After 4 years of not releasing a solo album, Rich The Kid is back with his latest work, “Life’s a Gamble.” He shares what it was like to work with Ye, Peso Pluma, Ty Dolla $ign, Chief Keef and many more. He talks about how he has been able to perfect his craft during his hiatus, exploring different genres of music, recounts stories of his various collaborations and more!
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MusicTranscript
00:00 Especially when people doubt you and they don't think you'll do it,
00:04 then you come back with it.
00:05 Oh!
00:06 (laughing)
00:07 Hit me with it.
00:08 Oh!
00:09 Yo, what up?
00:10 It's Rich the King, you're watching Billboard News.
00:11 I'm so excited to have you here.
00:16 We're talking about Life's a Gamble, your fourth album.
00:20 How are you feeling about that?
00:21 Man, I feel extremely blessed.
00:24 I'm excited, super excited.
00:26 What is your mind like as you're preparing for a big drop like this?
00:30 Steady in the studio, tweaking stuff and still creating to the last minute.
00:35 So I'm just working on making stuff perfect right now.
00:39 Talk about the title of your album.
00:40 Are you a gambling man?
00:42 Do you like to gamble?
00:44 No, I'm not a huge gambler, but over the weekend I had a show and I was messing around a little
00:52 bit.
00:53 But no, I'm not a big gambler.
00:55 What's some risk you have taken along the way that makes this album title so important?
01:00 Going back to the beginning of my career, taking chances on myself, investing in myself,
01:06 handing out CDs to DJs and staying outside in front of the club all night.
01:12 So I invested in myself and I took those type of chances to get here.
01:16 This album is described as an exploration into the lavish and opulent world of Rich
01:22 the Kid and his collective of celebrity spitters.
01:26 Is that an accurate description?
01:27 Yep.
01:28 All that.
01:29 So who are these celebrity spitters?
01:31 Because I am very intrigued.
01:34 Chief Keef on there.
01:36 Offset.
01:37 Quavo.
01:38 So what?
01:39 Ye.
01:40 You got some heavy hitters.
01:42 Love that.
01:43 Bia.
01:44 Bia, Bia.
01:45 Okay, love that.
01:46 Your first single is "Bandman."
01:47 Why is this the song to introduce the album?
01:55 Because I'm the bandman.
01:59 So for those who don't know, what is a bandman?
02:01 Bandman is just like keeping bands on you.
02:04 Like bands.
02:05 One thousand is the band.
02:06 Two thousand, two bands.
02:07 I'm the bandman.
02:08 I got all the bands.
02:09 Keep them on me.
02:10 Period.
02:11 Talk about producing the song.
02:12 What do you want fans to know about you from the single?
02:17 Besides you being the bandman.
02:18 Just perfecting the sound.
02:19 You know what I'm saying?
02:20 Just perfecting my sound.
02:21 Just perfecting my craft on every song.
02:24 Taking it to the next level type shit.
02:26 And you call yourself the comeback kid.
02:28 It's been two and a half years since your last album with Lil Wayne and four years since
02:32 your last solo album.
02:34 So why such a long break?
02:36 Why haven't you been chilling?
02:37 Really just been like dealing with stuff behind the scenes with labels and going through different
02:44 situations.
02:45 But I feel like the time that has gone by, I've been able to perfect my craft.
02:49 Like I said, perfect the songs and the music.
02:52 And I know exactly what the sound is, what I'm shooting for.
02:56 And true to your entire career, you have had a bunch of collaborations.
03:01 What is the strategy behind bringing other artists along with you?
03:05 I think it would be like making the perfect song.
03:09 You know what I'm saying?
03:10 Like when I do a song with somebody else or do a song with anybody, I don't think about
03:14 how I personally feel.
03:15 I think about how my fans would feel, like how they want to hear.
03:20 So that's pretty much how I do it.
03:22 Was there someone you really wanted to work with that you weren't sure you were going
03:27 to get to work with and that you got to?
