Webbie
Webbie |
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Webster Gradney, Jr. (born September 6, 1985), who performs under the mononym Webbie, is an American rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was signed to the independent Trill Entertainment label from 2003 to 2005.[1] In 2005 he came into the hip hop scene in with "Gimme That" featuring Bun B. 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. Both songs are also on Webbie's debut album Savage Life which was released in the summer of 2005 under Atlantic Records.[1] He is currently planning an independent biography movie called Ghetto Stories: The Movie with Lil' Boosie, based on their lives and lyrical themes.[2]
Early life
Webbie was born as Webster Gradney, Jr. in Houston, Texas and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[1] His mother Joycelyn died of cancer when he was eight years old, so his parental care was split between his father and grandmother.[3] 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, Eightball & MJG, the Geto Boys, and UGK, as well as West Coast rap such as 2Pac, Eazy-E, and Snoop Dogg. His admiration for hip-hop is attributed to his cousin from California.[3]
Music career
Under Trill, he recorded two albums in collaboration with fellow Baton Rouge-based rapper Lil' Boosie, Ghetto Stories in 2003 and Gangsta Musik in 2004. As Webbie's solo tracks "Gimme Dat" " were frequently featured in mixtapes, Trill began a deal to sign Webbie to the Warner Bros. Records subsidiary label Atlantic Records. He was signed there, and his major-label debut Savage Life was released in 2005[1], debuting at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[4] In 2007, he wrote and performed on the track "Wipe Me Down" by Foxx and began work on his follow-up album Savage Life 2 which was released February 26, 2008.[5] It debuted at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, selling 72,000 copies its debut week.[6] Singles from Savage Life 2 include "Independent"
Discography
Albums
Year | Title | Chart positions[7] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | ||
2005 | Savage Life
|
8 | 4 | 4 |
2008 | Savage Life 2
|
4 | 1 | 1 |
2010 | Mr.Savage Life[8]
|
Collaboration
Year | Title | Chart positions[9][10][11] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | U.S. Heatseekers | ||
2003 | Ghetto Stories (with Lil Boosie)
|
— | 56 | — | — |
2004 | Gangsta Musik (with Lil Boosie)
|
— | 35 | 14 | 11 |
2007 | Trill Entertainment Presents: Survival of the Fittest (with Lil Boosie, Foxx & Trill Fam)
|
14 | 3 | 2 | — |
Singles
Solo
Year | Title | Chart positions[12] | RIAA certification | Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | U.S. Pop | ||||
2005 | "Give Me That" (featuring Bun B) | 29 | 8 | 4 | 72 | Gold | Savage Life |
"Bad Bitch [Remix]" (featuring Trina) | 120 | 48 | — | — | — | ||
"How U Ridin'" | — | 91 | — | — | — | ||
2007 | "Independent" (featuring Lil Phat & Lil Boosie) | 9 | 5 | 1 | 27 | — | Savage Life 2 |
2008 | "I Miss You" (featuring LeToya) | — | 64 | — | — | — | |
2010 | "My People" | — | — | — | — | — | Savage Life 3 |
- Other charted songs
Year | Title | Chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
U.S. R&B | |||
2005 | "What Is It" | 109[13] | Savage Life |
"Like That" | 68[12] |
Guest appearances
Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | "Wipe Me Down [Remix]" (Foxx featuring Lil Boosie & Webbie) | 38 | 8 | 4 | Trill Entertainment Presents: Survival of the Fittest |
2008 | "Bizzy Body " (Paul Wall featuring Webbie & Mouse)
|
67 | 8 | 13 | Fast Life |
2009 | "Better Believe It" (Lil Boosie featuring Webbie & Young Jeezy)
|
106 | 40 | 23 | Superbad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz |
"Lil Freak (Ugh, Ugh, Ugh)" (Three 6 Mafia featuring Webbie) | — | 96 | — | Laws of Power |
Mixtapes
- The Savage Mixtape Vol. 1
- Released: April 19, 2006
- Label: Trill Entertainment
- Gangsta Grillz #14 (with DJ Drama)
References
- ^ a b c d Jeffries, David (2005). "Webbie - Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ "Trill Fam - Survival of the Fittest". Asylum Records. 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ a b "Webbie - Biography". Yahoo! Music. Atlantic Records. 2005. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ Whitmire, Margo (2005-07-13). "R. Kelly "Reloads" at No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ Crosley, Hillary (2008-01-07). "Webbie's Next "Life" Due In Late February77". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ Harris, Chris (2008-03-05). "Janet Jackson Teaches Jack Johnson Discipline, Claims Sixth #1 Debut". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ "Webbie - Billboard Albums". Allmusic. 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ http://hiphopblips.dailyradar.com/story/audio-webbie-my-people/
- ^ "Ghetto Stories > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". allmusic. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
- ^ "Gangsta Musik > Charts & Awards". allmusic. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
- ^ ""Survival of the Fittest" - Charts & Awards". Allmusic. 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ a b "Webbie - Billboard Singles". Allmusic. 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=345&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Bubbling+Under+R%26amp%3BB%2FHip-Hop+Singles&ci=3063817&cdi=8529842&cid=01%2F21%2F2006
External links
- Official website
- Trill Ent.
- Webbie at MySpace
- Profile at Rolling Stone
- [1] at "Twitter"