Richie Rich (2)

Richie Rich is the stage name of Richard Serrel, an Oakland, California-based rapper. He had a minor hit on his own (Let's Ride) in the early 1990s and performed on "I Got 5 On It (Remix)" by The [a=Luniz].

He is notable for being an early influence on rapper [a=Snoop Dogg], both in vocal style (they both have a laid-back, drawling delivery), and in the naming of their groups - Snoop has stated that [a=213] (consisting of Snoop, [a=Nate Dogg] and [a=Warren G]) was inspired by Rich's [a=415], named after the area code of Oakland. In Snoop's own words, "The reason I formed [a=213] with [a=Warren G] and [a=Nate Dogg] is because Richie Rich had a group called [a=415]. I was lovin' his style and voice which I incorporated into my style when I first started rapping."

Richie Rich was also a good friend of Andre "[a=Mac Dre]" Hicks who was gunned down in 2004. Dre mentions his friendship with Rich as far back as on Dre's second tape released in 1990.

He is largely known for his work with friend [a=2Pac] Shakur; the pair regularly collaborated in the mid-1990s.