generic mold of (insert typical Southern rapper here), is cooking up something different entirely, even if his kitchen and his ingredients look the same.

    Rich Boy got his break from rapper turned producer, Polow Da Don, who serves as the album’s not so secret weapon, and truthfully deserves equal billing in the album title (Only Built 4 Cuban Linx style). Polow is adventurous with his music, and his interest is clearly in the quality of the tracks, so the bulk of the album’s production shines with consistency but at the same time packs some major surprises, a rare combination in today’s Hip-Hop world.

    After a solid Rich Boy produced opener (Rich Boy started as a producer), Polow rips the lid off the can with two hardcore bangers, the first being “Role Models” which has Rich Boy slaughtering his verse, with guests David Banner and Attitude doing the same. The second, “Boy Looka Here,” is arguably the disc’s best track, and can only be described as a stomp down a hot, dusty, Alabama dirt road, with Rich Boy’s unabashed braggadocio leading the way… oh and there’s a Spanish guitarist who got separated from his mariachi band and decided to join the stomp, and somehow he fits in perfectly. All of this excitement before Rich even gets to the anthem: the aforementioned “Throw Some D’s,” which sounds like a smooth, sunny, top-drown cruise in a Cadillac that is hovering off the ground, going 15 miles per hour.  Lil Jon chips in with a whining, minimalist club track in “What It Do,” which doesn’t astound, but serves as more of a chance for listeners to catch their breath before Polow strikes again. A few tracks later, Polow does just that with the incredible “Touch That Ass,” which initially tricks listener’s by sounding like another tired club record over an undercooked beat. But just as you’re reaching to hit the fast forward button… Polow smashes you over the head with a wall of roaring horns that occasionally pop up and explode until they give way to an eerie, bubbling track.

     Lyrically, Rich Boy delivers a cool southern drawl reminiscent of T.I. at his finest, and he definitely shows that he knows how to flow over a beat. Sure, Rich Boy dips into a lot of the monotony of the Southern rap world (cars, cash and women), and he’s not lyrically potent enough to carry 16 tracks and make them all unique, but Polow keeps things interesting throughout, as do all the carefully selected guest spots, which showcase many guests in top form (especially a straight up jaw dropping cameo by Big Boi on “And I Love You”).

     Rich Boy isn’t the next greatest rapper alive, but he certainly is doing something right on his debut, namely, employing the help of Polow Da Don. The two prove to be artists to keep an eye on, because despite their apparent use of the familiar Southern rap recipe for success, the two cook up something much more exciting on Rich Boy. How rare indeed.