Webster Gradney Jr. (born September 6, 1985) who performs under the

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

Webbie, is an American rapper. He has been signed to the independent Trill Entertainment label since 2003. In 2005 he came into the hip hop scene with "Gimme That" featuring

Bun B Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the Southern rap duo UGK (Underground Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work wi ...

. His songs "Bad Bitch" and "Swerve" were featured on '' Gangsta Musik'', his 2003 group album with Lil Boosie, and in the 2005 movie ''

Hustle & Flow ''Hustle & Flow'' is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer. The film stars Terrence Howard as a Memphis hustler and pimp who dreams of becoming a rapper. The ensemble cast includes Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Ta ...

''. Webbie's second album, '' Savage Life 2'', was released in early 2008 with the hit single "

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

" featuring

Lil Boosie Torence Ivy Hatch Jr. (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie (formerly Lil' Boosie), is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the Southern hip hop collective Concentr ...

and Lil Phat.

Early life

Webbie was born on September 6, 1985, in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

. His mother died when he was nine years old, and his parental care was split between his father and grandmother. Ever since he was five years old, he had been writing rhymes, and throughout his childhood he had become a fan of hardcore rap artists including Southern hip hop performers

Master P Percy Robert Miller (born April 29, 1967), better known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, dancer, actor and entrepreneur. He founded the record label No Limit Records in 1991, which was relau ...

8ball & MJG 8Ball & MJG is an American hip hop music, hip hop duo from Orange Mound, Memphis, Orange Mound, Memphis, Tennessee. They met at Ridgeway Middle School (Memphis, Tennessee), Ridgeway Middle School in 1984. In 1993, the duo released their debut al ...

, Geto Boys, UGK, along with DjTrillReed (Second Cousin).

Music career

Webbie first appeared on Lil Boosie's album ''For My Thugz ''on the track "Gotta Get It" in 2001. He and

released '' Ghetto Stories'' in 2003 and '' Gangsta Musik'' in 2004. As Webbie's solo track " Give Me That" featuring

was frequently featured in mixtapes, as a label Trill Entertainment was growing in popularity & was signed for a distribution deal at Asylum Records along with (Webbie). After he was signed there, his major-label debut '' Savage Life'' was released in 2005, debuting at number eight on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Trill began a deal to sign Webbie to the subsidiary label

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 ...

& was successful. Singles from his next album, '' Savage Life 2'', include "

" featuring Boosie and Lil Phat. As of 2020, it is Webbie's most successful song to date, peaking at number nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reaching the top of the

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 statio ...

chart. Webbie released his third studio album '' Savage Life 3'' on November 15, 2011, under Trill Ent. The first single from the album was "What's Happenin'". The album has currently sold over 50,000 copies. Webbie's fourth album ''Savage Life 4'' is the fourth in the ''Savage Life'' album series. The first single from the album "What I Do" was released on April 16, 2013. The album was released on November 19, 2013.

Acting career

He has made an independent biographical movie, '' Ghetto Stories'' in October 2010, with Lil Boosie, based on their lives and lyrical themes. He also appeared in the 2011 film ''Video Girl'', which featured actress

Meagan Good Meagan Monique Good (born August 8, 1981) is an American actress and model. She first gained critical attention for her role in the film '' Eve's Bayou'' (1997) prior to landing the role of Nina in the Nickelodeon sitcom '' Cousin Skeeter'' (199 ...

Controversies

On the October 14, 2011, episode of BET's '' 106 & Park'', Webbie was banned from further appearances on the countdown show. Webbie appeared that day on the show as a guest judge for Freestyle Friday. The reason behind his ban was tied to allegations that he made sexually inappropriate comments to the show's hostess, Rocsi. On September 13, 2012, Webbie was arrested in Baton Rouge on suspicion of robbery and battery. He was accused of kicking and pushing a woman down the stairs before stealing $340 from her purse.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Savage Life'' (2005) * '' Savage Life 2'' (2008) * '' Savage Life 3'' (2011) * '' Savage Life 4'' (2013) * ''Savage Life 5'' (2016) * ''Savage Life 6'' (2020) ;Collaboration albums *2003: '' Ghetto Stories'' (with

) *2004: '' Gangsta Musik'' (with

) *2007: '' Trill Entertainment Presents: Survival of the Fittest'' (with Foxx,

and Trill Fam) *2010: '' Trill Entertainment Presents: All or Nothing'' (with Foxx,

and Trill Fam) *2016: ''Trill Entertainment Presents: Trill Fam – Respect Is a Must'' (with Trill Fam)

Filmography

;Films * ''Gangsta Musik'' (2005) * ''On The Grind'' (2006) * '' Ghetto Stories: The Movie'' (2010) * ''Video Girl'' (2011) * ''I Got the Hook up 2'' (2019)

References

External links

Official TwitterTrill Ent.Profile
at ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' {{Authority control 1985 births Living people Rappers from Louisiana African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers Southern hip-hop musicians Gangsta rappers Musicians from Baton Rouge, Louisiana RBC Records artists 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians