Lil Pump | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Gazzy Fabio Garcia |
Also known as |
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Born | [1] Miami, Florida, U.S. | August 17, 2000
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 2015–present[5] |
Labels |
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Signature | |
Gazzy Fabio Garcia[6][7] (born August 17, 2000), known professionally as Lil Pump, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as part of the SoundCloud rap scene in the late 2010s, gaining distinction for his minimalist music and rambunctious public persona. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he gained mainstream attention following the release of his 2017 single "Gucci Gang", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded his self-titled debut studio album in October of that year.
"Gucci Gang", despite being panned by critics and audiences, was certified five-times platinum by the RIAA,[8] while the album of which it preceded peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. In the following two years, he saw continued success with his singles "I Love It" (with Kanye West featuring Adele Givens), "Esskeetit", "Drug Addicts", "Butterfly Doors", "Be Like Me" (featuring Lil Wayne), and "Welcome to the Party" (with Diplo and French Montana featuring Zhavia Ward) for the Deadpool 2 soundtrack.[9][10] His second studio album, Harverd Dropout (2019) peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200. His third studio album, Lil Pump 2 (2023) was released to generally favorable reviews despite failing to chart in any known territory.
Early life
Gazzy Garcia was born on August 17, 2000, in Miami, Florida.[1][11] In a 2018 interview with J. Cole, Garcia stated that his parents are from Colombia and divorced when he was six years old.[12]
When Garcia was thirteen years old, his cousin, Lil Ominous, introduced him to Omar Pineiro, better known as Smokepurpp; the two eventually became collaborators. Garcia and Pineiro were expelled from multiple district schools. Garcia, thereafter, enrolled in an opportunity high school but was expelled in the tenth grade for fighting and inciting a riot.[13]
Career
Career beginnings (2015–2016)
Garcia's rap career began when Smokepurpp produced a track and asked him to freestyle over it.[14] The single produced was independently released in 2016 on the music streaming website SoundCloud, as his debut single, "Lil Pump".[15] Garcia quickly followed the song with singles "Elementary", "Ignorant", "Gang Shit", and "Drum$tick", each garnering over three million streams.[16] The success of his tracks on SoundCloud earned him recognition among the South Florida underground rap scene, in a style known as "SoundCloud rap". He co-headlined the No Jumper tour in 2016, and also performed at the Rolling Loud Festival.[17][18] While rising in popularity and releasing underground hits, Pump would also meet other rappers like XXXTentacion, Ski Mask the Slump God, Fat Nick and Pouya.
Rising popularity and Lil Pump (2017)
Garcia began gaining attention in 2017 by releasing the singles "D Rose" and "Boss", which were major hits on SoundCloud, collecting a combined 70 million streams.[16] The popularity of "D Rose" led to a music video being produced by Chicago-based director Cole Bennett, also known as Lyrical Lemonade.[19] On June 9, 2017, Garcia signed a record deal with Tha Lights Global and Warner Records, just two months before his seventeenth birthday.[20] However, in January 2018, his contract with Warner Bros. Records was voided because he had been a minor at the time of signing.[21]
In July 2017, Garcia announced through Twitter that his debut mixtape was in the works and would be released in August.[22] However, the album was not released in August and was pushed back. He instead released the song "Gucci Gang", which became his first Billboard Hot 100 entry, peaking at number three on November 8, 2017.[10][23][24] The song was certified gold and platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 11, 2018, and as of July 31, 2018, is certified triple platinum.[8]
At age 17, Garcia rose to fame after he released his debut album, Lil Pump (released October 6, 2017), featuring Smokepurpp, Gucci Mane, Lil Yachty, Chief Keef, Rick Ross, and 2 Chainz.[25]
Harverd Dropout (2018–2019)
