The HBK Gang (abbreviation for the Heartbreak Gang) is an American

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

collective based in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. Founded by

Iamsu! Sudan Ameer Williams (born November 16, 1989), better known by his stage name Iamsu! (stylized as IamSu! or IAMSU!), is an American rapper and record producer from Richmond, California. He is the co-founder and lead member of the hip-hop group ...

, Chief, Skipper, and P-Lo in 2008, members also include singer

Kehlani Kehlani Ashley Parrish ( ; born April 24, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. She is originally from Oakland, California, and achieved initial fame as a member of the teen pop group PopLyfe in 2011. Kehlani's debut mixtape, '' ...

and rapper-producers

Sage the Gemini Dominic Wynn Woods (born June 20, 1992), better known by his stage name Sage the Gemini (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Fairfield, California. He is best known for his 2013 singles "Gas Pedal" (featuring I ...

, IsThatCJ, Rossi, Dave Steezy, Jay Ant, and Kool John. After contributing to various mixtapes, including Iamsu's '' Kilt II'', in August 2013, the group released their debut mixtape, ''Gang Forever''. HBK Gang Records is an associated

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

History

Founding

HBK Gang is primarily composed of colleagues who met while attending high school in the San Francisco Bay Area, specifically Pinole. The collective was founded in 2008, while many involved were still in school. By 2013, its members included

, Kool John, P-Lo,

, Skipper (or $kip), CJ, singer Rossi, Dave Steezy, and Jay Ant (or Jay Anthony). Iamsu! first began to form and organize the group in 2011. Iamsu!, hailing from

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 3, 1905, and has a Richmond, California, City Council, city council.

, was a fan of artists such as

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

, R. Kelly,

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...

Marching Band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...

, as well as

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

music. He became acquainted with P-Lo in 2005, and later began working as a rapper and producer himself. P-Lo, inspired by

's debut album ''

The College Dropout ''The College Dropout'' is the debut studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. In the years leading up to its release, West had received praise for his p ...

'' (2004), began creating beats in his youth. P-Lo most notably produced Wiz Khalifa's "Bout Me" and

Yo Gotti Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, singer, and record executive. Rooted in Memphis rap, he released five independent albums—''Youngsta's on a Come Up'' (1996), ''From da Dope ...

's single " Act Right," the latter of which entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. P-Lo joined Iamsu! in the formation of the production team "The Invasion" shortly after their meeting, starting a trend of collaboration between future members. Iamsu! also collaborated with

on his single "

Gas Pedal "Gas Pedal" is a song by American rapper Sage the Gemini, featuring guest vocals from fellow Bay Area rapper Iamsu!. It was released by Republic Records on March 21, 2013 as the second single from the former's debut studio album, '' Remember Me ...

" in March 2013, which peaked at number on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

and at number 29 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it both artists' first top 40 hit.

Early releases

The Heartbreak Gang was performing and releasing music as early as 2011 and in August 2011, performed at the debut release party for Tha Outfit's "Like My Bass" music video. The group featured artists Dave Steezy and Mike Dash-E in their music, releasing the track "Gettin' It", featuring Kool John, in 2012. In January 2013, Iamsu! was a guest for

Jonn Hart Di'Jonn Gary Grizzell (born August 28, 1985), better known by his stage name Jonn Hart, is an American singer from Oakland, California. He is best known for his 2012 single "Who Booty" (featuring Iamsu!), which peaked at number 66 on the ''Billboa ...

on Hart's "

Who Booty "Who Booty" is a song by American R&B singer Jonn Hart, featuring vocals from rapper Iamsu!, originally from his debut mixtape ''Heart 2 Hart''. The song has been in regular rotation on radio stations, peaking at #3 on the Rhythmic Songs chart, ...

" video. The crew contributed to all of Iamsu's mixtapes, including '' Kilt II'' in June 2013, with other guest appearances including

Problem Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...

