Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz took his raw, uncut style from deep underground circles to mainstream success over the course of a long, winding career arc. After starting out rapping in the '90s as part of a collective called Concentration Camp, he was taken under the wing of Pimp C as a solo artist. Throughout the 2000s and beyond, Boosie's acclaim grew as he moved into the big leagues on major-label-funded albums like 2010's Incarcerated.

Originally known as Lil' Boosie, Boosie Badazz's hard Southern style comes from growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. An appearance on C-Loc's 2000 It's a Gamble, became Boosie's debut. He soon released the full-length CD Youngest of da Camp on his own. His big breakthrough began when he joined Pimp C's Trill Entertainment camp. He was paired with fellow Trill artist Webbie for the 2003 release Ghetto Stories and again for 2004's Gangsta Musik, which featured the first appearance of Webbie's future hit "Give Me That." Trill then worked a deal with the Warner Bros.-associated Asylum, and both Webbie and Boosie were now on a major label.