Garcia released "I Shyne" on January 18, 2018, with producer Carnage.[26] Following reports that he had left his former labels Tha Lights Lobal and Warner Records and the contract had been voided on the grounds of him being a minor when he signed,[27] competition rose to sign Garcia with offers reportedly as high as $8 million[28] to $12 million or more,[29] and artists such as Gucci Mane and DJ Khaled taking interest in him.[30][31] Garcia sparked rumors he had signed with Gucci Mane's imprint, 1017 Records, in February 2018.[32][33] Nonetheless, he re-signed another contract with Tha Lights Global and Warner Records for $8 million on March 12.[34]
On April 13, 2018, Garcia released the single "Esskeetit", which debuted and peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.[10] On May 24, 2018, Garcia performed "Esskeetit" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 24.[35] In June, he was featured on XXL Freshmen Class.[36] In July that year, he released the single "Drug Addicts" alongside a music video which features the actor Charlie Sheen.[37] On September 7, 2018, Garcia collaborated with Kanye West and comedian Adele Givens for the track "I Love It".[38] The track went straight to number 1 on the Canadian Hot 100.[39] Garcia announced in August 2018 a tour to promote his unreleased album Harverd Dropout, but it was cancelled a month later due to "unforeseen circumstances".[40][41] He released "Multi Millionaire" on October 5 as a single featuring Lil Uzi Vert.[42] On October 25, dubstep producer Skrillex released the song "Arms Around You", which is a collaboration he made with Garcia, Maluma, Swae Lee and posthumous vocals from XXXTentacion.[43]
On December 16, 2018, Garcia was accused of being racist towards Asians after previewing a snippet of his new song "Butterfly Doors"; the lyrics contained Asian stereotypes and slurs including "Ching chong" and "they call me Yao Ming cause my eyes real low" the lyric at which, Garcia mockingly pulls his eyes back. This caused a fair amount of negative press coverage and caused Chinese rappers to release diss tracks against him.[44][45] On December 24, he uploaded an apology video on Instagram regarding the incident and later released the single with the offensive lyrics edited out.[46] On February 21, 2019, Garcia released the song "Be Like Me" featuring Lil Wayne. A music video featuring both of the artists was also released.[47] He performed "Be Like Me" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on February 25.[48] On February 22, he released his debut studio album Harverd Dropout, featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Offset, Quavo, Smokepurpp, Lil Uzi Vert, 2 Chainz, and YG.[49] In the same year, he was featured on Forbes 30 under 30 list.[50]
Subsequent ventures & No Name (2020–2021)
On February 13, 2020, Garcia stated on his Instagram story "I'm done doing music I quit..."; he did not elaborate.[51] However days later he said on the same platform, "Yall Thought I Quit Bitch Im Back", and previewed a new song.[52] He also announced that Lil Pump 2 was the title of his upcoming album.[53] On September 16, 2020, Garcia released a new single "Life Like Me" on his SoundCloud account. The song was first previewed in 2018.[54] Later that same year, Garcia released various SoundCloud exclusives including "Lil Pimp Big MAGA Steppin"[55] and "I'monna".
In March 2021, Garcia went into partnership with the NFT marketplace Sweet to release a special NFT collection that includes digital jewelry and Lil Pump trading cards.[56][57][58] On August 12, 2021, "Racks to the Ceiling", featuring Canadian rapper Tory Lanez, was released. On December 14, 2021, Garcia and producer Ronny J silently released a new album titled No Name.[59] Unlike Garica's previous release, Harverd Dropout, the new album was never mentioned on social media, leading it to become a commercial failure.[60]
Lil Pump 2 (2022–present)
On April 12, 2022, Garcia released the lead single for Lil Pump 2, "All The Sudden". He released four more singles for the album after this, "Splurgin", "Mosh Pit", "She Know" and "Tesla". In March 2023, Pump would announce the cover and tracklist for his long-awaited second studio album Lil Pump 2, which features guest appearances from Smokepurpp, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Ty Dolla Sign, among others.[61] The album was released on March 17. Despite receiving more promotion on social media, the album was another commercial failure with the album failing to land on any chart. The deluxe version of Lil Pump 2, was released on September 15, 2023, containing new tracks: "6 Rings", "Glow in the Dark", "I Sell" and "Rick Rubin".
