David Darnell Brown (born March 15, 1981), best known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. He heads his own record label, Cashville, and was a member of the former hip hop group

G-Unit G-Unit (short for Guerilla Unit) was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released th ...

Early life

Brown was born in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. Around the age of 12, he began rapping. A few years later, he performed for Brian "Baby" Williams, co-founder of Cash Money.

Music career

Young Buck joined Cash Money in 1997 but left for

Juvenile Juvenile may refer to: *Juvenile status, or minor (law), prior to adulthood *Juvenile (organism) *Juvenile (rapper) (born 1975), American rapper * ''Juvenile'' (2000 film), Japanese film * ''Juvenile'' (2017 film) *Juvenile (greyhounds), a greyho ...

's UTP in 2000. He released two albums with UTP, '' Born to Be a Thug'' and '' The Compilation'', before leaving the label in 2003 to join 50 Cent's record label G-Unit. His first recording with G-Unit Records was on the 2002 recorded song ''Blood Hound'' for

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

's February 2003 debut studio album

Get Rich or Die Tryin' ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing wi ...

. That same year, Young Buck became a member of

. He also appeared heavily on rap group G-Unit's 2003 album '' Beg for Mercy''. He replaced G-Unit member

Tony Yayo Marvin Bernard (born March 31, 1978), better known by his stage name Tony Yayo, is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of G-Unit, a hip hop group he formed with his childhood friends 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. Yayo released his deb ...

who had been jailed on gun possession charges after recording only two songs for the album. His G-Unit Records debut album '' Straight Outta Cashville'' was released on August 24, 2004. The album's title alludes to the

N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...

album ''

Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by rap group N.W.A, which, led by Eazy-E, formed in Los Angeles County's City of Compton in early 1987. Released by his label, Ruthless Records, on August 8, 1988, the album was produced b ...

'' and is a

neologism A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...

for

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

(his hometown). The album produced three singles: " Let Me In", " Shorty Wanna Ride", and "Look at Me Now". The album received little promotion after November. Young Buck was arrested for assault after the VIBE award incident and wasn't able to promote the album for four months until the case was dropped. The album debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 and has since been certified

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

by the RIAA.Searchable Database
. RIAA. Accessed August 24, 2007. His second solo album '' Buck The World'' followed in 2007. He joined the rest of the label's roster on the 2005 collaboration album ''

''. In April 2008 he was expelled from the rap group G Unit, remaining with G Unit Records as a solo artist. 50 Cent faulted him for making provocative public statements he would later retract in private, for missing recording sessions, and for drug abuse. Young Buck released a "dis" track insulting 50 Cent and G Unit, 50 Cent responded by releasing a taped phone call in which an emotional Buck was heard crying and asking 50 Cent for help and advice, Buck replied with another "dis" track. In October he wished to leave G Unit Records but still owed the label two albums and his third album ''The Rehab'' was still unreleased.Shaheem Reid (October 21, 2008
Young Buck Says The Rehab Will Sell A Million In A Week

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

.com Accessed January 19, 2009. In 2009 he said he still owed one album, ''The Rehab'' was released independently in 2010. In December 2011 he was still under contract to G-Unit Records and about to lose his assets including his stage name in bankruptcy court, having been unable to record since 2008. He claimed he was close to signing with Cash Money;

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...

confirmed a proposed deal that would release him from his G-Unit contract and leave him signed to Cash Money. Cash Money Records CEO Birdman though denied that any deal was in the works. In August 2012, Buck stated in an interview with XXL he was no longer signed to G-Unit Records and he would be a free agent when he is released from prison. On June 1, 2014, Young Buck was seen at the Summer Jam Concert with 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo. It was confirmed later that the group had reformed, adding Kidd Kidd as a new member. The group released their debut EP '' The Beauty of Independence'' on August 25, 2014. Young Buck is again making new music with G-Unit and released his mixtape ''

Before The Beast ''Before the Beast'' is a 7 track Mixtape#Mixtapes in hip hop, mixtape by rapper Young Buck, hosted by DJ Whoo Kid. It is the first official mixtape from Buck under G-Unit after being dismissed from the group in 2008. The mixtape features 7 exclus ...

'' which contains seven songs featuring Kidd Kidd, Lil Boosie, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks and additional artists. After releasing the mixtape, he released G-unit's second EP ''

The Beast Is G-Unit ''The Beast Is G Unit'' is the second and final extended play (EP) by American hip hop group G-Unit. The EP was released on March 3, 2015, by G-Unit Records. Critical reception ''The Beast Is G Unit'' received positive reviews from music critics. ...

,'' which sold approximately 20,000 copies in its first week.

Personal life

Shooting

In 2000, Young Buck was shot multiple times during a home invasion at his home in Nashville. The assailants were in search of narcotics. Buck required a blood transfusion at Vanderbilt hospital as a result of the life-threatening injuries.

Financial problems

Brown filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection in August, 2010 shortly after an IRS raid on his home. His bankruptcy lawyer later told ''

The City Paper ''The City Paper'' (also known as ''The Nashville City Paper'') is a free, weekly newspaper that serves Nashville, Tennessee opened November 1, 2000. The newspaper will reopened under new ownership of Nashville News on January 1, 2021 ''The C ...

