Webster Gradney, Jr. (born September 6, 1985) who performs under the

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

Webbie, is an American rapper from

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the county seat, parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, E ...

. He's been signed to the independent Trill Entertainment label since 2003. In 2005 he came into the hip hop scene with "Gimme That" 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 wit ...

. His songs "Bad Bitch" and "Swerve" were featured on '' Gangsta Musik'', his 2003 group album with Lil Boosie, and in the 2005 movie ''

Hustle & Flow ''Hustle & Flow'' is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton and Stephanie Allain. It stars Terrence Howard as a Memphis hustler and pimp who faces his aspiration to become a rapper. It ...

''. Webbie's second album, '' Savage Life 2'', was released in early 2008 with the hit single "

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

" featuring Lil Boosie and Lil Phat.

Early life

Webbie was born in

. His mother died when he was nine years old so his parental care was split between his father and grandmother. Ever since he was five years old, he had been writing rhymes, and throughout his childhood he had become an avid fan of hardcore rap artists including Southern hip hop performers

Master P Percy Robert Miller Sr. (born April 29, 1967), known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record executive, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the record label No Limit Records, which was relaunched as ...

Eightball & MJG 8Ball & MJG is an American hip hop duo from Memphis, Tennessee. They met at Ridgeway Middle School (Memphis, Tennessee) in 1984. In 1993, the duo released their debut album ''Comin' Out Hard''. They went on to release ''On the Outside Looking I ...

, the

Geto Boys Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) was an American hip-hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. The Geto Boys enjoyed success in the 1990s with the group's classic lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D, earni ...

, UGK Along With DjTrillReed (Second Cousin). .

Music career

Webbie first appeared on Lil Boosie's album ''For My Thugz ''on the track "Gotta Get It" in 2001. He and Lil Boosie released '' Ghetto Stories'' in 2003 and '' Gangsta Musik'' in 2004. As Webbie's solo track " Give Me That" featuring

was frequently featured in mixtapes, as a label Trill Entertainment was growing in popularity & was signed for a distribution deal at

Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/Asylu ...

along with (Webbie). After he was signed there, his major-label debut '' Savage Life'' was released in 2005, debuting at number eight on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Trill began a deal to sign Webbie to the subsidiary label

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 im ...

& was successful. Singles from his next album, '' Savage Life 2'', include "

" featuring Boosie and Lil Phat. As of 2020, it is Webbie's most successful song to date, peaking at number nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reaching the top of the Rap Songs chart. Webbie released his third studio album '' Savage Life 3'' on November 15, 2011, under Trill Ent. The first single from the album was "What's Happenin'". The album has currently sold over 50,000 copies. Webbie's fourth album ''Savage Life 4'' is the fourth in the ''Savage Life'' album series. The first single from the album "What I Do" was released on April 16, 2013. The album was released on November 19, 2013.

Acting career

He has made an independent biographical movie, '' Ghetto Stories'' in October 2010, with Lil Boosie, based on their lives and lyrical themes. He also appeared in the music film "Video Girl" which featured actress

Meagan Good Meagan Monique Good is an American actress. She first gained critical attention for her role in the film ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997), prior to landing the role of Nina in the Nickelodeon sitcom ''Cousin Skeeter'' (1998–2001). Good received further ...

Controversy

On the October 14, 2011, episode of BET's ''

106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rate ...

'', Webbie was banned from further appearances on the countdown show. Webbie appeared that day on the show as a guest judge for Freestyle Friday. The reason behind his ban was tied to allegations that he made sexually inappropriate comments to the show's hostess, Rocsi. On September 13, 2012, Webbie was arrested in Baton Rouge on suspicion of robbery and battery. He was accused of kicking and pushing a woman down the stairs before stealing $340 from her purse.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Savage Life'' (2005) * '' Savage Life 2'' (2008) * '' Savage Life 3'' (2011) * '' Savage Life 4'' (2013) * ''Savage Life 5'' (2016) * ''Savage Life 6'' (2020) ;Collaboration albums *2003: '' Ghetto Stories'' (with Lil Boosie) *2003: '' Gangsta Musik'' (with Lil Boosie) *2007: '' Trill Entertainment Presents: Survival of the Fittest'' (with Foxx, Lil Boosie and Trill Fam) *2010: '' Trill Entertainment Presents: All or Nothing'' (with Foxx, Lil Boosie and Trill Fam) *2016: ''Trill Entertainment Presents: Trill Fam – Respect Is a Must'' (with Trill Fam)

Filmography

;Films * ''Gangsta Musik'' (2005) * ''On The Grind'' (2006) * '' Ghetto Stories: The Movie'' (2010) * ''Video Girl'' (2011) * ''I Got the Hook up 2'' (2019)

References

External links

Official TwitterTrill Ent.Profile
at ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' {{Authority control 1985 births Living people African-American male rappers Southern hip hop musicians Gangsta rappers Musicians from Baton Rouge, Louisiana 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people