Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born September 6, 1993), better known by his stage name Famous Dex, is an American rapper and singer. His 2018 debut album ''

Dex Meets Dexter ''Dex Meets Dexter'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Famous Dex. It was released on April 6, 2018, by 300 Entertainment and Rich Forever Music. The album features guest appearances from Diplo, ASAP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa, and Drax Projec ...

'' peaked at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200, while its singles " Pick It Up" (featuring

ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper, music producer and record executive. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a membe ...

) and "

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

" peaked at number 54 and 28 respectively on the ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

Early life

Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. was born on September 6, 1993, in the

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, but had since moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, and was raised in the city's Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. He decided to pursue music after the death of his mother in September 2014. In 2016, he tattooed a

pink ribbon The pink ribbon is an international symbol of breast cancer awareness. Pink ribbons, and the color pink in general, identify the wearer or promoter with the breast cancer brand and express moral support for women with breast cancer. Pink rib ...

on his face to commemorate his mother after she died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...

Career

2015–2016: Early mixtapes and signing to Rich the Kid's label

In 2015, he

self-released Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pr ...

his first mixtape, ''Never Seen It Coming''. Later in 2015, he released his second mixtape, ''Dexter's Laboratory'' (not to be confused with the animated television series of the same name). In early 2016, Gore released his third and fourth mixtapes, ''Drippy'' and ''#OhhMannGoddDamn''. In March 2016, Gore announced that he was officially signed to Rich the Kid's label, Rich Forever Music. Shortly thereafter, Gore and Rich released their collaborative effort, ''Rich Forever''. This was followed by three sequels, with the third exclusively featuring Rich Forever newcomer New York rapper Jay Critch. In October 2016, Gore was featured in the

Soulja Boy DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence, after his self published debut single " Crank That (Soulja Boy)" peak ...

music video, "Draco".

2017–2018: ''Dex Meets Dexter''

In March 2017, Gore announced the title of his debut album, ''

''. The album was released on April 6, 2018. In October 2017, he released " Pick It Up" featuring

as the first single from the album, which peaked at number 54 on the ''Billboard''

, becoming his first song to chart. The album's second single "

" was released on March 16, 2018. On March 30, 2018, he released the single "Light" featuring Drax Project. The single "Nervous" which features

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 ...

Jay Critch Jason Cole Critchlow (born February 25, 1998), known professionally as Jay Critch, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He was formerly signed with Rich Forever Music. Early life Jason Cole Critchlow grew up in the Clinton Hill neigh ...

, and

Rich The Kid Dimitri Leslie Roger (born July 13, 1992), professionally known as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper. He released his debut studio album, '' The World Is Yours'', on March 30, 2018. His second studio album, '' The World Is Yours 2'', was relea ...

was released on September 21, 2018.

2019–present: ''Dexter 2031'' EP and ''Diana''

On May 8, 2019, the single "Fully Loaded" was released which featured

Lil Gotit Semaja Render, known professionally as Lil Gotit, is an American rapper and singer. Early life Semaja Zair Render was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the youngest of seven children. Render was initially raised in Forest Park on Southside Atlanta's ...

. A music video was released later on May 27, 2019. Gore appeared on the Rich Forever Music compilation album, ''Rich Forever 4'', which was released on August 2, 2019, and featured new artists signed to the label. On November 1, 2019, Gore suffered a

epileptic seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...

during a performance at 1 OAK in

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages in ...

. A representative later confirmed he was recovering. On December 31, 2019, Gore released the EP, ''Dexter 2031'', on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

. The single "What I Like" which features

Tyga Michael Ray Nguyen-StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson ...

and

Rich the Kid Dimitri Leslie Roger (born July 13, 1992), professionally known as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper. He released his debut studio album, '' The World Is Yours'', on March 30, 2018. His second studio album, '' The World Is Yours 2'', was relea ...

was released on April 3, 2020. On July 23, he released the single "Couped Out" with Fivio Foreign. In August 2020, he released the single "Hold On". On October 9, he released the album ''Diana''. Rich the Kid announced in January 2021 that Gore was in a rehabilitation clinic.

Controversies

Shocktoberfest controversy

In 2018, prior to the University of California, Irvine's Shocktoberfest music event, the university's Student Services was criticized for allowing Gore to perform at the event after a security video from two years prior emerged showing Gore chasing his girlfriend down a hallway and then hitting her several times. Gore was permitted to perform despite the domestic abuse revelations, and while doing so jumped into the crowded audience causing safety barriers to be knocked over by a rush of audience members. The event was shut down as a result. While leaving the event, it was alleged someone in Gore's vehicle pointed a gun at students. According to the university's official campus newspaper, "Gore bragged online about shutting down the event saying, 'I just shut the show down. And it was all positive vibes.'"

Social network

On December 22, 2018, Gore uploaded a video post to his

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 ...

page in which he made racially charged jokes at the expense of an elderly

Indian American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

cashier at a gas station he was frequenting with a friend. During the video, he remarks "Witcho' lil", referring to the man's

tilaka In Dharmic culture, the ''tilaka'' ( sa, तिलक) () is a mark worn usually on the forehead, at the point of the Ajna chakra, or sometimes another part of the body such as the neck, hand, chest or arm. ''Tilaka'' may be worn daily or for ...

on his forehead. He then adds "That's a mark of

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

in between yo' face?", laughing along with his friend.

Substance usage

Dex has struggled with substance abuse throughout his career. Following release of a video showing him in an extremely inebriated position fans expressed concern. Shortly after he checked into a rehabilitation facility.

Arrest

In June 2021, Gore was arrested while appearing in court for violating a protection order put in place by his former partner. He was subsequently sentenced to 364 days in a Los Angeles, California, jail on September 1, 2021.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Mixtapes

Collaborative mixtapes

Singles

Guest appearances

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dex, Famous 1993 births Living people African-American male rappers Midwest hip hop musicians Rappers from Chicago Songwriters from Illinois Trap musicians 21st-century African-American people American male songwriters Rappers from Manhattan Songwriters from New York (state) Musicians from New York City