Baby Boy Da Prince

In the course of a year, New Orleans' rapper Big Boy Da Prince went from living in a FEMA trailer in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina to being one of pop rap's hottest new superstars. His breakthrough hit, "This Is the Way I Live," is a slow-cooked look at the life on the streets. The song eschews the normal nihilism associated with the subject and instead paints a more modest and objective portrait of the various trials and tribulations of one "young little dude." The track is hopeful, modest and appealing. Big Boy got his start at the age of 16 while touring with New Orleans' rappers Turk and Chopper. Though it would be a half-decade before he would join their ranks as a rap superstar, the experience taught him the ins and outs of the rap industry.