Kobe Vidal Crawford Jr. (born August 20, 1998), known professionally as NoCap, is an American rapper and singer.
He is signed to
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 its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
and
Never Broke Again
Never Broke Again (also known as Never Broke Again, LLC), often abbreviated as NBA, is a record label imprint from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, founded by American rapper Kentrell "YoungBoy Never Broke Again" Gaulden, Rodrick "OG3Three" Jeanpierre an ...
. Since 2017, he has released 6 albums, one EP and five mixtapes. His highest-charting project, ''
Mr. Crawford,'' was released in April 2022, peaking at number 8 on the
''Billboard'' 200. 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, phon ...
.
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 within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
,
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
NoCap began his career in earnest with the release of his first EP, ''Joker'', 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), professionally known as Rylo Rodriguez, is an American rapper signed to Lil Baby's record label 4 Pockets Full (4PF) and Virgin Music. He is known for his frequent collaborations with Lil Baby.
Ear ...
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 mainstream fame in 2017 following the release of his mixtape ''Perfect Timing''. *Alt URL* * His deb ...
track, "Dreams 2 Reality", off the mixtape, ''
Street Gossip''.
In March 2019, NoCap released the single, "Punching Bag" produced by
CashMoneyAP
Alex Christian Jean Petit (born May 19, 1995), professionally known as CashMoneyAP, is a French record producer, songwriter and record executive. He is best known for posting "type beats" on video platform YouTube and on beat-selling platform Be ...
.
Later that month, he released another single, "
Ghetto Angels
"Ghetto Angels" is a song by American rapper NoCap. Considered his breakout hit, it was officially released on May 17, 2019, as the lead single from his mixtape ''The Backend Child'' (2019), after its music video premiered on March 24, 2019. The s ...
".
"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 (Polo G song), Finer Things" and "Pop Out" (featuring Lil Tjay). His debut album ''Die a ...
were featured on the CashMoneyAP song, "No Patience".
Later that month, he released his second solo mixtape ''The Backend Child''. The project featured guest appearances from Rylo Rodriguez ("Dead Faces"),
OMB Peezy
LeParis Dade, known professionally as OMB Peezy, is an American rapper based in Sacramento, California. He is originally from Mobile, Alabama.
Background and career
OMB Peezy was born to a musical family in Mobile, Alabama and later raised in ...
("Demons"), and
Quando Rondo
Tyquian Terrel Bowman (born March 23, 1999), professionally known by his stage name Quando Rondo, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He was signed to YoungBoy's Never Broke Again record label and Atlantic Records. He initially gained ...
("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
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
.
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 from Oak Park, Sacramento, California. He is signed with CMG, Interscope Records, Blackmarket Records.
He started rapping in 2004 under the na ...
song, "Sad Situations".
In November 2019, NoCap released his third mixtape, ''
The Hood Dictionary
''The Hood Dictionary'' is the fourth mixtape by American rapper NoCap. It was released on November 19, 2019, by Atlantic Records and Never Broke Again. The mixtape features guest appearances from Quando Rondo, Lil Durk, and Jagged Edge. Meanwhile ...
''. 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 and singer. He is the lead member and founder of the collective and record label Only the Family (OTF). Durk garnered a cult following with the ...
, 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.
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.
He also announced his debut studio album ''
Mr. Crawford''.
The twenty-one track album was eventually released on April 29, 2022, and includes the singles "
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifie ...
", "Very Special" and "I'll Be Here".
It debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200, selling 29,000 copies in its first week and becoming his highest charting project.
Following NoCap's heated exchange with
YoungBoy Never Broke Again
Kentrell DeSean Gaulden (born October 20, 1999), known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again (also known as NBA YoungBoy or simply YoungBoy), is an American rapper. Between 2015 and 2017, he released eight independent mixtapes and steadi ...
over social media due to claims of disloyalty on Cap's end, 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 imprint from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, founded by American rapper Kentrell "YoungBoy Never Broke Again" Gaulden, Rodrick "OG3Three" Jeanpierre an ...
, indicating his departure from the YoungBoy Never Broke Again-founded label.
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 a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
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
American male rappers
1998 births
Atlantic Records artists
African-American songwriters
21st-century African-American people
American male songwriters