Personal life
Garcia has stated on social media and in lyrics that he has difficulty reading due to having dyslexia.[62]
On his Instagram account, Garcia stated that his father Fabio Garcia died on April 8, 2022.[63]
Politics
On October 26, 2020, Garcia endorsed the campaign of President Donald Trump in the 2020 United States presidential election, citing Joe Biden's tax plan as his reasoning.[64][65] Pump has made posts on social media wearing the Trump campaign's Make America Great Again baseball cap. On November 2, Trump brought Pump out to speak at his rally in Michigan, mistakenly calling him "Little Pimp".[66] Despite this endorsement, it was later revealed that Garcia was not a registered voter.[67] It was revealed that Garcia deleted a tweet he wrote in 2016 saying "FUCK DONALD TRUMP" after it went viral on Twitter.[68]
In December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was banned from JetBlue after refusing to wear a mask on a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles.[69]
Legal issues
On February 15, 2018, Garcia was arrested for discharging a weapon in an inhabited place.[70] According to his manager, three men attempted to break into his home in San Fernando Valley at around 4 pm before shooting into the door. Police found the bullet may have come from inside the home, coming back later with a search warrant before finding an unloaded handgun below the balcony with ammunition elsewhere in the residence.[71] Garcia's mother was subsequently investigated for endangering a minor and having an unsecured firearm at the home.[72]
On August 29, 2018, Garcia was arrested for driving without a license in Miami.[73][74] On September 3 he announced that he would be going to jail for 'a few months' for a parole violation stemming from the arrest.[75] However, he appeared on the live American television show Saturday Night Live on September 29.[76] Garcia's manager told Billboard in October 2018 that the rapper had served a prison sentence, but did not give any further details.[77]
On December 4, 2018, Garcia was arrested by Danish police after a performance in Vega, Copenhagen, for possessing marijuana; he was fined $700–800.[78] He later live streamed himself flipping his middle finger at a police officer while being detained. He was subsequently banned from entering the country for two years.[79][80]
On December 13, 2018, Garcia was arrested at a Miami airport for disorderly conduct as he was about to take off on a flight; security wanted to search Garcia's luggage for cannabis but Garcia insisted he did not have any. While no drugs were found, during the encounter with police Garcia became angry and began arguing loudly with the security employees. He was subsequently taken into custody.[81]
In November 2021, the IRS filed a lien on his Miami home for unpaid taxes in the amount of $1.6 million.[82]
Discography
Studio albums
- Lil Pump (2017)
- Harverd Dropout (2019)
- Lil Pump 2 (2023)
Awards and nominations
Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Billboard Music Awards | 2018 | Top Streaming Song | "Gucci Gang" | Nominated | [83] |
MTV Video Music Awards | Best New Artist | Himself | Nominated | [84] | |
2019 | Best Art Direction | "I Love It" | Nominated | [85] | |
IHeartRadio Music Awards | Best New Hip-hop Artist | Himself | Nominated | [86] | |
References
- 1 2 "Happy Birthday, Lil Pump! – XXL". XXL Mag. August 2018.
- ↑ Corinna, Burford (April 4, 2018). "Your Cheat Sheet for Telling All the SoundCloud Rappers Apart". Vulture. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- ↑ "MEO Sudoeste combined SoundCloud rap and EDM to spectacular effect". Mixmag.
- ↑ Lil Pump – Gucci Gang, retrieved May 24, 2019
- ↑ "Lil Ominous – I'm Just Trappin Lyrics". Genius. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Owes IRS $2 Million in Back Taxes - Report". April 29, 2023.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Reveals His Dad Has Died". April 9, 2022.
