For the 3rd Bass DJ, see Daddy Rich.
| Richie Rich | |
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Birth name |
Richard Serrell |
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Born |
March 1, 1966 |
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Origin |
Oakland, California, U.S. |
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Genre |
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Occupations |
Rapper |
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Years active |
1987-present |
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Label |
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Associated acts |
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Richard Serrell (born March 1, 1966), better known by his stage name Richie Rich, is an American rapper from Oakland, California. Richie Rich first started making music in the late 1980s with the group 415. With fellow members D-Loc, DJ Daryl and J.E.D., the group released the album 41Fivin in 1989, which sold well around the Bay Area and spawned a Richie Rich solo album in 1990, titled Don't Do It.
As the group was ready to sign a major-label contract with Priority Records in 1990, Richie Rich was arrested for possession of cocaine and sentenced to jail for one year. 415 released their next album in 1991 without his input, before disbanding later in 1992. After his release from jail, he began appearing on songs by 2Pac and the Luniz. His second solo album, Half Thang, was released in 1996 and peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Richie Rich became the first Bay Area rapper to sign with New York's Def Jam Recordings, and his major-label album, Seasoned Veteran, was released in late 1996. It performed well on the charts, and music videos were made for three of the album's songs. As his career was booming, Def Jam merged with PolyGram, and the release date of his second album on the label kept getting pushed back, so he decided to leave the label.
He created his own label, Ten-Six Records, with partner Lev Berlak. Four years after the release of Seasoned Veteran, his fourth album, The Game, was released and sold over 300,000 units independently.
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
- 1990: Don't Do It
- 1996: Half Thang
- 1996: Seasoned Veteran
- 2000: The Game
- 2002: Nixon Pryor Roundtree