Boosie Badazz

Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz, formerly known as Lil' Boosie, has taken his raw and uncut style from underground circles to mainstream success over the course of a long and winding career. After starting out as a teenager in the '90s as part of a collective called Concentration Camp, he was taken under the wing of Pimp C as a solo artist, and first charted in 2000 with Youngest of da Camp. From 2006 through 2017, he put together five consecutive charting projects distributed by major labels, starting with Bad Azz and continuing with titles such as the Top Ten Billboard 200 hits Superbad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz and Touch Down 2 Cause Hell. During this period, he scored a handful of hit singles that included "Wipe Me Down," which went Top Ten R&B/hip-hop and Top 40 pop. Boosie has since earned his first gold RIAA certifications as a headliner for 2019's "Nasty, Nasty" (featuring Latto) and 2021's "Period" (joined by DaBaby), and has added to his large catalog with full-length projects such as 2022's Heartfelt, 2023's Lines for Valentines, and 2024's soul- and blues-themed Boosie Blues. Originally known as Lil' Boosie, Boosie Badazz's tough Southern style comes from growing up in one of Baton Rouge's more notorious neighborhoods. Not having his father in his life was another challenge, but things began moving in a positive direction when Boosie immersed himself in basketball and eventually music. Still in his teens, he turned to rapping and eventually hooked up with C-Loc. An appearance on C-Loc's 2000 It's a Gamble became Boosie's debut. He soon released the full-length CD Youngest of da Camp on his own. His big breakthrough began when he joined Pimp C's Trill Entertainment camp. He was paired with fellow Trill artist Webbie for the 2003 release Ghetto Stories and again for 2004's Gangsta Musik, which featured the first appearance of Webbie's future hit "Give Me That." Trill then worked a deal with the Warner Bros.-associated Asylum, and both Webbie and Boosie were now on a major label. Webbie released