The HBK Gang (abbreviation for the Heartbreak Gang) is an American hip hop collective based in

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a Richmond, California City Council, city council.

and the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

. 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, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is also a part of the production team The Invasion and lead ...

, 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. Kehlani is originally from Oakland, California, and achieved initial fame as a member of the teen group Poplyfe in 2011. In 2014, Kehlani released thei ...

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 and record producer from Fairfield, California. He is perhaps best known for his 2013 singles "Gas Pedal" (featuring Iamsu!), which ...

, IsThatCJ, Rossi, Dave Steezy, Jay Ant, and Kool John. After contributing to various mixtapes, including Iamsu's ''

Kilt II ''Kilt II'' is the fifth solo mixtape by American rapper Iamsu!. The mixtape was released on June 6, 2013 independently for free. Then on July 9, 2013, a deluxe edition of the mixtape was released to digital music retailers. Production on the ...

'', in August of 2013 the group released their debut mixtape ''

Gang Forever ''Gang Forever'' is the debut mixtape by American hip hop collective HBK Gang, founded by rapper Iamsu! The mixtape was released on August 12, 2013. Overview HBK Gang released their debut compilation album on August 12, 2013. Titled ''Gang For ...

''. HBK Gang Records is the name of 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- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

History

Founding

HBK Gang is primarily composed of friends 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. As of 2013, members include Iamsu!, Kool John, P-Lo, Sage the Gemini, Skipper (or $kip), CJ, singer Rossi, Dave Steezy and Jay Ant (or Jay Anthony). Iamsu! first began to found and organize the group in 2011. Iamsu! was born Sudan Ahmeer Williams in Richmond, California, on November 17, 1989, and was an early fan of artists such as

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

Marching Band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

, and

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

music. He later worked as a rapper and producer with artists such as

Jonn Hart Di'Jonn Grizzell, (born August 29, 1989) better known by his stage name Jonn Hart, is an American singer, rapper from Oakland, California. He is a former member of the band Tha Outfit and was formerly signed to Epic Records. His debut release, "Wh ...

and

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...

, and met P-Lo in 2005. P-Lo had been inspired by Kanye West's debut album ''

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

'' to begin creating beats in his youth, and also produced for Wiz Khalifa "Bout Me" and

Yo Gotti Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...

's single " Act Right" featuring

Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...

and YG, the latter of which peaked at #100 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. P-Lo joined Iamsu! in the production duo The Invasion shortly after their meeting, starting a trend of collaboration between future members. Iamsu! also collaborated with

on Sage's track "

Gas Pedal "Gas Pedal" is a song by American rapper Sage the Gemini with additional vocals from fellow Bay Area rapper Iamsu!. It was produced by Dominic Wynn Woods and written by Woods and Sudan Williams. It was released on March 21, 2013 as the seco ...

" in March 2013, which peaked at #4 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 advertise ...

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 #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

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 ''

'' in June 2013, with other guest appearances including Problem, 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 and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...

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 good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

, and Mistah F.A.B.

''Gang Forever'' (2013)

HBK Gang released their debut compilation mixtape ''

'' 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, 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 a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

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

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 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, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

. Titled the HBK Forever Tour, it featured Iamsu! as headliner and Kool John and Jay Ant as support.

Hip hop dancing Hip hop dance is a range of street dance styles primarily performed to hip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip hop culture. It is influenced by a wide range of styles that were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in th ...

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

–

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

and hip hop recording artist from

Fairfield, California Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Solano County, California, in the North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately fro ...

, 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 *Kehlani – Singer

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 featured Problem and was co-released on Problem's label Diamond Lane Music Group. Iamsu!'s ''

'' mixtape followed in 2013, while The HBK Gang's first mixtape ''

'' 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: "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

References

External links

The HBK Gang
on

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