G-Unit (short for Guerilla Unit and Gangsta but, in the case of the clothing line, Gorilla Unit, due to the United States' war with Iraq occurring concurrently with the clothing line's inception, and 50 Cent's desire for his clothing to be accessible to the public) is a rap group consisting of 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Young Buck, along with several affiliated artists. The group's main musical styling is based around East Coast hip hop. The group originally had three members: 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo. Young Buck joined the group after Tony Yayo was arrested due to an outstanding warrant. Yayo rejoined the group after his release from prison, officially making the group a foursome.
A common misconception is that artists (The) Game, R & B singer Olivia (the "first lady of G-Unit") and Spider Loc are members of G-Unit, when, in fact, they are part of the G-Unit record label.
The group first garnered a following in the underground and "street" scene in New York by independently releasing several mixtapes. They also appeared on many other mixtapes, including those of DJ Kay Slay and DJ Clue. They now have their own DJ, DJ Whoo Kid.
In November of 2003, the group released their debut album Beg for Mercy. It has exceeded sales of over two million copies. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. The success of this album led Reebok to release a line of G-Unit Sneakers.
G-Unit Members
50 Cent
50 Cent is an artist signed to Shady and Aftermath Records. He and Sha Money XL founded G-Unit. The rapper survived nine gunshot wounds, and proceeded to mainstream success. His albums Get Rich Or Die Tryin' and The Massacre were executive-produced by Eminem and Dr. Dre. With their help, G-Unit has become one of the top-selling mainstream hip-hop acts. He is considered responsible in part for the multi-platinum sales of Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and The Game.
Lloyd Banks
Referred to as second-in-command of G-Unit. He is the youngest member of the rap group. Banks is best known for his punch-line verses and his smooth flow and delivery. He is also the only member who is half Puerto Rican. Lloyd Banks' album The Hunger For More featured Eminem, Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, and the G-Unit roster.
The artist was mired in internet controversy after a gay porn movie surfaced, in which an actor who resembles Lloyd Banks receives an ejaculation on his face. This footage spread quickly over the internet, forging rumors that the rapper was gay. G-Unit publicly dismissed the claims, and the real actor who performed in the movie, Ty Lattimore, came forth to set the record straight. Lloyd Banks has since been readying himself for his second album, with an as-yet unset release date.
Tony Yayo
While on tour, Tony Yayo was arrested and imprisoned for weapons charges. The members of G-Unit began a "Free Yayo" campaign while he was serving his year sentence in prison. He was soon released from prison only to be caught with a forged passport and then returned back into prison. When he was released in 2004, he went forth to record his debut album. The album The Thoughts of A Predicate Felon is slated for a Summer 2005 release, featuring G-Unit's roster among other rappers (such as Mobb Deep). He often labels himself the Talk Of New York (T.O.N.Y.). He has been featured as a guest on 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and The Game albums, as well as G-Unit's debut.
Young Buck
The newest official member of G-Unit, Young Buck is from Nashville. His album, Straight Outta Cashville, was released one month after Lloyd Banks' album. He began his rap career with his partner D-Tay and was soon discovered by Cash Money Records. The deal with Cash Money soured and soon he joined the Juvenile's Uptown Players (UTP). After Juvenile left Cash Money officially, Young Buck was left without a label to deal with. 50 Cent, while on tour with Juvenile, finalized a contract, and signed the rapper to his G-Unit.
The Game
Probably the member with the most impact within the group, The Game comes from Compton and shares the same story that of his mentor 50 Cent had. He sold drugs, was a member of the Bloods, and was shot five times. While recovering from his injuries, he began his career in rap music. He recorded with JT The Bigga Figga and released numerous mixtapes. The Game was soon discovered by Dr. Dre, and was subsequently signed to Aftermath Entertainment. The idea of putting The Game in G-Unit was the idea of Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, so that 50 Cent had a hand in molding The Game in the image that they saw fit.
