Ya Boy

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Ya Boy
Ya Boy in 2009
Background information
Birth name	William Joseph Crawford
Also known as	Rich Rocka
Born	(1984-01-28) January 28, 1984 (age 40)[1]
Origin	San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, West Coast hip hop
Occupations	Rapper songwriter
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Black Card Music E1 Konvict KonLive SMC Hoo-Bangin' Black Wall Street Done Deal

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).^[2] 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.^[3]

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.^[4]

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".^[5]

In 2009, Crawford formed the record label Black Card Music, and signed himself and the label to Mack 10's Hoo-Bangin' Records.^[6] 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.^[7]

• Rookie of the Year (2005)
• Rich Rocka (2013)^[8]

• Redd, Maria. "Redd Roxx Rundown: Livin' Rich with Rich Rocka, formerly Ya Boy". buffalo.com. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
• Ya Boy's Official Myspace
• Ya Boy's Official Twitter