Yung Wun

Yung Wun
Birth nameJames Carlton Anderson
Born (1982-05-05) May 5, 1982 (age 42)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active1999–present
Labels

James Carlton Anderson (born May 5, 1982), also known by his stage name Yung Wun, is an American rapper from Atlanta.[1][2]

He only produced one studio album "The Dirtiest Thirstiest"[3] in 2004

Biography

Yung Wun was raised in the Eastlake Meadows housing projects, otherwise known as "Little Vietnam". Yung Wun was very quickly exposed to the effects of crime and soon became involved with several gangs. By the age of thirteen, he had fully embraced a life of criminality. Yung Wun had numerous encounters with police as he took part in random lawlessness, which landed him in the juvenile justice system.

It was during this that Yung Wun found relief through lyrical expression. He began rhyming as a form of escape. He won several oratorical contests and writing awards. Yung Wun's grandmother, Vera, regularly pleaded with him to turn his life around, to get off the streets and concentrate on his talents in speaking and writing. In the single most pivotal moment of his young life, Yung Wun's grandmother died in his arms. Overwhelmed by her death, he was left to contemplate his future path. He decided to clean up his life and choose a more legal path. Yung Wun devoted his life to his art form.

Career

Inspired by the works of his rap idols, notably Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G. and DMX, he began showcasing his talents all over metro Atlanta, grabbing the attention of several music executives. Yung Wun appeared on several underground down-south projects while he endured the underhandedness of the music industry.[citation needed]

In 1998, his career took an upward turn when he signed with producers from Dark Society Recordings, an Atlanta-based production company. The team completed an album project and presented it to platinum selling super producer, Swizz Beatz. Swizz Beatz was impressed with Yung Wun's ability and presented the album to Ruff Ryders executives. Yung Wun began his affiliation with Ruff Ryders in 1999, and his debut major appearance was his feature on the music video version of "Down Bottom" with Drag-On. Following this appearance, Yung Wun appeared more prominently on Ruff Ryders albums. He was featured on three songs from the second Ruff Ryders compilation album, Ryde or Die Vol. 2: Stomp, Ryde Or Die Boyz, and WW III. He was also featured on Jadakiss' first solo album and appeared on Swizz Beatz compilation on DreamWorks, G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories.[citation needed]

Yung Wun's lyrical style consists of a blend of down south energy and ferocious. His first solo album The Dirtiest Thirstiest was released in 2004 on J Records co-signed under Arnold Schwarzenegger. He also created "Yung Wun Anthem", which was included on the soundtrack for EA Sport's "Madden NFL 2005" video game.[4]

Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
Heat.

[5]
US
R&B

[6]
US
Rap

[7]
The Dirtiest Thirstiest 11 50 24

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
[9]
US
R&B

[10]
US
Rap

[11]
US
Rhyth.

[12]
"Yung Wun Anthem" 2004 The Dirtiest Thirstiest
"Tear It Up"
(featuring DMX, David Banner and Lil' Flip)
76 39 21 26
"Walk It, Talk It"
(featuring David Banner)
97
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

Promotional singles

List of promotional singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
R&B

[10]
"WW III"
(with Snoop Dogg, Scarface and Jadakiss)
2000 77 Ryde or Die Vol. 2
"What U Come Round Here For"[13] 2002 Non-album singles
"Pop It"[14]
"I Tried to Tell Ya"[15] 2004 The Dirtiest Thirstiest
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

References

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (October 1, 2005). Music Yearbook. Hal Leonard Corp. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-89820-163-5. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  2. ^ Neff, Ali Colleen (August 1, 2009). Let the world listen right: the Mississippi Delta hip-hop story. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 160–. ISBN 978-1-60473-229-0. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  3. ^ "The Dirtiest Thirsiest".
  4. ^ EA announces Madden 2005 soundtrack – Xbox News at GameSpot Archived January 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Yung Wun – Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "Yung Wun – Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  7. ^ "Yung Wun – Chart History: Top Rap Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  8. ^ "The Dirtiest Thirstiest – Yung Wun". AllMusic. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "Yung Wun – Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Yung Wun – Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  11. ^ "Yung Wun – Chart History: Hot Rap Songs". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  12. ^ "Yung Wun – Chart History: Rhythmic Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  13. ^ What U Come Round Here For (Media notes). Yung Wun. J Records. 2002. J1PV-21196-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Pop It (Media notes). Yung Wun. J Records. 2002. J1PV-21215-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ I Tried to Tell Ya (Media notes). Yung Wun. J Records. 2004. J12-62864-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)