Kenneth Edward Bailey (born March 28, 1986), better known by his stage name Young Scooter, is an American rapper who is affiliated with

Freebandz Freebandz is an American record label founded by American rapper Future (rapper), Future. The label's releases are distributed through Epic Records. History 2011–2012: We Global Freebandz was founded by Future. Future signed a major label deal ...

and 1017 Brick Squad Records and CEO of his own label Black Migo Gang. Scooter grew to prominence in 2012 after releasing a number of successful mixtapes and collaborating with notable rappers such as

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

Waka Flocka Flame Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. Signing to 1017 Brick Squad and Warner Bros. Records in 2009, he became a mainstream artist with the release of his singles "O Let's ...

and

Chief Keef Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His music first became popular during his teen years in the early 2010s among high school s ...

. His mixtape ''Street Lottery'' received positive reviews and was certified gold on popular mixtape site

DatPiff DatPiff is an online audio distribution platform that was launched in 2005. It is headquartered in Pennsylvania. It specializes in hip-hop, rap, and urban music. The site was founded in the spring of 2005 by Marcus Frasier. It is owned by Media ...

. It was placed at number 24 on '' SPIN''s 40 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2013.

Life and career

Scooter was born in

Walterboro, South Carolina Walterboro is a city in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. The city's population was 5,398 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Colleton County. Walterboro is located west of Charleston and is located near the ACE Basin r ...

. When he was nine, his family moved to the Kirkwood Community (a.k.a. Lil Mexico) of

Atlanta, GA Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

. In 2008, after he was charged with drug trafficking, he decided to start pursuing a career in music. Scooter is a childhood friend with fellow Atlanta rapper

. While his first mixtape ''Plug Talkin'' didn't receive much attention, with his second release ''Finessin and Flexin'' he made a name for himself, already collaborating with Future. Scooter put out 2 more mixtapes in 2012 – ''Married to the Streets'' and ''Voice of the Streetz'', featuring production from

Zaytoven Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), professionally known as Zaytoven, is an American trap music record producer, disc jockey, and keyboardist from Atlanta, Georgia. He has released collaborative projects with artists including Gucci Ma ...

, DJ Spinz,

Nard & B Nard & B are an American record production team, composed of record producers James "Nard" Bernard Rosser Jr. and Brandon "B" Rackley, from Atlanta, Georgia. In 2007, the duo signed a deal with American recording artist T.I.'s Grand Hustle Recor ...

, Da Honorable C.N.O.T.E. and guest verses by

and Alley Boy. Scooter's real breakthrough came in January 2013, when he released his mixtape ''Street Lottery''. '' SPIN'' named it "Rap release of the week" and XXL featured it on its "Best mixtapes of January" list. Eric Diep of XXL called Scooter "one of the hottest street rappers coming out of Atlanta" and wrote that tracks like the single "Colombia" and "Street Lottery" (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 with ...

) are "proof of his undeniable talent". The tape was also a viral success gaining over 100,000 downloads on

. The official video for "Colombia", directed by Decatur Dan, premiered on

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 ...

on January 31. The song became a hit in the south, especially in Scooter's hometown Atlanta. Brandon Soderberg of ''SPIN'' classified it as a mix of

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

' "

Hustlin' "Hustlin' is the debut single by American rapper Rick Ross, and the first single from his debut album ''Port of Miami'', produced by The Runners. The song was a breakthrough for Ross, and skyrocketed him to worldwide fame almost overnight. It ...

" and Future's "

Tony Montana Antonio Montana is a fictional character and the protagonist of the 1983 film ''Scarface''. This character is portrayed by Al Pacino in the film and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game '' Scarface: The World Is Yours''. Embod ...

". By the end of the month, an official remix with rappers Rick Ross, Birdman and

was released.

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), ...

also covered the song for his mixtape ''

Dedication 5 ''Dedication 5'' is a mixtape by American rapper Lil Wayne, hosted by DJ Drama. The mixtape was released on September 1, 2013. It is the fifth installment of Lil Wayne's "''Dedication''" series, following its predecessors '' The Dedication'', ''De ...

''. The rapper's recent success prompted

OnSmash OnSMASH, previously OnSmash.com, is a hip hop blog founded by Kevin "Hof" Hofman,Blanco, Alvin.Hip-Hop Site FreeOnSmash Debuts After OnSmash Seizure." '' MTV''. January 19, 2011. Retrieved on November 2, 2012. a native of Long Island.Sisario, Ben ...

to state "the buzz for Scooter is at an all-time high." On April 8, Scooter was arrested for violation of parole. Scooter's collaboration mixtape with

''Free Bricks 2'' was released on February 28, 2013. On August 29, 2013, Young Scooter released his mixtape ''From The Cell Block To Your Block'', featuring guest appearances from

, Wale, YG,

Lil Boosie Torence Ivy Hatch (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 hip hop collective Concentration Camp, ev ...

Webbie Webster Gradney, Jr. (born September 6, 1985) who performs under the mononym Webbie, is an American rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He's been signed to the independent Trill Entertainment label since 2003. In 2005 he came into the hip hop ...

and

Lil Phat Melvin Vernell III (July 25, 1992 – June 7, 2012), better known by his stage name Lil Phat, was an American rapper. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Vernell began rapping as a teenager and was signed to Trill Entertainment in 2007 when he w ...

, among others.

Musical style

Scooter is known for his freestyle type of rapping, without writing down his lyrics, similarly to

. He has defined his style as "count music," and explained it in an interview with

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

: "I don't really care what I say on a beat as long as it's about some money. When you try to think hard and write it out, that's when it's gonna be fucked up." Scooter's lyrical themes are largely about money and drugs. David Drake of Complex compared his "populist, kingpin rapping" to that of

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 ...

, although he noted that Scooter doesn't have the "all-encompassing grandiosity" of his fellow Atlanta rapper. Scooter is influenced by famous hip-hop artists such as

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

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 ...

and Diddy.

Legal issues

Young Scooter was arrested for probation violation during a traffic stop in DeKalb County, Georgia, on April 8, 2013. According to HipHopDX, Scooter shared a jail cell with frequent collaborator

, who was arrested for probation violation on April 12, 2013. Scooter spent six months behind bars before being released in mid-October 2013. On March 2, 2015, Young Scooter was released off probation.

Discography

Mixtapes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other charted songs

Guest appearances

Music videos

As lead artist

As featured artist

References

External links

*
Trick Scooter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scooter, Young American rappers 1986 births 1017 Brick Squad artists African-American male rappers Living people People from Walterboro, South Carolina People from DeKalb County, Georgia Rappers from Atlanta Rappers from South Carolina Southern hip hop musicians 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people