Rich Gang

If Biggie defined the bling era with “money, hoes and clothes”, then Rich Gang brought it to delirious new heights nearly 20 years later with “marble floors, gold toilets and chandeliers”. So proclaimed Birdman, the supergroup’s ringleader and spiritual guide, on the Young Thug track “Givenchy” from their classic 2014 mixtape Tha Tour Part 1. Rich Gang’s aesthetic is best understood as a giant Cash Money hand rub. Initially, it was a way for Birdman—co-founder of Cash Money—to showcase his legendary label’s sprawling roster. The colourful Rich Gang album, which arrived in 2013, included such mainstream artists as Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Busta Rhymes and Mystikal. But after that, Birdman reconceptualised Rich Gang as a sort of reborn Outkast, pairing rapid-rising ATLiens Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan. The effect was magic. Against Quan’s cold-soul crooning, Thug angled his voice into bright and bold directions. Nowhere was their impact more resoundingly felt than on their hit single “Lifestyle”, which tore through Vine, inspired memes and seemed to officially usher in a new era of free-flowing Southern rap. Whatever the group’s future holds, Rich Gang’s legacy is indelible.