03:29 I probably have to say Ye.
03:30 I wanted to do some Ye and then end up going number one.
03:35 That's amazing too, by the way.
03:38 I mean, I've seen a bunch of your interviews, but the fact of how you met him into this
03:41 number one single like unexpectedly too is amazing.
03:44 Yeah.
03:45 Okay, so I'm going to name some of your collaborators that are on your new album and I want you
03:50 to tell me the first thing or first story that comes to mind.
03:53 So the first one is Ye.
03:55 I first met Ye at Nobu restaurant and he had like the whole set up like recording in the
04:01 whole back of the Nobu restaurant in Malibu.
04:03 Did you get it in there?
04:04 Yeah, yeah.
04:05 He recorded a verse for one of the songs at the restaurant.
04:08 At Nobu?
04:09 Yeah.
04:10 I wonder how many other Ye songs we got out of Nobu.
04:12 That's amazing.
04:13 Tell us that.
04:14 I think it was like 10 years ago.
04:17 I was working on a collaboration album with Migos.
04:20 It's called Streets Unlocked and we did a song called Island.
04:25 Island!
04:26 That's my song!
04:27 Yeah, and like I'm not sure.
04:29 I don't think they had ever met Ty before, but I hit up Ty on Twitter.
04:33 I was like, "Yo, Ty, I want you to get on this song for our project."
04:37 And he got on it, sent it back, and it was history.
04:42 We had a plug.
04:44 Period.
04:45 You on the ice.
04:46 Okay, Quavo.
04:47 First time I went to meet Quavo at his house, it took me like an hour and a half to drive
04:52 over there.
04:53 It was like two in the morning and I'm knocking on his door, the back door.
04:57 I'm like, "Yo, open up, open up."
05:00 And he wasn't answering the door.
05:02 I was calling him, he wasn't picking up.
05:04 I just drove like an hour and a half.
05:05 Then he finally, he's like, "Oh, I'm sleeping.
05:08 Oh, my bad, bro.
05:10 I was asleep."
05:12 And then we just made our first song.
05:14 It was called "Wire In."
05:16 So from that song, we started the label, Wire In, from that song we made that night.
05:22 Wow.
05:23 What year was that?
05:24 I have no idea.
05:25 That's, wow.
05:26 So "Wire In" came from you driving an hour and a half, knocking on Quavo's door, and
05:31 getting in the studio.
05:32 Facts.
05:33 Amazing.
05:34 All right, "Take Off."
05:35 Wow.
05:36 My brother, R.I.P.
05:37 Man.
05:38 Whoa.
05:39 Whoa.
05:40 So many memories.
05:41 Like, the last year he was here, we was like together all the time.
05:47 For the last six months, last year, we was together working on the album.
05:51 One memory I would have to say, I remember we was on a jet, and it was me, Ralph, Tate,
05:58 Marshall.
05:59 And we was just like, we had a whole bunch of money, and we was just making videos, just
06:04 like, doing stupid shit with the money.
06:07 It was like, just money all over the jet.
06:09 We was on the way to New York, and we was in New York for like, two, three months.
06:15 Y'all definitely have, you know, a strong brotherhood.
06:18 Yeah.
06:19 Chief Keef.
06:20 Funny guy, man.
06:21 He's amazing.
06:22 Chief Keef sent me a message.
06:25 I did a stream with some streamer.
06:30 They was just like, trolling.
06:32 Some of these streamers just be trolling the whole interview.
06:34 Yep.
06:35 He was watching it.
06:36 He sent me a message, he said, "Bro, what the hell you got going on with these people's
06:40 thing, man?"
06:41 Peso Pluma.
06:42 Wow, Peso Pluma.
06:44 Man, that's my boy.
06:46 We just recorded a song so crazy.
06:49 I was just playing him some songs on my album, and he was like, "Yo, this song is insane.
06:56 I need to get on this one."
