Yung Joc's star is on the rise

When you've got the number one record in the country, life is good. Just ask Yung Joc. "When you get money, people don't wanna make you spend it. I go to restaurants and they tell me I don't have to pay," laughs Joc, who recently performed at Winston-Salem State's Homecoming Concert along with Ludacris.

Since the 23-year-old's hit single, "Its Goin' Down," hit airwaves early this year, Joc has experienced fame firsthand. He said that past experiences helped prepare him for his current role as an artist. "I've been around a lot of entertainers. I've been the camera man, the radio promoter, the hype man, so it's nothing different than I expected," he said.

Joc's debut album, "New Joc City" (Bad Boy South/Block Entertainment) was released on June 6, 2006. The album, highlighted by "It's Goin' Down" and "I Know You See It" reached as high as #3 on Billboard 200, as well as occupying the top spot on both the R&B and Rap charts. The album is currently at Gold status and is approaching Platinum (1 million).

Joc, aka Jasiel Robinson, is not content just to stay behind the microphone. He is a burgeoning entrepreneur. He recently became president of his own record label, Mastermind Music. He also started a production label, Hustlenomics, and has also started his own car luxury rental service in his hometown, Atlanta, Ga.

"If you're ever in the A (Atlanta) holla at me, I'll put you in something big," said Joc, who says he was influenced by a variety of music, from Quincy Jones to Outkast.

After performing at the Homecoming concert, Joc was off to shoot the video for his third single, "First Time." He said that after pumping out two club anthems, it's time to take it back to the house. "It's about to get cold, so I'm taking it to the bedroom, " he said, "I'm going to slow it down a little bit."