'' that he was planning to sue Curtis Jackson (

) and other parties over the record contract dispute. The IRS made plans to auction off Young Buck's seized property on October 28, 2010, but his legal counsel filed suit to halt the sale, while simultaneously re-filing a revised bankruptcy petition that no longer referenced a $5 million legal claim against 50 Cent and other parties associated with G Unit. In the lawsuit, Young Buck said the studio equipment taken in the raid was "directly tied to" his "ability to generate income in order to reorganize the estate." He stated that the seizure of property that belonged to his children had "created great stress in the home" and "within the common law marriage of the debtor plaintiff." He told the court he needed to get back the property belonging to the family. Young Buck's attorney was able to convince the court that he would be selling real estate worth $638,500 to begin paying the back taxes due. At a hearing on October 26, 2010, plans for the IRS auction were at least temporarily stopped. Young Buck announced the outcome with a tweet. Young Buck was under Chapter 7, Young Buck's assets were to be sold and distributed among his creditors. On July 25 and 26, a

public auction In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

was held at the estate that Young Buck owns. Property to be sold includes watches, a 50 Cent plaque, artwork, a soda machine, his studio equipment, and more.

Drive-by shooting

Early Sunday morning on March 4, 2012, Young Buck was targeted in a drive-by shooting. According to Nashville police, via

WSMV-TV WSMV-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTNX-LD (channel 15). The two stations share studios on Knob Road in ...

Channel 4, at approximately 3:30 am, a white

Chevrolet Tahoe The Chevrolet Tahoe, and its badge engineered GMC Yukon counterpart, are full-size SUVs from General Motors, offered since 1994 and 1991, respectively. Since 1982, Chevrolet and GMC sold two different-sized SUVs under their 'Blazer' and 'Jimmy ...

crept past the rapper's SUV and opened fire, hitting the vehicle 11 times, including a female passenger. Buck, who was back in his hometown to work on new music, was not injured. After a couple of days of silence, Buck took to his Twitter to address the situation. "We all go through things in life", he tweeted. "The things I'm experiencing are Truly making me a Better and Stronger man. #GodisGood."

Legal issues

After an IRS raid on Buck's Nashville home in 2010, authorities found a .40 caliber Glock 22 as well as ammunition. The raid followed reports that the rapper had an outstanding $300,000 tax debt, and because he's a convicted felon, Buck is prohibited from possessing any firearms. Back in 2005, he pleaded no contest to assault with a chance to produce bodily injury after he stabbed a man while trying to defend

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

at the 2004 Vibe Awards. On July 13, 2012, Buck was sentenced to 18 months in prison on weapon charges, a sentence that he began on August 6, 2012. Until then, Buck had remained at his Nashville home on house arrest with a monitoring bracelet strapped around his ankle. He served his 18 months in Yazoo City Low Security Federal Prison in Southern Mississippi and was released on October 1, 2013. On July 20, 2016, he sent a threatening text to his ex-girlfriend and showed up and kicked down her door. Buck was arrested on July 21, 2016, for threatening to burn down the ex-girlfriend's apartment. He was released on a $5,000 bond.

Controversy

VIBE Awards stabbing

On November 15, 2004, Jimmy James Johnson approached

at the VIBE Awards and reportedly asked for an autograph before Dr. Dre was about to go on stage. After Dr. Dre declined, Johnson punched him on the back of the head before running towards the nearest exit. A brawl ensued with several uniformed police officers attempting to break up the fight. Chairs were thrown, and it was alleged that Young Buck stabbed Johnson in the chest with a knife. After video evidence was uncovered from the awards ceremony, the Santa Monica Police Department issued an arrest warrant for him. In a preliminary hearing, it was ruled that there was enough evidence to proceed with a jury trial. However, in December 2005, a deal was reportedly struck that would see Young Buck avoid trial.

The Game

After The Game was kicked out of

allegedly for being disloyal, Young Buck as well as new West Coast G-Unit rapper Spider Loc who had signed to G-Unit Records in September 2004, called him to task for dissing the group and label. The Game then released a track entitled "300 Bars" which insulted both Spider Loc and Young Buck. Young Buck then released a track called "The Real Bitch Boy", which featured Spider Loc and used a beat from The Game's track, "Where I'm From". In the song, Young Buck talks about how he did not even know The Game when he mentions The Game's name on "

Poppin' Them Thangs "Poppin' Them Thangs" is a song recorded by G-Unit and produced by Dr. Dre and Scott Storch. It was released in November 2003 through Interscope Records and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records as the second single from their debut album, '' Beg for Mercy''. ...

". Also, Young Buck talks about The Game being a male stripper and also how

helped The Game to be successful with his album '' The Documentary''. The feud has continued to escalate, with there being an exchange of many tracks. In February 2007, The Game and Young Buck got into a non-physical altercation at a club, during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. The last time that they were seen together was when The Game was part of G-Unit. After being dismissed from G-Unit, Young Buck appeared on a remix to The Game's song "

Game's Pain "Game's Pain" is the lead single from The Game's third studio album ''LAX''. In the song, which features Keyshia Cole, Game makes references to The Notorious B.I.G., Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Nas, Luke Skyywalker of 2 Live C ...

