L.A. Street Rap Maestros RJMrLA and DJ Mustard Announce The Ghetto, Releasing December 15th via 400 Summers

Billboard Premieres the Project’s Star-Studded Tracklist, Featuring Appearances from YG, Rae Sremmurd, Ty Dolla $ign, and More

12.11.2017

Critical Praise:

#10 on the 2016 L.A. Rap Power Rankings – L.A. Weekly

“Airplay from Power 106 helped buoy RJ into a rare modern L.A. phenomenon: a ’hood-certified star whose initial support came from the people, not blog worship or major-label marketing.” – L.A. Weekly

“RJ has built a huge regional following in the West Coast, perfecting his hard uncompromising Cali street sound on this year’s OMMIO 3.“ – HotNewHipHop

“RJ looks like the next one up in the wild, wild West. Pay attention.” – XXL

“The Los Angeles rapper first captured his city with a slew of local hits—the biggest being his 2015 single “Get Rich”—that proved his mettle without a major label or blog cosigns. Now, with steady assists from his 400 Summers label heads YG and DJ Mustard he uses MrLA to expand his sound, replacing some of the street-acclaimed grittiness of his O.M.M.I.O. mixtapes with radio-ready selections.” – Pitchfork

The Announcement:

Though the weather outside is frightful in much of the country, none of it quite compared to the weather in Los Angeles in the past week, with its blue skies rendered pitch black by the smoke from endless wildfires. The towering inferno on the Hollywood Hills sets the scene for The Ghetto, the first full-length collaborative project from L.A. rapper RJMrLA and super-producer DJ Mustard, giving extra power to their devil-may-care hedonism. Boasting 11 tracks of hard-hitting, breezy West Coast rap, The Ghetto is an ideal fusion between producer and rapper, with RJ’s melodic flow weaving its way through Mustard’s signature handclaps and booming basslines. The upcoming mixtape features DJ Mustard on the top of his game, adding a lushness and a variety of new musical elements (such as the blazing organ on “Finally Gettin’ Rich“) to his usual dancefloor-filling formula. The perfect complement to Mustard’s expanded sound, RJ is an excellent tour guide through the more disreputable areas of L.A. on The Ghetto, telling compelling street tales, boasting about his success, and sticking fast to a moral code. Featuring appearances from YG, Ty Dolla $ign, Rae Sremmurd, OT Genasis, 03 Greedo, Joe Moses, and Bino Rideaux, The Ghetto releases on December 15th via 400 Summers, the new joint venture between YG and DJ Mustard.

A radio favorite on the West Coast, RJ has deep roots in L.A. and Atlanta. In recent years, RJ heated up the airwaves with hits like “Get Rich,” his collaboration with fellow 10 Summers rapper Choice and HBK’s Iamsu!, 2016’s “Flex,” which garnered over 4 million views on YouTube, and “Ride Wit Me,” featuring YG, which has over 4 million streams on Spotify. Earlier this year, RJ released MrLA, his first album for 400 Summers.Featuring appearances from YG, Quavo, Schoolboy Q, Ty Dolla $ign, Blac Youngsta, and Earl Swavey, MrLA is a trunk-rattling, club-busting collection of tracks, packed front-to-back with brilliant, sing-song bars. Praised by Pitchfork, who gave the album a 7.5, MrLA features the hit single “Brackin‘,” which Pitchfork called “L.A. rap at its finest.” Catch RJ this Saturday at Rolling Loud Southern California in Mountain View, CA.

Check out Billboard’s album preview: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8070249/dj-mustard-rjmrla-interview-new-album-the-ghetto

The Ghetto Track Listing

Been Hot feat. O.T. Genasis
Make Million
Finally Getting Rich feat. Joe Moses
All Fours feat. Greedo
I Do…
No Pictures, No Videos
Don’t Make Me Look Stupid feat. YG
Hard Way feat. Rae Sremmurd
Same Nigga feat. Bino Rideaux
Get Away
Is It Mine feat. Ty Dolla Sign

The Background:

Firmly rooted in the Compton community, RJ is intimately familiar with the hustle. Born and raised in South Central, RJ’s father was a businessman with ties to the Westside Pirus and his grandfather a bootlegger, exposing a young RJ to the grind early on. At the age of nine, RJ began channeling his surroundings into raps after his mother put him on to Warren G and Nate Dogg. Moving to Atlanta post-high school, RJ became deeply embedded in the city’s trap culture. Upon his return to Los Angeles in 2013, RJ caught the attention of DJ Mustard, receiving an invitation to join his 10 Summers crew. RJ appeared on several tracks on DJ Mustard’s 10 Summers mixtape series and launched his solo career with the OMMIO (On My Mama I’m On) mixtape series, garnering critical acclaim from the FADER, LA Weekly, XXL, and more. Collaborating with the likes of The Game, Nipsey Hussle, Jeezy, and Ty Dolla $ign, RJ has painted name across the rap game. With his recently released project Mr. LA, RJ is making moves to place himself in the ranks of Compton’s finest.