Ya Boy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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 41)
Origin	San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop West Coast hip hop hyphy
Occupation(s)	Rapper songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Black Card Music E1 Konvict KonLive SMC Hoo-Bangin' Black Wall Street Done Deal

William Joseph Crawford, born on January 28, 1984, is an American rapper known by his stage name Ya Boy. He also uses the name Rich Rocka. He grew up in the Fillmore District of San Francisco, California. Ya Boy is well-known for his 2011 song "Lock Down", which he made with DJ Drama and featured Akon.

He started his music career by signing with Done Deal Entertainment, a record label owned by San Quinn. With them, he released his first studio album, Rookie of the Year, in 2005. Over the years, he worked with several other record labels, including Konvict Muzik.

Early Life and Background

William Crawford spent his childhood in the Fillmore District of San Francisco. He went to El Camino High School in South San Francisco and graduated from there.

His cousin is a professional football player named Stevie Johnson.

Music Journey

In 2005, Ya Boy signed with Done Deal Entertainment and SMC Recordings. This led to the release of his first album, Rookie of the Year, in May of that year.

The next year, in 2006, he joined the Game's record label, The Black Wall Street Records. He appeared on their mixtape, The Black Wall Street Journal, Vol. 1. After this, Ya Boy started working with famous music producers like Scott Storch, Araab Muzik, and Cool & Dre. Cool & Dre produced his song "Holla at Ya Boy" in 2008.

In 2009, Ya Boy started his own record label called Black Card Music. He then signed himself and his label to Mack 10's Hoo-Bangin' Records. However, he did not release any music projects with this label.

In February 2010, he signed with Akon's labels, Konvict Muzik and Kon Live Distribution. In August of that year, he released the song "Party Girls" with Rico Love. Later, in 2011, he released "Lockdown" with DJ Drama and Akon. This song was also part of DJ Drama's album, Third Power.

In early 2013, William Crawford decided to change his stage name to Rich Rocka. He then released a mixtape called Road 2 Rocka on July 4, 2013.

Music Releases

Ya Boy, also known as Rich Rocka, has released several music projects throughout his career. These include studio albums and mixtapes.

Studio Albums

Studio albums are official collections of songs that are usually planned and recorded over a longer period.

• Rookie of the Year (2005)
• Rich Rocka (2013)

Mixtapes

Mixtapes are often collections of songs, remixes, or freestyles that artists release, sometimes for free, to share new music with their fans.