Kobe Vidal Crawford Jr. (born August 20, 1998), known professionally as NoCap, is an American rapper and singer.
He signed with
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Kentrell DeSean Gaulden (born October 20, 1999), known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again or NBA YoungBoy, is an American rapper. From Louisiana, United States, Gaulden released eight independent mixtapes and garnered a regional foll ...
's
namesake record label, an imprint of
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
in 2019. His debut studio album, ''
Mr. Crawford'' (2022), peaked at number eight on the
''Billboard'' 200 and saw widespread critical praise. He is noted for his use of
wordplay
Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phone ...
.
Early life
Kobe Vidal Crawford was born and raised in
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...
,
and grew up in the Birdsville housing projects on the city's south side. Crawford begun to show interest in music at the age of nine, receiving inspiration from his mother's boyfriend at the time.
He would continue to locally perform live shows alongside his brother, however, as the relationship between his mother and her boyfriend ended, Crawford would take a break from music until his teenage years.
Career
2017–2019: Career beginnings and ''The Hood Dictionary''
NoCap began his career in earnest with the release of his first EP, ''Believe It'', in May 2017.
In early 2018, he released the song "Legend". The music video for that song accumulated over 1 million views on YouTube and would appear on NoCap's debut mixtape, ''Neighborhood Hero'',
in July 2018.
He followed that with a collaborative mixtape, ''Rogerville'', with
Rylo Rodriguez
Ryan Preston Adams (born September 30, 1993), known professionally as Rylo Rodriguez, is an American rapper. He signed with Lil Baby's record label, Glass Window Entertainment (known at the time as 4PF) in a joint venture with Virgin Records in ...
in September 2018.
In November of that year, he was featured on the
Lil Baby
Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes ''Harder than Hard'' and ''Too Hard'' — the for ...
track, "Dreams 2 Reality", off the mixtape, ''
Street Gossip''.
In 2019, NoCap signed a record deal with
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Kentrell DeSean Gaulden (born October 20, 1999), known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again or NBA YoungBoy, is an American rapper. From Louisiana, United States, Gaulden released eight independent mixtapes and garnered a regional foll ...
's
Never Broke Again
Never Broke Again, also known as Never Broke Again, LLC, often abbreviated as NBA, is a record label based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, founded by American rappers YoungBoy Never Broke Again and OG 3Three Never Broke Again in 2015. It was launched ...
and
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
. Months later, in March 2019, NoCap released the single, "Punching Bag" produced by
CashMoneyAP
Alex Christian Jean Petit (born May 19, 1995), known professionally as CashMoneyAP, is a French record producer and record executive. He is best known for having produced the ''Billboard'' Hot 100-top ten single " For the Night" (2020) by Pop Smo ...
.
Later that month, he released another single, "
Ghetto Angels".
"Ghetto Angels" has totaled more than 80 million views on YouTube and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
In May, NoCap and
Polo G
Taurus Tremani Bartlett (born January 6, 1999), known professionally as Polo G, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence with his singles " Finer Things" and " Pop Out" (featuring Lil Tjay). His debut album '' Die a Legend'' (2019) peaked a ...
were featured on the CashMoneyAP song, "No Patience".
Later that month, he released his second solo mixtape ''The Backend Child'' which marked his first appearance on the
''Billboard'' 200, debuting at number 170. The project featured guest appearances from Rylo Rodriguez ("Dead Faces"),
OMB Peezy ("Demons"), and
Quando Rondo ("New Ones").
NoCap also released music videos for songs off the album including those for "Blind Nights",
"Set It Off",
and "No Jewelry".
In July 2019, NoCap delivered a
freestyle as a part of ''DJ Booth''s ''Bless The Booth'' series on
Tidal.
The following month, he released the single, "Exotic",
and performed another freestyle on the ''HotNewHipHop'' Freestyle Session.
He was also featured on the
Mozzy
Timothy Cornell Patterson (born June 24, 1987), known professionally as Mozzy, is an American rapper and convicted felon from Sacramento, California. He signed with Yo Gotti's record label Collective Music Group (CMG), an imprint of Interscope ...
song, "Sad Situations".
On October 11, 2019, NoCap appeared on "Outta Here Safe" alongside Quando Rondo on YoungBoy's chart-topping mixtape, ''
AI YoungBoy 2
''AI YoungBoy 2'' is the twelfth full-length mixtape by American rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again, released on October 11, 2019, by Never Broke Again and Atlantic Records. It features guest appearances from NoCap and Quando Rondo—both sign ...
''. On November 19, 2019, NoCap released his third mixtape, ''
The Hood Dictionary''. The mixtape was preceded by three singles, "First Day In", released on September 27, 2019, "
Ghetto Angels (Remix)" featuring
Lil Durk
Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper. Regarded as a pioneering artist in the Chicago-based hip-hop subgenre drill music, he is often considered the subgenre's most commercially suc ...
and
Jagged Edge on September 30, 2019, and "What You Know", just a day prior to the release of the mixtape on November 15, 2019. The album featured guest appearances from Quando Rondo,
Lil Durk
Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper. Regarded as a pioneering artist in the Chicago-based hip-hop subgenre drill music, he is often considered the subgenre's most commercially suc ...
