Ya Boy, Big Rich & Balance

Consistently maintaining intact his self-assured and cocky attitude, West Coast gangsta rapper Ya Boy quickly made the right connections in the industry as a developing MC in the Bay Area's independent rap scene. As a youth coming up in San Francisco's Fillmore District, a neighborhood known more for its violent crime than its jazz heritage, Ya Boy (born William Crawford) caught the hip-hop bug early on because of Bay Area mainstays San Quinn and Messy Marv, who are his first cousins. The local buzz surrounding the eager rapper began with the song "16's with Me," which sampled...