", as well as appearing in the music video to the song "

My Life My Life may refer to: Autobiographies * ''Mein Leben'' (Wagner) (''My Life''), by Richard Wagner, 1870 * ''My Life'' (Clinton autobiography), by Bill Clinton, 2004 * ''My Life'' (Meir autobiography), by Golda Meir, 1973 * ''My Life'' (Mosley a ...

", which featured another former rival,

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

. DJ Skee (August 1, 2008
The Game ft. Lil Wayne "My Life" Music Video OFFICIAL BTS Skee.TV **LAX
YouTube. Accessed July 6, 2009. A mixtape by The Game and Young Buck was also confirmed, called "Worth More Than 50 Cents".

Albums

''Straight Outta Cashville''

After being with G-Unit for a little over a year, Young Buck released his debut album, ''Straight Outta Cashville'', a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsNashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. ''Straight Outta Cashville'' has been

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

double platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

with over 2 million sales in the U.S. and 3.3 million Worldwide.

''Buck the World''

Young Buck's second album, ''Buck the World'' was released worldwide on March 27, 2007. ''Buck the World'' debuted at No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with sales of 141,083 in the first week.

''The Rehab''

''The Rehab'' was released on September 7, 2010. It was Buck's third studio album, released independently by Real Talk Entertainment. Buck had made an earlier claim in which he said that ''The Rehab'' would sell a million copies in his first week, though he was still signed to G-Unit/Interscope Records at that time.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Straight Outta Cashville'' (2004) *'' Buck the World'' (2007)

With G-Unit

*'' Beg for Mercy'' (2003) *''

Terminate on Sight Terminate may refer to: * Electrical termination, ending a wire or cable properly to prevent interference * Termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer *Terminate with extreme prejudice, a euphemism for assassina ...

'' (2008) *'' The Beauty of Independence'' (2014) *''

'' (2015)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

, - , rowspan="3", 2004 , rowspan="2",

, BET Awards –

BET Award for Best Group The BET Award for Best Group is given to the overall best R&B, hip hop, or gospel group who has released an album the previous or same year. When the award was first given, it awarded male and female groups separately. It was combined the following ...

, , - , Soul Train Music Awards – Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist , , - , '' P.I.M.P. (Remix)'' (with:

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

) ,

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

– MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video , , - , rowspan="2", 2006 , rowspan="2", ''

Stay Fly "Stay Fly" is the first single from hip hop group Three 6 Mafia's 2005 album ''Most Known Unknown''. The song peaked at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 to become the group's biggest hit. The track, which samples "Tell Me Why Has Our Love ...

'' (with:

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mys ...

& 8Ball & MJG) , MTV Video Music Awards –

MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip Hop Video was first given out at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. The award, according to MTV, was originally intended for hip hop-''inspired'' songs, not necessarily actual hip hop music videos (which were i ...

, , - , MTV Video Music Awards – MTV Video Music Award – MTV2 Award , , - , 2007 , ''

Get Buck "Get Buck" is the second single off American rapper Young Buck's second album, ''Buck the World''. It was released on February 13, 2007 through G-Unit Records. The track was produced by Polow da Don. It was the only track off the album to chart on ...

'' ,

Ozone Awards ''Ozone'' was an American magazine focusing on hip hop music coverage from the Southern United States and operated from 2002 to 2010. It was founded in Orlando, Florida in 2002 by Julia Beverly who was inspired by local rap artist & team member ...

– Best Video , , - , 2008 , ''I Got Money'' (with: Stix Izza & Hi-C) , Southern Entertainment Awards – Song of the Year , , - , 2009 , ''

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...

'' (with:

All Star Cashville Prince Jermaine Eric Shute (born December 15, 1984), better known by his stage name Starlito (formerly All $tar Cashville Prince) is an American rapper and businessman. He gained his first national look for the 2005 song "Grey Goose", which featured ...

) , Southern Entertainment Awards – Mixtape of the Year , , - , rowspan="3", 2010 , rowspan="2", '' Back on My Buck Shit'' , Southern Entertainment Awards – Mixtape of the Year , , - , Southern Entertainment Awards – Best Art/Graphics on a Mixtape , , - , Young Buck , Southern Entertainment Awards – Mixtape Artist of the Year (Male) , , - , rowspan="2", 2013 , ''G.a.S - Gangsta and Street'' (with: Tha City Paper) , Southern Entertainment Awards – Mixtape of the Year , , - , Young Buck , Southern Entertainment Awards – Artist of the Year ,

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Young Buck American rappers 1981 births Living people African-American businesspeople African-American Christians African-American male rappers African-American record producers American hip hop record producers American music industry executives American prisoners and detainees American shooting survivors Businesspeople from Tennessee Cash Money Records artists Cashville Records artists G-Unit members G-Unit Records artists Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee Rappers from Tennessee 21st-century American rappers Gangsta rappers American people convicted of assault