Rich Homie Quan Says to Expect “Painful, Soulful Songs” on His Debut Album

Last month, Rich Homie Quan returned with the mixtape If You Ever Think I Will Stop Going In Ask RR, his first solo project in nearly two years. It was a marked departure for the Atlanta MC, who publicly took a step back from the Rich Gang project he was involved with alongside Birdman and Young Thug despite a wildly successful mixtape (Tha Tour Pt. 1), a Top 20 single ("Lifestyle") and a solid tour around the country. And Quan came out swinging; there's not a hint of a featured artist despite the tape's 20 tracks and he even included the DJ version of his latest single, "Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)," which is burning up the Billboard Hot 100 chart and is already his second-highest-charting solo track, behind his 2013 breakout hit "Type Of Way." In short, Rich Homie Quan isn't going anywhere.

But that's not to say things have been easy for the 2014 XXL Freshman. His last year, despite its successes, was also pockmarked with low points; both his parents wound up in the hospital, with his dad ending up shot multiple times during an attempted robbery at his Atlanta barbershop last September. He's managed to avoid some of the public hiccups that have circled Birdman (with Lil Wayne scorching Cash Money repeatedly in public over a contract dispute) and Young Thug (Whose beef with Wayne has been as ugly as it is awkward), but his own path was recently interrupted when a leaked song—the latest of many he's been victim to over the years—referencing rape and sparking a public backlash.

As Quan attempts to navigate the tricky world of dodging his leaks while pouring his heart and soul into his music while he gears up for his debut album, XXL spoke to the MC about leaks, his relationship with his father and the anatomy of a hit song. —Dan Rys