When Roddy Ricch was approached about this interview, he invited us to shoot photos at the Compton airport, near the streets where he grew up. Like everything he does, this is a careful, strategic decision that plays into a larger plan.

“My city is known for police violence and gangs,” he explains. “That’s not good. I want my city to be known for private jets landing in that motherfucking airport. A private jet really could land right there, for real, right across the street from my housing project. So what am I going to do about that shit? I’m going to shed light over there. I’m going to buy property in my city. I’m going to buy businesses in my city. I’m going to try and help make my city something better than what it used to be.”

Roddy knows his profile is growing, and people are watching. He’s aware that he has a voice and a platform that most people from his neighborhood are never afforded. He takes the opportunity to choose the location of a photo shoot like this seriously, because he knows these are the kinds of things he can do to help shift the perception of what Compton can become.

“I want to be the person to really open everybody’s eyes to what Compton really has to offer,” he stresses, explaining that he has dreams of entrepreneurs flying into the city, on their way to set up new businesses. “It's not just a bunch of shoot-’em-up [crimes] and police violence. We fucked up. We came from poverty, and we feel like we’ve got to remain the same, but we don't. There are people like me who have a voice. There are people like Kendrick who have a voice. There are different people who are coming up. And it’s beginning to change, with the leadership of niggas before us, showing us what kind of voice we’ve got for real.”

He learned this mentality by aligning himself closely with mentors like Nipsey Hussle and Meek Mill, attentively soaking up every piece of advice they passed his way.

“I feel like it was just mutual respect, and really just letting it happen naturally,” he says of his relationship with each. “With both of them, it never was something that was forced. While Meek was on vacation and Nipsey was working on Victory Lap, I got the chance to really just feel both of their auras at the same time.” Explaining that their bond went far deeper than music, he adds, “We related to each other. We came from the same places. We related before we tried to make it a public friendship or some shit like that. I really fuck with those guys.”