, and
Jagged Edge and peaked at number 80 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
On July 16, 2020, NoCap released his fourth mixtape, ''Steel Human'', which debuted at number 31 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
The mixtape was preceded by "Count a Million" featuring
Lil Uzi Vert
Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, they gained initial recognition following the release of the commer ...
on June 16, 2020. NoCap released three music videos from the project: "By Tonight" on June 22, 2020, "Radar" on July 22, 2020, and "Overtime" on September 15, 2020. In December 2020, NoCap said on Instagram that he would be turning himself into authorities, in connection to a shooting in which he reportedly fired shots at someone his sister had an altercation with. He was charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling and reckless endangerment.
2021–2023: ''Mr. Crawford'' and ''The Main Bird''
On July 21, 2021, NoCap was released from prison.
Weeks after his release, on August 8, 2021, NoCap dropped "Vaccine" and "Vaccine (Falling Star)". "Vaccine" peaked at number 2 on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
and was certified platinum by the RIAA. On February 23, 2022, NoCap released the single "I'll Be Here", followed by "Shackles to Diamonds" on March 16, 2022, and "Save the Day" featuring
Kodak Black
Bill Kahan Kapri (born Dieuson Octave; June 11, 1997), known professionally as Kodak Black, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He gained initial recognition following the release of his 2014 songs " No Flockin" and " Skrt", both of ...
on April 21, 2022. The singles appeared on NoCap's debut full-length studio album, ''
Mr. Crawford'' which debuted at number 8 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 29,000 copies in its first week and becoming his highest charting project. The album included guest appearances from
Internet Money, Kodak Black, and NBA YoungBoy.
In November 2022, NoCap entered a heated exchange with Never Broke Again label head,
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Kentrell DeSean Gaulden (born October 20, 1999), known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again or NBA YoungBoy, is an American rapper. From Louisiana, United States, Gaulden released eight independent mixtapes and garnered a regional foll ...
over social media due to claims of disloyalty on Cap's end. YoungBoy claimed that Cap was scared and refused to defend
Quando Rondo following the death of
King Von
Dayvon Daquan Bennett (August 9, 1994 – November 6, 2020), known professionally as King Von, was an American rapper and gangster from Chicago, Illinois, who was affiliated with the Black Disciples gang. He was considered a preeminent figure ...
while Cap claimed that YoungBoy was hating on him because his career was taking off. NoCap's last project under Never Broke Again, ''The Main Bird'', was released on December 16, 2022, featuring guest appearances from Rylo Rodriguez and
Rob49
Robert Coleman Thomas (born March 6, 1999), known professionally as Rob49, is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known for his guest appearance alongside 21 Savage on Travis Scott's 2023 song " Topia Twins", which peaked wi ...
. Following NoCap's heated exchange with YoungBoy, through Apple Music, it was shown that NoCap's music was no longer licensed to
Never Broke Again
Never Broke Again, also known as Never Broke Again, LLC, often abbreviated as NBA, is a record label based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, founded by American rappers YoungBoy Never Broke Again and OG 3Three Never Broke Again in 2015. It was launched ...
, indicating his departure from the YoungBoy Never Broke Again-founded label.
Despite not releasing a project and only four singles in 2023, on June 23, 2023, Cap appeared as a feature on long-time collaborator
Rylo Rodriguez
Ryan Preston Adams (born September 30, 1993), known professionally as Rylo Rodriguez, is an American rapper. He signed with Lil Baby's record label, Glass Window Entertainment (known at the time as 4PF) in a joint venture with Virgin Records in ...
's "
Thang for You
"Thang for You" is a song by American rapper Rylo Rodriguez, released on June 23, 2023 as the lead single from his second studio album '' Been One'' (2023). It was produced by MK Beats and Gabe Lucas. A "heartsick" song, it is NoCap's first song ...
" which served as the lead single to Rylo's sophomore album ''Been One''. The single peaked at number 91 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, marking Cap's first entry on the chart.
2024–present: ''Before I Disappear Again''
While teasing his sophomore album for over a year, on March 24, 2024, NoCap finally announced the release of his sophomore album, ''
Before I Disappear Again'' for April 16, 2024, however, the album would later be pushed back until July 12, 2024. On June 8, NoCap released the album's lead single, "Baby Drake".
The album's second single, "Yacht Party" was released on July 12.
The album's third single "Maliboo" was released on August 2.
Legal issues
2019: Shooting charge
In late 2019, Crawford turned himself in to Alabama police.
Crawford was later charged with firing a gun in an occupied building, possession of a controlled substance, and felony violation of probation.
He was charged alongside his sister Brianna Crawford who was charged with shooting into an occupied building and reckless endangerment.
Sgt. LaDerrick DuBose with the Mobile Police Department stated:
2020–2021: Probation violation
In December 2020, Crawford had taken to his official
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
to announce that he had thirty days to turn himself in:
On January 11, 2021, Crawford turned himself in to police in Alabama regarding his September 2019 case where he allegedly violated his parole.
Almost seven months after NoCap's incarceration, on July 21, 2021, he was released from jail.
Discography
Studio albums
Mixtapes
Extended plays
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Other charted and certified songs
Guest appearances
References
External links
*{{Official website, http://nocap.com/
Living people
Rappers from Alabama
Musicians from Mobile, Alabama
Singers from Alabama
American hip-hop record producers
Record producers from Alabama
Songwriters from Alabama
African-American male rappers
21st-century American male rappers
1998 births
Atlantic Records artists
African-American songwriters
21st-century African-American musicians
American male songwriters
American trap musicians