- 1 2 "Gucci Gang". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ↑ Margaritoff, Marco (May 21, 2018). "Watch Scenes From 'Deadpool 2' in Diplo and French Montana's "Welcome to the Party" Video". Complex. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- 1 2 3 "Lil Pump – Chart History: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
- ↑ "Lil Pump | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ↑ "J. Cole x Lil Pump Interview at The Sheltuh". J. Cole. YouTube. May 26, 2018.
Where your mom from? She from Miami too? (around 13:00)
- ↑ Bennett, Cole (September 18, 2016), Smokepurpp & Lil Pump: The Lyrical Lemonade Interview, archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved December 30, 2017 – via YouTube
- ↑ "Lil Pump, hottest American Rapper". Gulf-Times (in Arabic). January 14, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ↑ Turner, David (June 1, 2017). "Look At Me!: The Noisy, Blown-Out SoundCloud Revolution Redefining Rap". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
- 1 2 "Lil Pump's Soundcloud profile". SoundCloud. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ↑ Schwartz, Danny (April 26, 2017). "Everything You Need To Know About Lil Pump". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- ↑ Berry, Peter A. (May 18, 2017). "Chief Keef and Lil Pump Hit the Studio". XXL Mag. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- ↑ Bennett, Cole (January 30, 2017), Lil Pump – D Rose (Shot by @_ColeBennett_), archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved October 10, 2017 – via YouTube
- ↑ Schwartz, Danny (June 9, 2017). "Lil Pump Signs To Warner Bros Records Imprint Tha Lights Global". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ↑ Stutz, Colin (November 1, 2018). "Lil Pump Now Free Agent, Contract Voided With Warner Bros". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Announces Debut Project Dropping in August – XXL". XXL Mag. July 22, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Lands His First Song on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart – XXL". XXL Mag. September 2017.
- ↑ "Early Release! Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 November 18th 2017 Countdown – Official". Billboard. November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ↑ "Listen to Lil Pump's Self-Titled Debut Album – XXL". XXL Mag. October 2017.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Connects With Carnage for Wild New Song "i Shyne"". PigeonsandPlanes. January 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump's Warner Bros. Records Contract Voided – XXL". XXL Mag. January 11, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ↑ Aswad, Jem (January 12, 2018). "Lil Pump's Warner Bros. Contract Voided, 'Gucci Gang' Rapper Is Entertaining Other Offers". Variety. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ↑ "It's Official: 'Gucci Gang' Rapper Lil Pump Re-Signs With Warner Bros. Records". Variety. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ↑ "Gucci Mane Wants to Sign Lil Pump: 'U Name the Price'". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ↑ "DJ Khaled Wants to Sign Lil Pump to We the Best Music – XXL". XXL Mag. January 25, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Breakout Rapper Lil Pump Signs With Gucci Mane's 1017 Label". HipHop-N-More. February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Sparks Rumors He Signed to Gucci Mane's Label – XXL". XXL Mag. February 11, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Warner Bros. deal". Variety. March 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". NBC. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ↑ "2018 XXL Freshmen Class: We got clout". XXL. June 12, 2018.
- ↑ "Charlie Sheen appears in Lil Pump's latest video". NME. July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ↑ Espinoza, Joshua (September 7, 2018). "Kanye and Lil Pump's "I Love It" Video Gets the Memes It Was Made to Inspire". Complex. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
- ↑ "The week of September 22, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ↑ Lamarre, Carl (August 14, 2018). "Lil Pump Announces Harverd Dropout Tour". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- ↑ Aubrey, Elizabeth (September 30, 2018). "Lil Pump cancels his upcoming tour following legal issues". NME. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- ↑ Leight, Elias (October 5, 2018). "Hear Lil Pump, Lil Uzi Vert Collide on Blistering 'Multi Millionaire'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ↑ Daly, Rhian (October 25, 2018). "Skrillex shares new collaborative track 'Arms Around You' with XXXTentacion, Lil Pump and more". NME. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
- ↑ "Awkwafina Slams Lil Pump for Using Anti-Asian Racial Slurs in New Track, 'Butterfly Doors'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ↑ "Chinese rappers hit back at Lil Pump's racial slurs amid backlash". South China Morning Post. December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Apologizes For Using Racial Slurs: "I Got Asian Homies"". Rose Lilah. hotnewhiphop. December 25, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
- ↑ Darville, Jordan (February 21, 2019). "Lil Wayne features on Lil Pump's new song "Be Like Me"". FADER. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Brings 'Pump University' to 'Kimmel' With Flashy 'Be Like Me' Performance: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ↑ "Harverd Dropout by Lil Pump". Genius. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ↑ "Lil Pump". Forbes.
