Richard Serrell (born June 25, 1967), professionally known as Richie Rich, is an American rapper.

Music career

Early years (1987–1999)

Rich first entered music in the late 1980s with the group

415 __NOTOC__ Year 415 ( CDXV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Honorius and Theodosius (or, less frequently, year 1168 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...

, based in Oakland. Rich joined with members D-Loc, DJ Daryl, and JED, to craft an album in 1989 called ''41Fivin''. Rich released a solo album in 1990, titled ''

Don't Do It ''Don't Do It'' is the debut solo album by American rapper Richie Rich. The album was released in 1990 on Big League Records. Track listing #"Don't Do It" – 4:06 #"Rodney the Geek" – 4:30 #"Free at Last" – 5:14 #"Media Hype" (featuring ...

''. His rapping style had an influence on

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

, and the group 415 inspired the name of the group

213 Year 213 ( CCXIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time (in Rome), it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Calvinus (or, less frequently, year 966 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 213 ...

. As the group was ready to sign a major-label contract with

Priority Records Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice Cube, MC Ren, Eazy-E, Master P, Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Silkk the Shocker, Jay-Z, Paris, Mack 10, 504 Boyz, Brotha Lynch Hung, ...

in 1990, however, Rich was arrested for possession of cocaine. 415 released its next album and faded from the scene soon after, while Rich sat in jail; he was released a year later, and began appearing on tracks by

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

and the

Luniz Luniz (pronounced Loonies) (formerly Luniz Toons and LuniTunes) is an American hip hop music, hip hop duo from Oakland, California, formed by West Coast rappers Yukmouth and Numskull. They were signed to Noo Trybe Records and C-Note Records, and ...

. Rich soon found himself being in the middle of a bidding war between

Def Jam Records Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

and

Relativity Records Relativity Records was an American record label founded by Barry Kobrin at the site of his vinyl record shop, Important Record Distributors (IRD) in metropolitan New York City. The IRD distribution name was later known as RED Distribution and ag ...

. He choose to go on

Russell Simmons Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. He has p ...

' label Def Jam. Before forming his own label, Oakland Hills 41510, he released his second solo album in 1996, ''

Half Thang ''Half Thang'' is the second album by American rapper Richie Rich. Track listing #"Intro" – 0:32 #"Ruff Neckin'" – 5:06 #"Half Thang" – 3:55 #"Busta Phree" – 4:29 #"As Usual" (skit) – 0:45 #"80 Ounces" – 3:05 #"Fuck Dat Nigga" (skit ...

'', which peaked on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums at number 57. By 1995, Rich had become the first Bay Area rapper to sign with New York's

, and his major-label album, '' Seasoned Veteran'', was released in late 1996 ''Seasoned Veteran'' did rather well on the charts, and music videos were soon released for three songs on the album. Just as Rich's career was booming, a merger at Def Jam (with PolyGram) left him without much direction. Rich was going to release a second album on Def Jam, although it kept getting pushed back. He soon had the decision to stay or go, he decided to go.

Ten-Six Record Years (1999–2004)

Rich then started his own label with partner Lev Berlak, named Ten-Six Records. Four years after ''Seasoned Veteran'', his fourth album '' The Game'' was released. The album has sold over 300,000 units independently but was panned by critics and fans alike.

Recent events (2021–present)

In 2021, Rich's 1996 song " Let's Ride" was featured in the television series ''Blindspotting''.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1990) * ''

'' (1996) * '' Seasoned Veteran'' (1996) * '' The Game'' (2000) * ''Nixon Pryor Roundtree'' (2002) * ''Fed Case'' (2017) * ''Richard'' (2025)

Collaboration albums

* '' 41Fivin'' with 415 (1989) * ''The Grow Room'' with The Mekanix (2020)

Compilation albums

* ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' (2000) * ''Grabs, Snatches & Takes'' (2004)

Mixtapes

* ''Town Bidness'' (2010) * ''Town Bidness Volume 2'' (2011)

Extended plays

* ''Geeks Revenge (Rodney)'' (1990)

Singles

Guest appearances

References

External links

Richie Rich
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richie Rich 1967 births 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers African-American record producers Def Jam Recordings artists Gangsta rappers G-funk artists Living people Rappers from Oakland, California Record producers from California