50 Cent / Game Controversy
It has been suggested that Hip hop rivalries#Other known rivalries (in chronological order) be merged into this article. (Discuss) |
The Game's first album, The Documentary, debuted to much controversy. Soon after its release, 50 Cent and G-Unit publicly ousted the rapper from their clique on Hot 97. 50 Cent claimed that The Game didn't follow the tradition of G-Unit, was unloyal (refusing to participate in recent feuds that 50 Cent had started with Nas, Fat Joe, and D-Block), and has refused to give 50 proper credit for his work on The Game's album. A subsequent shooting outside the radio station (allegedly by a G-Unit street team member, of a Compton man affiliated with The Game) still lingers between The Game and 50 Cent. On the anniversary of the Notorious B.I.G.'s death, the two publicly "squashed" the beef, jointly donating money to charities and promising that they wouldn't risk their lives on the feud. Within a few weeks, however, 50 Cent and G-Unit continued to make incendiary marks with regards to The Game. The Game has also continued to attack 50 Cent's reputation, most notably at Hot 97's recent Summer Jam 2005, and on his How The West Was One tour. The Game recently released a 15-minute-long song titled 300 Bars and Runnin', addressing various enemies of his.
Sha Money XL
Sha Money XL, the co-founder of G-Unit, acts as a business manager for the group, as well as a producer for several tracks on various G-Unit artists' albums. nanny
Olivia
Olivia is not only the first lady of G-Unit, but also the only R & B artist from the record label. Her album debut on J Records was shelved and she was soon dropped from the label. Soon afterwards, she emerged as member of G-Unit. Her contributions thus far have included the smash hit "Candy Shop" off The Massacre. Her album, Behind Closed Doors, will be her official debut, with features from G-Unit, Dr. Dre and many notable producers, in particular, Scott Storch and Cool and Dre.
Spider Loc
Spider Loc is second member from the west (including The Game) to be signed to G-Unit Records. Spider Loc, a former Crip member who was once signed as an artist to Death Row Records. He soon would later leave the label as well as Death Row's comeback kid Crooked I. As Crooked I found home with Universal Records, Spider Loc soon met 50 Cent. The two met while he was filming one of his videos, and, as the two talked, 50 Cent agreed to sign the rapper on his label. Spider Loc's debut, The West Kept Secret is scheduled for release in late 2005.
DJ Whoo Kid
The official tour deejay, DJ Whoo Kid is responsible for making G-Unit's exclusive mixtapes. Also a member of Hot 97, he is responsible for mixing and bringing new freestyle artists to G-Unit. He also has a show on the Shade 45 radio network.
Discography
Albums
- 2003 Beg For Mercy #2 US, #13 UK
Singles
From Beg For Mercy:
- 2003 "Stunt 101" #13 US; #25 UK
- 2003 "If I Can't" #76 U.S.; #10 U.K. ("If I Can't" is 50 Cent solo, "Poppin Them Thangs" with G-Unit is also included in the UK, 2004 release)
- 2004 "Wanna Get To Know You" (feat. Joe) #15 US, #27 UK
From And Then ... (by Joe):
- 2004 "Ride Wit U"/"More And More" (Joe feat. G-Unit) #56 US, #12 UK
Mixtapes
- G-Unit Series by DJ Whoo Kid
- 2002 G-Unit 1 - 50 Cent Is The Future
- 2002 G-Unit 2 - God's Plan
- 2002 G-Unit 3 - No Mercy, No Fear
- 2002 G-Unit 4 - Automatic Gunfire
- 2003 G-Unit 5 - Bulletproof
- 2003 G-Unit Radio Part I: Smoking Day 2
- 2003 G-Unit Radio Part II: International Ballers
- 2003 G-Unit Radio Part III: Takin It To The Street
- 2003 G-Unit Radio Part IV: No Peace Talks!
- 2004 G-Unit Radio Part V: All Eyez On Us
- 2004 G-Unit Radio Part VI: Motion Picture Sh!t
- 2004 G-Unit Radio Part VII: King Of New York
- 2004 G-Unit Radio Part VIII: The Fifth Element
- 2004 G-Unit Radio Part IX: G-Unit City
- 2005 G-Unit Radio Part X: Before The Massacre 2050
- 2005 G-Unit Radio Part XI: YAYO Raw & Uncut
- 2005 The Realest Killaz