Fredo Bang

Fredo Bang launched his career as a southern rapper in the mid-2010s, turning his experience as a street-smart, jail-seasoned Louisiana native into songs that merged hip-hop and trap influences. He was born as "Fredrick Dewon Thomas Givens II" in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on March 29, 1996, and began playing music in his middle school band. Although he was offered a scholarship to a college in Texas, he chose to stay in Baton Rogue, where his increasing involvement in street activities resulting in his first stint in jail in 2014. The experience influenced his music, which he began releasing with 2015's Lost Files. He went to prison again in 2016 and released his debut mixtape, 2 Face Bang, upon his release in 2018. The tracks "Oouuh" and "Father" both became hits, their music videos racking up more than 20 million views apiece on social media. The mix tapes Big Ape and Pain Me Made Numb both appeared in 2019, leading to the release of Fredo Bang's full-length debut, Most Hated, in 2020. The album peaked at Number 1 on the US Heatseekers Albums chart and Number 110 on the Billboard 200. Later that same year, In the Name of Gee climbed to Number 40 on the Billboard 200, thanks in part to the EP's gold-selling lead single, "Top." His fifth EP, Murder Made Me, arrived in August 2021, one month after Fredo Bang was sent to jail once again.