Photo credit: RoyalxRae, LLC Courtesy of The Chamber Group
Rap star Rich Homie Quan recently debuted his highly-anticipated project, ‘Family & Mula.’
With lead singles “Krazy” and “Risk Takers,” the project has amassed over 15M streams, and the Rich Homie is back with a vengeance !
‘Family & Mula’ is an eight-song project that picks up where Quan left off.
Notorious for his melodic rap, Rich Homie Quan refines his sound while incorporating velvety keys, the Spanish guitar and soft drums.
RHQ chronicles what’s he’s experienced from his last release to now as he touches on every emotion and milestone.
Ten years after the debut of ‘Still Going In,” Rich Homie Quan shows no signs of slowing down, and ‘Family & Mula’ Reloaded will drop 11/18/22.
AllHipHop’s Rea Davis caught up with Rich Homie Quan to discuss his return, changing the narrative of rap and more!
AllHipHop: I feel like it has been a resurgence for Rich Homie Quan. You have the project out. How does it feel?
Rich Homie Quan: It feels good to have the project out. I hadn’t dropped a project in like 3 years so it feels good. Um the team feels strong. I’m in a great space mentally, so it’s easy to record. It’s easy to create. I just feel like a new artist to be honest.
AllHipHop: So you had an incredible run like “Lifestyle,” “Flex,” “I Know,” “Walk Through,” “Type of Way,” so many! How did it feel? Like did you feel like you were on top of the world; does it still feel surreal looking back?
Rich Homie Quan: To be honest, it was kind of a blur. Like I know it happened. I know about my accolades, but it be kind of a blur, and that’s only because I was young and wild. A lot of stuff was happening so fast so I appreciate the moments. I definitely appreciate them, but I try not to dwell on them as much because it will mess with your mental. I try to create new ones if that makes any sense.
AllHipHop: For those who do not know, why were you gone so long?
Rich Homie Quan: Um, I was going through a litigation with my former label, T.I.G. at the time, and I couldn’t put out new music for 2 and 1/2 years I couldn’t drop music, so when the litigation was over, that’s when I signed with Motown/Capitol.
AllHipHop: But then you lost someone close to you too. Did that impact you as well?
Rich Homie Quan: Yeah, I lost my dawg C-Money. That hurt me a whole lot. I hadn’t really lost anyone close. Knock on wood, but I really hadn’t lost anyone close, close, so that impacted me hard, but motivated me at the same time though because I know how much he loved music and being in the studio with me. Just trying to create something for myself as well as him knowing he’s in Big God’s ear pulling for me. That was motivational.
AllHipHop: So what was the inspiration behind ‘Family & Mula,’ and what do you want listeners to take away from it?
Rich Homie Quan: The inspiration behind ‘Family & Mula,’ would have to have come from basically the name. You know what I’m saying. So around the time when I was…Pandemic; when the pandemic came everything shut down. I’m in the house with the family, but I’m also trying to create music, and I had another baby man. I want him to have some of these memories that I got to know his daddy that guy, so that was really the biggest inspiration having a baby, and not being content with where I was in life. I wanted to work. I was still getting money, I was still on the road, and it’s just a good body of music especially that Atlanta sound, evolving, storytelling, wordplay. I just wanted to fall back in love with music and I did.
AllHipHop: I think it’s so commendable that you use your platforms to speak about changing the narrative in music right now especially with all of this opp music. Our community in Hip Hop and the Black community in general is riddled by gun violence. So how do you feel we can change the narrative and get on the same page, but also stop losing so many people to gun violence?
Rich Homie Quan: I feel like if we stop rapping about gun violence, it won’t be as much gun violence. I feel like the music plays a big part in cultural activities you know what I’m saying. For example, if I’m rapping about nothing but guns, violence and opp music, I know at my shows, it’s liable to be a fight or some guns in the vicinity, so I try to just practice what I preach. I know we are all going through everyday problems, and I just try to be relatable to the everyday person. Everybody don’t have a gun, but I know everybody is going through something, so I just try to keep my music relatable to the people, and when I say change the narrative, I want you to feel it before you can hear it. It’s more like motivational, inspirational, hustling, it’s motivating, it’s the get you up and go do the right thing then when you hear this kind of music. I don’t want you to go get no gun. Go buy a house or something don’t go buy no jewelry. Just like giving the youth new game. Like I said I’m older now, so I see things totally different.
AllHipHop: I also know that you love real Hip Hop. Who do you feel like are some of the ones really holding it down right now?
Rich Homie Quan: I would definitely say me, beside me, I like what T.I. be doing for Hip Hop. I love what Snoop does for Hip Hop. Master P. J Prince. Notice I said a lot of older people. I like what the new guys are doing for Hip Hop, but those guys are still going. Those are some of my biggest inspirations. They are on their mogul CEO. Another one; I love what Rick Ross be doing. Ross is one of them ones too. Like that’s who I look up to and get a lot of my game from. I just try to take a little bit from all of them and instill it in me to create a monster.
AllHipHop: Who are your “Top 5” favorite rappers dead or alive?
Rich Homie Quan: I gotta say Pac, OutKast, Biggie, DMX, Jeezy.
AllHipHop: So you know we have to talk Biggie. Talk to me about the Biggie verse. This is another chance for redemption because you actually like Biggie and know Biggie’s lyrics, so tell me about this story. We all remember that VH1 Hip Hop Honors night. I want you to show the people that you really know Biggie’s music.
Rich Homie Quan: For one, I forgot what year it was. Lil Kim had reached out to me. VH1 was honoring her. I forgot for what award, but the show was based around her. She called me like Quan I want you to come up here. I want you to perform Biggie. I asked Fab to do it but he’s going to be out of town. Like I said, knowing I didn’t know [the verse], I still said yeah. So I got up there. I had printed the lyrics out because I know I didn’t know. At the soundcheck I bring my lyrics on the paper. I asked the dude to put the lyrics on the teleprompter. I’m going through rehearsal; everything’s going smooth and great. I leave from rehearsal and go get like the Coogi sweater, Timb’s, I’m trying to get in character for Biggie. I’m backstage still practicing my lyrics cause I know I don’t know. As I got out there, the first two lines on the teleprompter, then the teleprompter goes black. When the teleprompter went black, I tried to say what I thought I saw on the paper. As that was a bunch of nothing, and to-this-day, I still don’t know those lyrics..Not that song.
AllHipHop: Get Money is so classic.
Rich Homie Quan: Like I said, I’m from the south. It is a classic, and that’s just one of those classics I didn’t know. I don’t know. I’m a fan of Biggie. I love Biggie though. That just wasn’t one of my Biggie songs though. My favorite song by Biggie is “Notorious Thugs.” Every time I hear it [“Get Money”], I’m like that’s the song I messed up. It’s so big. I’m going to learn it.
AllHipHop: What is the current state of your relationship with Thug? I know there is some respect there.
Rich Homie Quan: There really is no relationship. It’s not a bad one. We don’t currently talk. I’m not gonna fake the funk. I wish him the best in his situation. If I was to see him in the mall, we would head nod and keep it moving. We have major respect for each other. I want to see his situation better. I pray that he gets out so he can feed his family; other than that, I wish him the best.
AllHipHop: What’s next for Rich Homie Quan, and are there any other endeavors you want to tap into?
Rich Homie Quan: Well what’s next for me? We gonna drop more music. I’m dropping more music in December. Pushing out more of these videos to change the narrative of music. I want to come out with a book. I want to start taking acting classes. It’s time for me to expand and have more than one hustle. I love music; music is what I do, but it’s time for me to open more doors for my team as well.