06:58 And this song was really just a song about me, explaining my life, flexing, coming up,
07:04 you know what I'm saying, doing what I had to do, taking chances, handing out CDs and
07:08 stuff like that.
07:09 He was like, "Yo, this is definitely it."
07:12 So, he just hopped on it, and we made a hit.
07:16 And the song is called "Gimme a Second."
07:18 Yeah, "Gimme a Second."
07:19 Can you elaborate a little bit more on "Gimme a Second"?
07:21 What can fans expect to see on there?
07:23 Just colliding two different worlds together, you know what I'm saying?
07:26 I feel like that's what we did perfectly on that song.
07:29 Yeah.
07:30 I love that, and I love worlds colliding too.
07:31 And last but not least, Bia.
07:33 Bia.
07:34 Wow, Bia.
07:35 Bia really went crazy on the verse.
07:38 She got a memorable verse on the album, so that's actually one of my favorite verses
07:44 on there, for sure.
07:45 So, will we be memorizing all the words?
07:47 Yeah, for sure.
07:48 Okay, okay.
07:49 For sure, for sure.
07:50 I love it.
07:51 Okay, last question.
07:52 Who is the most difficult to work with?
07:54 I would say Ye.
07:56 Ah.
07:57 About two years ago, when I first met Ye, he texted me.
07:59 He was like, "Everybody's telling me you're a genius."
08:03 And I feel like him being a musical genius and me being the genius I am, sometimes we
08:08 collide, you know what I'm saying?
08:10 So he might be like, "I want this to sound like this."
08:13 I'm like, "Nah, I want it to sound like this."
08:15 So we both tweaking it and making it perfect.
08:18 Look how we did on "Carnivores."
08:20 Nobody would expect that song to go number one.
08:23 Yup.
08:24 [Music]
08:30 I want to go a little bit into your earlier career.
08:33 You know, even early, you've always been about collaborating.
08:35 You've collaborated with French Montana, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, Lil Wayne, Migos, Future.
08:40 Creating these relationships, how has it helped your career?
08:43 Man, definitely being supported by these artists is great and huge.
08:50 Like, Future brought me on my first tour.
08:52 I was overseas, opening up for him, and I didn't even have a hit record yet.
08:57 Like, I didn't have no hit song.
08:59 So that was like a huge blessing.
09:01 I'm super thankful for that.
09:03 Yes, I'm thankful for it too.
09:05 So back in 2017, you dropped the viral hit "New Freezer" with Kendrick.
09:09 [Music]
09:16 It has amassed 314 million plays on Spotify.
09:20 What was going through your mind when that song went viral?
09:23 I was like, "What in the hell is going on?"
09:27 People just started doing it next.
09:30 I was like, "Whoa."
09:32 When everything happens and good stuff happens, I call my mom first and I tell her,
09:36 "Yo, Mom, these folks is doing some type of dance on my song."
09:41 And the whole internet is doing it.
09:44 Of course, she's seen it too.
09:46 She was like, "I've seen it. I'm proud of you, son."
09:48 How has it been working with Kendrick?
09:50 Because Kendrick is such a--I feel like he's a genius too when it comes to music.
09:54 Yeah, for sure.
09:55 Man, making "New Freezer," like when I made the song,
09:59 we were recording our albums in the same studio.
10:03 So he came over and he was like, "Yo, play me some joints."
10:07 And I played "New Freezer."
10:09 He instantly was like, "Yo, I want to get on this song."
10:11 Wow.
10:12 Like, ASAP.
10:13 Do you feel like "New Freezer" is a timeless classic?
10:15 Yeah.
10:16 Do you feel like--
10:17 I feel like definitely timeless.
10:18 Same like "Carnival," timeless classic for sure.
10:22 You know what I'm saying?
10:23 Those are moments that people will never forget.
10:26 100%.
10:28 And, you know, in your words, in your opinion,
10:31 what do you think happened to your career after "New Freezer" came out?
