D'Juan Montrel Hart (born January 15, 1979), better known by his stage name Young Dro, is an American rapper. After gaining recognition with his regional hit song "Yes Sir", from his 2002 independent album ''I Got That Dro'', Young Dro aligned himself with fellow Atlanta-based rapper T.I. and signed to his label,

Grand Hustle Grand Hustle Records (formerly Grand Hustle Entertainment), also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. Up until December 2012, the lab ...

, in 2004. Young Dro's debut ''

Best Thang Smokin' ''Best Thang Smokin is the debut studio album by American rapper Young Dro. It was released on August 29, 2006, by Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. ''Best Thang Smokin serves as Dro's major label debut, following his independent album, ...

'', was released in August 2006, under Grand Hustle and Atlantic Records. The album was preceded by his debut single "

Shoulder Lean "Shoulder Lean" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Young Dro, released to rhythmic contemporary radio on May 2, 2006, as his debut single and the lead single from his first album ''Best Thang Smokin. The song features Dro's fell ...

", which served as the album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

and proved to be a

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

in the urban community and ''Billboard'' charts. After amassing an abundance of mixtapes, Young Dro released his second album ''

High Times ''High Times'' is an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade.Danko, Danny"Norml Founder Retires – Exha ...

'', 7 years later on October 15, 2013, under Grand Hustle, Atlantic and E1. It spawned the single " FDB", his highest charting single since "Shoulder Lean".

Biography

1979–2006: Early life and ''Best Thang Smokin

On January 15, 1979, Young Dro was born D'Juan Hart in Bankhead, a neighborhood on Atlanta's west side. His inspiration for wanting to

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

came from the success of one of his best friends, Chris "Daddy Mack" Smith, one half of

Kris Kross Kris Kross was an American hip hop duo that consisted of Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. Kris Kross was the youngest hip-hop duo to gain success, with gold and platinum albums at 12 and 13 years old. The duo was discover ...

. Musically speaking however,

Goodie Mob Goodie Mob is an American hip hop group based in Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of CeeLo Green, Khujo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp. History The group was formed in 1991 by Cameron " Big Gipp" Gipp, Willie "Khujo" Knighton Jr., CeeLo Green (born Tho ...

—also west Atlanta natives—had the biggest impact on him. Hart embarked on his professional career around 1999 when he signed to bass music rapper Raheem the Dream's local Atlanta label, Tight 4 Life, under the moniker Dro. He released the regional hit "Yes Sir", and an album titled ''I Got That Dro'', around the same time T.I. released his debut, ''

I'm Serious ''I'm Serious'' is the debut studio album by American rapper T.I., released on October 9, 2001 through Arista Records. The album included guests appearances from Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes (who called T.I. "the Jay-Z of the South"), Jazze ...

''. Although Hart had known T.I. since the early '90s, they grew apart for some time. In 2004, Young Dro signed a recording contract with T.I.'s label imprint,

. Young Dro released his commercial debut single "

", in the summer of 2006. The song had heavy rotation on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

and MTV2, and its cellular phone ringtone sold over 500,000 units. The hit single was featured on his major-label debut ''

'', released on August 29, 2006. The album debuted at number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart.

2007–2013: Mixtapes and ''High Times''

In 2007, Dro was included in ''XXL'''s first annual Top 10 Freshmen list, featured on their cover alongside fellow American rappers Lupe Fiasco,

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 ...

, Joell Ortiz, Plies, Saigon,

Rich Boy Marece Benjamin Richards (born September 2, 1983), better known by his stage name Rich Boy, is an American rapper from Mobile, Alabama. He is best known for the hit single "Throw Some D's" (featuring Polow da Don) released in August 2006. It was ...

Gorilla Zoe Alonzo Keith Mathis Jr. (born January 27, 1981), better known by his stage name Gorilla Zoe (), is an American rapper originally from East Point, Georgia. He is best known for being a member of the rap group Boyz N Da Hood. His solo debut album ...

Papoose Papoose (from the Algonquian ''papoose'', meaning "child") is an American English word whose present meaning is "a Native American child" (regardless of tribe) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in t ...

and Crooked I. On March 17, 2009, Hart released a single titled " Take Off", featuring his protege

Yung L.A. Leland Sanford Austin (born March 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Yung L.A. or Da Boi Lay, is an American Hip hop music, hip hop recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia. He is perhaps best known for his debut single "Ain't I", which pea ...

The song was originally released as the first single from his then-titled second studio album ''P.O.L.O. (Players Only Live Once)''. On February 23, 2011, he released a mixtape titled ''Equestrian Dro''. On March 17, 2011, he released a mixtape titled ''I Co-Sign Myself''. On July 8, 2011, he released a mixtape titled ''Drocabulary''. On January 16, 2012, he released a mixtape titled ''We Outchea''. On July 24, 2012, he released a mixtape titled ''R.I.P. 2 (I Killed That Shit)''. On September 26, 2012, he released a mixtape titled ''Ralph Lauren Reefa''. On March 28, 2013, the first single from his second studio album " FDB" was released. On June 17, 2013, Young Dro released the mixtape ''Day Two'', in promotion for his second studio album. On July 10, 2013, Young Dro announced he would be releasing his second studio album, titled ''

'', in October 2013. On September 18, 2013, the album cover was released and it was announced that the album would be released on October 15, 2013. On September 30, 2013, the track-listing was unveiled, revealing

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

s on the album from Forgeeauto,

Mac Boney PSC or Pimp Squad Click (stylized as P$C or Pimp $quad Click), is an American hip hop group from Bankhead, Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 2001, the group was originally composed of six members, southern rappers Big Kuntry King, Mac Boney, C-Rod, ...

, T.I., Spodee, Problem, Natasha Mosley, Blu June,

Doe B Glenn Thomas (June 13, 1991 – December 28, 2013), better known by his stage name Doe B, was an American rapper from Montgomery, Alabama. He was perhaps best known for being signed to fellow rapper T.I.'s Atlanta-based record label, Hustle G ...

and Miloh Smith. On September 30, 2013, the second single from ''High Times'', titled "Strong", was released. ''

'' would chart at #57 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at #9 on the

Top Rap Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

chart.

2015–present: ''Da Reality Show''

On February 27, 2015, the first single from his third studio album " We in da City" was released. On April 27, 2015, Young Dro announced he would be releasing his third studio album, titled '' Da Reality Show'', in the summer of 2015. It was released on September 18, 2015. On May 17, 2016, he released a joint mixtape with Zaytoven called Boot Me Up. In August 2016, he was arrested at Georgia Southern University for possessing a gun and drugs. As of May 2019, he is working on a project with upstart gangsta/trap rapper, Romo 11, for Just 11 Records.

Discography

*''I Got That Dro'' (2001) *''

'' (2006) *''

'' (2013) *'' Da Reality Show'' (2015)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Young Dro 1979 births Living people African-American male rappers American shooting survivors Atlantic Records artists MNRK Music Group artists Grand Hustle Records artists Rappers from Atlanta Southern hip hop musicians Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians African-American songwriters 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people American male songwriters