Wielding a forceful and slightly raspy voice ideally suited for the prowling basslines that support many of his best-known tracks, YG has achieved and sustained commercial success without ever being overtly pop. The "brazy" yet "bool" West Coast rapper first attained Hot 100 status with the players anthem "Toot It and Boot It" (2010), and he has continually reaffirmed his commercial appeal with a string of Top Ten albums that began with My Krazy Life (2014) and continued with My Life 4Hunnid (2020). His sixth studio album I Got Issues (2022), fell short, bit still debuted in the Top 20. Highlighted by multi-platinum hits such as "My N*gga," "Who Do You Love?," and "Big Bank," YG's solo albums have been released on Def Jam. He additionally teamed up with Tyga for 2023's Hit Me When U Leave the Klub: The Playlist, and he released his seventh studio album Just Re'd Up 3 in 2024.
The Compton, California native born Keenon Jackson issued his first two mixtapes in 2009 and 2010, a few years after he became a Blood. The latter tape featured "Toot It and Boot It," a low-profile collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign that reached number 67 after it was licensed to Def Jam for commercial release. YG continued to favor the mixtape format, then made his Def Jam album debut in March 2014 with My Krazy Life. Supported with the multi-platinum DJ Mustard productions "My N*gga" (aka "My Hitta," featuring Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan) and "Who Do You Love?" (featuring Drake), the album debuted at number two on its way to platinum status itself. A short film and accompanying soundtrack, Blame It on the Streets, was out by the end of the year. Anchored by another platinum single, "Why You Always Hatin'?" (with Drake and Kamaiyah), as well as the anti-Donald Trump protest track "FDT" (featuring Nipsey Hussle), YG's second proper album, Still Brazy, followed in June 2016 and debuted at number six.
The rapper's third Def Jam set was previewed through another Mustard collaboration, "Big Bank," which also featured 2 Chainz, Big Sean, and Nicki Minaj. The track went Top 15 R&B/hip-hop -- and eventually went 16 pop -- ahead of the August 2018 arrival of Stay Dangerous. It was YG's third straight Top Ten album, entering the Billboard 200 at number five a few weeks before he appeared in the film White Boy Rick. Within a year, Stay Dangerous was certified gold, while "Big Bank" became YG's third multi-platinum headlining single. 4REAL 4REAL, his fourth LP for Def Jam, followed in May 2019 and hit number seven on the Billboard 200. After a string of intermediary singles including "FTP," YG offered his fifth studio LP, My Life 4Hunnid, in October 2020. Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla $ign, and Gunna were among the artists featured on the album, which entered the Billboard 200 at number four. Kommunity Service, a collaborative album with Mozzy, appeared the following year and landed at number nine on the Top Independent Albums chart.
Early 2022 saw the release of "Scared Money" (featuring J. Cole and Moneybagg Yo) and "Toxic" in advance of YG's sixth studio album. That record, I Got Issues, was released in September 2022 and debuted at number 18 on the Billboard charts. The next year, YG and Tyga collaborated for the full-length Hit Me When U Leave the Klub: The Playlist, which featured guests Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, and Blxst. The Stunna Girl collaboration "Stand Up" and the solo single "Knocka" appeared in 2024. In August of that year, YG released Just Re'd Up 3, his seventh studio album and a continuation of his series that had last seen activity in 2013 with his mixtape Just Re'd Up 2. The album featured guest contributions from G Herbo, Tee Grizzley, Babyface Ray, and others, and debuted in the Top 200 of the Billboard charts at number 151. ~ Andy Kellman
Los Angeles-based producer and beatmaker Mustard (initially known as DJ Mustard) is the architect of a catchy, uptempo form of melodic hip-hop that he refers to as ratchet music. Mustard worked on hits that were pivotal to the careers of several rappers and singers as well as producing strong solo material of his own. His high-energy, party-minded, and club-friendly signature sound was infectious to the point that it started to act as the new template for the sound of West Coast hip-hop in the 2010s. Massively popular singles for Big Sean, Tyga, Jeremih, Rihanna, and longtime counterpart YG all bore Mustard's increasingly ubiquitous production tag. In addition to his dominance of the charts as a producer for others, he consistently released well-received solo work like 2019's anthemic Perfect Ten. After producing Kendrick Lamar's chart-topping 2024 single "Not Like Us," he released his fourth studio album, Faith of a Mustard Seed.
Born Dijon McFarlane, Mustard got into music when his uncle encouraged him to DJ a family party at age 11. Taking the name DJ Mustard as a pun on his first name "Dijon" he grew increasingly more interested in his craft and would eventually DJ at local clubs and bars in the Los Angeles area. A friendship with Compton rapper YG marked the beginning of Mustard's foray into making music for a living, as early in his own career YG was one of the first artists to collaborate with the budding producer. Mustard first provided beats for YG's 2009 mixtape The Real 4Fingaz, developing a sound that was hard-edged but danceable. This partnership proved successful and Mustard worked as producer on YG's mixtapes and many of his tracks.
Starting with a Top Ten single for Tyga in 2011, Mustard's sound quickly developed with a string of commercial hits for rap and R&B artists. Over the next several years, his slick but edgy sound graced charting singles like 2 Chainz's "I'm Different," YG's "My N***a," Jeremih's club smash "Don't Tell 'Em," T.I.'s duet with Iggy Azalea "No Mediocre," Big Sean's aggressive "I Don't F**k with You," Omarion's anthemic "Post to Be," and many, many others.
Mustard's distinctive beats set trends for pop radio, and he applied his artistry to his solo work. A debut 2013 mixtape titled Ketchup was the first collection under his own name, and his debut studio LP, 10 Summers, followed in August of the next year. The album cracked the Billboard Top 200 and rose as high as number 20 on the hip-hop/R&B charts. Guest appearances from a cast of rap superstars graced the record, including cameos from Lil Wayne, Big Sean, Rick Ross, Nipsey Hussle, Ty Dolla $ign, and many others. Mustard's sophomore album, Cold Summer, arrived in 2016, featuring the single "Don't Hurt Me" with guest appearances from Nicki Minaj and Jeremih.
Mustard continued his now-standard dominance of the charts, growing with the changing times of rap and R&B by sculpting beats for younger stars like Cardi B, Demi Lovato, and 21 Savage. In 2019, his third LP, Perfect Ten, arrived with guest features from Gunna, Young Thug, Migos, and many others on the album's brief ten tracks. "Ballin'," Mustard's collaborative single with Roddy Ricch was nominated in the Best Rap/Sung Performance for the 2020 Grammys. During the first half of the 2020s, Mustard produced or guested on songs by Megan Thee Stallion, Vince Staples, Quavo, and many others. He also produced Kendrick Lamar's chart-topping 2024 single "Not Like Us," the most successful track to emerge from the rapper's well-publicized feud with Drake. Mustard then released "Parking Lot," featuring Travis Scott, followed by the ten-minute "Pray for Me." Both songs appeared on his fourth studio album, Faith of a Mustard Seed. ~ Fred Thomas
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