, Juvenile,

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gai ...

Terrace Martin Terrace Jamahl Martin (born December 28, 1978) is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog ...

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

, and Mistah F.A.B.

''Gang Forever'' (2013)

HBK Gang released their debut compilation mixtape, ''Gang Forever'', on August 12, 2013. It includes 17 tracks featuring different members of the collective. Much of the album's production was handled by the Invasion (the production team of Iamsu!, P-Lo, Kuya Beats, Jay Ant, HBK Joe and Chief), with tracks also produced by Cardo, AKA Frank, Kuya Beats, Sage the Gemini, and Jay Ant.

Touring, music videos

The collective toured the western United States during September and August 2013, hitting locations such as

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...

, Phoenix, Santa Barbara, and

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

. Titled the HBK Forever Tour, it featured Iamsu! as headliner and Kool John and Jay Ant as support. Hip-hop dancing is an important element of the live shows. According to Sage the Gemini, dancing is also a key aspect of the group's creative process. The collective has released both tour videos and a number of music videos for their songs, including "Go Crazy".

Members

;Current *

– group founder,

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

recording artist and producer from Richmond, California *Skipper – rapper *

–

hyphy The term hyphy ( ) is an Oakland, California, slang meaning "hyperactive". More specifically, it is an adjective describing the hip-hop music and the culture associated with the Oakland area. The term was first coined by rapper Keak da Snea ...

and

recording artist from

Fairfield, California Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Solano County, California, United States, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The city has a diversified economy, with government, manufac ...

, who released "

" in 2013. *P-Lo – rapper/member of the production team the Invasion *CJ – also goes by *HBK CJ and *IsThatCJ *Jay Anthony – rapper/member of the production team the Invasion *Kool John – rapper *Rossi – vocals *Azure – DJ/rapper *Dave Steezy – rapper *

– singer *HeartBreakRich – rapper

Record label

HBK Gang is also the name of a record label, which as of 2013 has released most of Iamsu!'s mixtapes and albums, including ''Su! The Right Thing'' (2010), ''Young California'' (2011), ''Kilt'' (2012), ''Stoopid'' (2012), and ''$uzy 6 $peed'' (2012). 2013 saw the release of his album ''Million Dollar Afro'', which also features

and was coreleased on Problem's label Diamond Lane Music Group. Iamsu!'s '' Kilt II'' mixtape followed in 2013, while the HBK Gang's first mixtape, ''Gang Forever'', was released in August 2013. The label's first in-store release was Iamsu!'s debut album, '' Sincerely Yours'', which was released on May 13, 2014.

Discography

Singles

*2012: "Gettin' It" featuring Kool John *2013: "STU Freestyle"

Mixtapes

Music videos

*2012: "Gettin' It" featuring Kool John – directed by Chris Simmons *2013: "STU Freestyle" – directed by tyCA *2013: "Go Crazy" – directed by Daghe *2013: "Bad Boyz" – directed by HBK GADGET *2013: "Losin" – directed by HBK GADGET *2013: "Quit Cattin" – directed by David Camarena *2013:"Rep That Gang" – directed by HBK GADGET *2013: "Father God" – directed by HBK GADGET *2014 "Bad Boyz" – directed by HBK GADGET *2014: "Cover Girl" – directed by HBK GADGET *2015: "L" – directed by HBK GADGET *2015: "Interlude" – directed by HBK GADGET *2015: "Interlude" – directed by HBK GADGET *2016: "Grande" – directed by HBK GADGET *2017: "Gucci" – directed by HBK GADGET *2017: "I Be" – directed by HBK GADGET *2017: "Back 2 Basics" – directed by HBK GADGET *2017: "Su Concert" – directed by HBK GADGET *2018: "Young Boy" – directed by HBK GADGET *2018: "Freestyle" – directed by HBK GADGET *2018: "Lee Pipes" – directed by HBK GADGET

References

External links

The HBK Gang
on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...