Rich Boy, the latest Southern rapper in an already-saturated market, has garnered a lot of attention for his self-titled debut album thanks to its first single, “Throw Some D’s.” The car enthusiast’s anthem has exploded across the country and spawned a countless number of remixes, but as a whole, Rich Boy is a mediocre effort with only a few stand-out tracks from the 23-year-old Alabama native.

Although Rich Boy’s dramatic drawl, enthusiastic flow and rhyme pattern distinguish him from the generic Yung Jocs and Young Dros of the Southern rap scene, he lacks creative wordplay and exciting lyrical content.

Rich Boy’s second single, “Boy Looka Here,” fails to move listeners, as do other disappointing cuts such as “What It Do,” a drowsy club song; “Hustla Balla Gangsta Mack,” which is marked by cliché subject matter and dismissible lyrics; and “Good Things,” a wannabe soulful track on which Rich Boy attempts to show off his sensitive side. On “Good Things,” Rich Boy tells the woman he loves that even if their romance doesn’t last, they will still remain friends; however, it’s hard to take Rich Boy’s sweet thought seriously when a song as blatantly misogynistic as “Touch That Ass” appears on the same album.

Although it can be frustrating to listen to ridiculous songs more suitable for the strip club than any other venue, Rich Boy does have some praiseworthy material. The production, done mostly by Polow da Don, is extremely innovative and complex. For example, “Get to Poppin” features a conga-drum bassline and Latin chorus singers sampled in the background, and Rich Boy’s enthusiastic flow successfully complements the instrumental.

And on the Bob Marley-inspired “Lost Girls,” Rich Boy spits a conscious verse in the form of a story. The song focuses on praising struggling single mothers as well as cautioning promiscuous young girls that they are heading down a path that leads to self-destruction. While “Lost Girls” definitely does not match the brilliance of Tupac’s “Keep Ya Head Up,” Polow Da Don’s adaptation of “Get Up, Stand Up” cements the song as inspirational.

Similarly, Rich Boy’s lyricism also shines on “Ghetto Rich,” an ode to the hard-knock life on the streets. On this collaboration with the sultry John Legend, Rich Boy addresses social problems with lines such as “The color of your skin gets you put in the pen,” “Some are doing life ’cause of undercovers and fake friends. It’s real how the penitentiary … breaks men” and “Get your money fast from robbing, real life situation when your child is starving.”

Although Rich Boy boasts of having enough money to pimp out his Escalade, his album is not rich in great material. Rich Boy is lucky that his poor lyricism is covered up by Polow da Don’s creative beats. So, if a rapper’s money were measured in terms of the strength of his producer, Rich Boy would be wealthy enough to “throw some D’s on a Maybach.” He just can’t do it on his own rapping skills alone.

Contact reporter Alex Rush at diversions@dbk.umd.edu.