10:35 Do you feel like it took you to another place?
10:37 Where do you think your career went after that?
10:40 What?
10:41 Oh!
10:43 Yeah, I had dropped "Plug Walk" right after,
10:46 so "Plug Walk" came right after, like 30 days after,
10:49 and went platinum in 30 days.
10:52 You took over the summer that year then.
10:54 Yeah, '18.
10:55 Yeah, '18 was your summer.
10:57 So I also hear that you're working on a Latin album,
10:59 and what has made you want to explore that genre?
11:02 DJ Ralphie Black!
11:06 Who is that?
11:07 That's my DJ.
11:08 Okay.
11:09 He's Dominican.
11:11 Over time, it's like not even forced, you know what I'm saying?
11:14 We've just been going at it on the road,
11:17 listening to different types of music,
11:19 and we just fell in love with it.
11:22 And I just kept on doing more and more songs with different artists.
11:25 So you have a song, again, with Peso Pluma on your current album.
11:28 How did you guys link up?
11:37 My DJ Ralphie Black, he told me about Peso,
11:40 and I DM him, like, "Yo, bro, we got to do something."
11:44 And this was like, I think it was like a year and a half ago.
11:48 And he was like, "Yeah, if we do a song,
11:51 we'll be like the first hip-hop artists," you know what I'm saying, "to work."
11:56 So we connected in L.A., like, made magic.
12:01 And y'all made a hit.
12:02 Yeah.
12:03 A hit that's on the way.
12:04 You're also featured on Santa Fe Clan's song "Plomo."
12:07 And what was it like working with them?
12:09 Instantly, when I heard the beat, I was like, "Oh, yes, it's hard."
12:13 Because the beat is actually made by Labcook, that's my producer.
12:18 He also made "Carnival" and "Plug Walk"
12:21 and a lot of other songs on my album.
12:23 I want to ask you a question about expanding into different genres,
12:27 because Beyoncé obviously just released a country album.
12:31 What do you think about artists flexing into these genres?
12:33 Like, what does it mean?
12:34 Do you feel like it kind of defines your artistry a little bit more in that sense?
12:40 It's probably different for everybody.
12:42 I feel like me, I just--it was just part of my growth, you know what I'm saying?
12:49 So I feel like some people might do it and they might feel forced or sound forced,
12:54 so I never wanted anything like--nothing I do to feel forced.
12:58 So everything's just been going with the flow.
13:00 Yeah, all genuine.
13:02 I want to get into "Carnival."
13:04 Your first number one hit with Playboi Carti was a huge success.
13:09 How does that feel?
13:10 I know you've said it a lot how you feel, but truly,
13:13 what does it mean to you to kind of finally have that number one?
13:16 It feels great. It feels amazing.
13:19 It feels like a blessing, especially when people doubt you
13:24 and they don't think you'll do it.
13:26 Then you come back with it.
13:28 [yells]
13:29 [laughs]
13:30 [yells]
13:32 So it's just like--it's a great feeling, you know what I'm saying?
13:35 Making my family happy, my friends, everybody get to see us on top.
13:40 We're number one.
13:41 More number ones to come.
13:43 100%.
13:44 And the album also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
13:48 How has the success of the song and the album changed your career now?
13:51 Oh, man.
13:53 We got that number one, you know what I'm saying?
13:57 Nobody can't take that from you.
14:00 A lot of people don't got that.
14:02 I got that number one.
14:03 [laughs]
14:05 All right?
14:06 Period.
14:07 So you took a gamble with this track.
14:10 You flew to Saudi Arabia to meet Ye and Ty.
14:13 What made you decide to do that?
14:16 Man, I was already like an hour away.
14:19 I was in Dubai. I had a show.
14:21 So I was like, you know, I know they're working on the album
14:25 and we might be able to make some magic.
14:28 So talk about working with Ye.
