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Webbie
Background information
Birth name	Webster Gradney, Jr.
Born	September 6, 1985 (1985-09-06) (age 23)
Origin	Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
Genre(s)	Hip hop
Years active	2000–present
Label(s)	Asylum Records/Trill Entertainment/Atlantic/Warner Bros. Records
Associated acts	U.G.K., Trill Entertainment, Lil Boosie, 3 Deep
Website	www.webbiemuzik.com

Webster Gradney, Jr. (born September 6, 1985¹) better known by his stage name Webbie, is a rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was signed to the independent Trill Entertainment label from 2003 to 2005.² In 2005 he came into the hip-hop scene in with "Gimme That" featuring U.G.K. rapper 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 on the summer of 2005 under Atlantic Records.² He is currently planning an independent biography movie called Ghetto Stories: The Movie with Lil' Boosie based on their lives and lyrical themes.³

Early life

Gradney was raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His mother Joycelyn died of cancer when he was eight years old, so his parental care was split between his father and grandmother.⁴ 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.⁴ He attended Broadmoor Middle School, where he played fullback for the football team. 7th grade math teacher Sean Fluharty described Gradney as a "quiet, mild-mannered student" and said "he was actually pretty good at math."⁴

Things changed for him one day in the fall of 2001 after he made a freestyle rap about his late mother.⁵ Thus, he was signed to independent label Trill Entertainment by rapper Pimp C of UGK.²

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" (featuring Bun B of UGK) and "Bad Bitch" 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 2005², debuting at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.⁶ In 2007, he wrote and performed on the track "Wipe Me Down" by rapper Foxx and began work on his follow-up album Savage Life 2 which was released February 26, 2008.⁷ It debuted at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, selling 72,000 copies its debut week.⁸ Singles from Savage Life 2 include "Independent" featuring Lil' Boosie and Lil Phat and "I Miss You" featuring LeToya Luckett. Webbie is consider as one of the best artist from the south along with Lil Boosie and Lil wayne.

Personal life

On September 14, 2008 Gradney was arrested in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, after he led police on a high-speed chase following their attempt to pull him over for a traffic violation. Gradney has been charged with one count of felony eluding, one count of misdemeanor driving under the influence (other), and one misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana.⁹ He was released and seen in Baton Rouge the next week.

Discography

Albums

• Ghetto Stories (With Lil' Boosie)
  • Released: 2003
  • Label: Asylum Records
  • U.S. Sales: 15,000⁵

• Gangsta Musik (With Lil' Boosie)
  • Released: 2004
  • Label: Asylum Records
  • Singles: "Swerve"

• Savage Life
  • Released: July 5, 2005
  • Label: Trill Entertainment / Warner Music Group / Asylum Records
  • U.S. Sales: 339,000⁷
  • U.S. Charts: #8 (Billboard Hot 100), #2 (Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums)¹⁰
  • Singles: "Give Me That", "Bad Bitch", "How U Ridin'", "Like That"¹¹

• Trill Entertainment Presents: Survival of the Fittest (with Lil' Boosie, Foxx,Webbie (and Trill Fam)
  • Released: May 22, 2007
  • Label: Trill Entertainment
  • Chart Positions: #14 (Billboard Hot 100), #3 (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)¹²
  • U.S. Sales: 130,000⁷
  • Singles: "Wipe Me Down"

• Savage Life 2
  • Released: February 26, 2008
  • Label: Trill Entertainment
  • U.S. Sales: 200,000+
  • U.S. Charts: #4 (Billboard Hot 100), #1 (Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums)
  • Singles: "Independent", "I Miss You"¹¹

Singles

Solo

Featured

Mixtapes

• The Savage Mixtape Vol. 1
  • Released: April 19, 2006
  • Label: Trill Entertainment

• Gangsta Grillz #14 (With DJ Drama)

References

1. ^ Webbie | Main Accessed July 16, 2008
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Jeffries, David (2005). "Webbie - Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-04-19.
3. ^ "Trill Fam - Survival of the Fittest". Asylum Records (2007). Retrieved on 2008-04-19.
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Webbie - Biography". Yahoo! Music. Atlantic Records (2005). Retrieved on 2008-04-19.
5. ^ ^{a b} "Webbie - Full Biography". MTV. Retrieved on 2008-04-19.
6. ^ Whitmire, Margo (2005-07-13). "R. Kelly "Reloads" at No. 1", Billboard. Retrieved on 19 April 2008. 
7. ^ ^{a b c} Crosley, Hillary (2008-01-07). "Webbie's Next "Life" Due In Late February", Billboard. Retrieved on 19 April 2008. 
8. ^ Harris, Chris (2008-03-05). "Janet Jackson Teaches Jack Johnson Discipline, Claims Sixth #1 Debut", MTV News. Retrieved on 19 April 2008. 
9. ^ Webbie Arrested In Mississippi After A High Speed Chase BallerStatus.com
10. ^ "Webbie - Billboard Albums". Allmusic (2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-19.
11. ^ ^{a b} "Webbie - Billboard Singles". Allmusic (2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-19.
12. ^ ""Survival of the Fittest" - Charts & Awards". Allmusic (2007). Retrieved on 2008-04-19.

External links

• Official website
• Trill Ent.
• Webbie at MySpace
• Profile at Rolling Stone