14:30 You've worked on a number of singles and features.
14:32 What is your relationship like?
14:34 You both are geniuses, but what is the relationship like in the studio truly?
14:38 How are y'all kind of going back and forth
14:41 and kind of picking out records and producing it together?
14:44 Man, with Ye, right now I've been playing them new vibes, you know what I'm saying?
14:51 And really everything I've been working on is like crazy.
14:55 You know what I'm saying?
14:57 So I feel like he's been feeding off my energy.
14:59 And we just go like that, just go from there.
15:03 Because all the songs I'm doing right now, they out.
15:07 Out of there!
15:09 Crazy! Crazy!
15:12 I feel like they are too.
15:13 What are some things you've learned from him as you've navigated your career?
15:16 Has he given you any good advice, like navigating and--
15:18 Yeah, for sure.
15:19 Dealing with stuff in the media and everything?
15:21 I always say this, working with Ye, it's always about elevating the sound.
15:27 You know what I'm saying?
15:28 And if this song was this good, you gotta top it.
15:34 And now we got Carnival, so it's kind of hard to top that.
15:37 You know what I'm saying?
15:39 Now, you've performed Carnival all over the world.
15:41 Like Dubai, Milan.
15:43 What has that experience been like?
15:45 There's a video of you on a car in Milan.
15:47 Can you tell me about that?
15:49 Man, energy is just on 10.
15:52 Matter of fact, now you're on 10, on 200.
15:55 Just performing is just like--
15:58 It's crazy, it's wild.
16:00 You gotta come to a show and check it out.
16:02 I would love to.
16:04 But wait, what were you doing on top of this car?
16:07 I was pulling out and there was like so many fans.
16:12 I was surrounded by fans.
16:14 I was like, you know what, I might just hop on top of the V.
16:19 Go crazy.
16:20 Go, go, go, go.
16:22 And they just started performing all over.
16:24 Wow.
16:25 You and Playboi Carti, you guys go way back.
16:27 What is your relationship with him and why do you like working with him?
16:31 We pretty much started together, we came up together.
16:34 To see how far we've came now is like crazy.
16:38 Some real Atlanta stuff.
16:39 Just like brother energy.
16:41 Yep.
16:42 In 2021, Lil Wayne said you were the greatest skateboarder in hip hop history.
16:47 That is huge praise coming from Lil Wayne.
16:50 Talk about your relationship with him.
16:51 How was y'all dynamic?
16:53 Man, that's like big bro.
16:55 It's amazing being acknowledged by Wayne and doing an album.
17:01 When I was a kid, I was just listening to Tune Tree heavy.
17:05 Like to get out of trouble, if I wasn't listening to Tune Tree or skateboarding,
17:11 I was in some trouble.
17:13 You know what's crazy?
17:14 Wayne mixtapes, that made me want to make mixtapes.
17:18 When I started rapping, I was like, "Oh, I got to make that."
17:22 But I had some mixtapes.
17:24 Because his mixtapes got me through so much.
17:27 His albums got me through so much coming up.
17:30 So, it's crazy.
17:32 Shout out to Lil Wayne.
17:34 All right, so you are signing to GAMMA.
17:40 What do you hope the future brings for your career now that you're signed to Larry Jackson's label?
17:44 Larry Jackson is amazing, man.
17:47 He's always working.
17:49 Always working.
17:50 He might call me at 6.30am.
17:52 "Yo, Rich, what we doing? You ready?"
17:54 You know what I'm saying?
17:56 It's a great feeling to have a partnership with somebody who's excited about your music as much as you are.
18:03 100%. To have the support, essentially.
18:05 Yeah, for sure.
18:06 What's next for you?
18:07 Life's a GAMMA.
18:09 My next album.
18:10 24! Life's a GAMMA, baby! Yeah!
18:14 Life's a GAMMA. Thank you so much.
18:16 Thank you.
18:17 (upbeat music)
18:20 (whooshing)