- ↑ Centeno, Tony M. (February 14, 2020). "Lil Pump Says He's Retiring From Music". XXL Mag. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Ends Extremely Brief Retirement". Complex. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Announces New Album". HotNewHipHop. April 28, 2020.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Finally Releases "Life Like Me"". HotNewHipHop. September 16, 2020.
- ↑ Aniftos, Rania (November 18, 2020). "Lil Pump Unveils His Pro-Trump Anthem 'Lil Pimp Big MAGA Steppin'". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ↑ "CEO of Sweet Talks NFT Partnership with Rapper Lil Pump". Cheddar. March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ↑ "Musician NFT Projects, Ranked by How Many F's I Can Give". Vulture. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ↑ "Rappers and NFTs – How Hip-Hop Is Cashing In on Non-Fungible Tokens". XXL Mag. March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ↑ Blanchet, Brenton (December 10, 2021). "Lil Pump and Ronny J Team Up for 'Lil Pump and Ronny J 1.5' Album". Complex Networks. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ↑ Neaupane, Sushil (December 19, 2021). "Lil Pump Dropped a New Album 'No Name' and It Didn't Make a Sound". hollywoodmask. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ↑ "Premiere: Lil Pump and YoungBoy Never Broke Again Connect on "I Don't Mind"". Complex. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Says He Can't Read, Gucci Mane Book Will Be His First". www.vladtv.com. June 9, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ↑ "Lil Pump's Dad Passed Away; Rap Star Mourns Loss". US day News. April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ↑ "The Countdown: Gen Z, why they vote and Amy v Hillary memes". BBC News. October 26, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ↑ "Lil Pump endorses Donald Trump for president, says "f*** sleepy Joe"". Newsweek. October 26, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ↑ "Trump Invites Rapper Lil Pump to Final Rally, Calls Him 'Little Pimp'". Variety. November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ↑ "Trump supporter Lil Pump didn't actually register to vote in 2020 election". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ↑ "Lil Pump deletes 2016 tweet about Donald Trump after it resurfaces". The Daily Dot. November 3, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ↑ "Rapper Lil Pump banned from Jet Blue after refusing to wear a mask". The Hill. December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Arrested for Firing Weapon at Home". Complex. February 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Reportedly Arrested For Firing Gun In His Home". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Has Been Arrested For Firing A Gun Inside His Home". UPROXX. February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ↑ Swift, Tim (August 30, 2018). "Rapper Lil Pump arrested for driving without license, Miami..." www.local10.com. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump's Lawyer Says the Rapper's Arrest Was Due to Racial Profiling". Complex. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Tells Fans He's Going to Jail for a 'Couple Months' After Violating Probation: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump's 'SNL' Performance Proves He's Not in Jail – XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- ↑ Lockett, Dee (October 10, 2018). "21 Under 21: Lil Pump on Recording 'I Love It' With Kanye West and Breaking Through the SoundCloud Noise". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Released from Custody in Denmark After Paying Fine for Marijuana". TMZ. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ↑ Jespersen, Linette; Hellensberg, Laura (December 6, 2018). "Politiet bekræfter: International stjerne udvist af Danmark". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ↑ "Lil Pump Detained For Taunting Danish Cops, Show Cancelled". Stereogum. December 4, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ↑ "Lil Pump arrested for disorderly conduct after being accused of bringing drugs on airplane". Consequence of Sound. December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ↑ Espinoza, Joshua (November 19, 2021). "Lil Pump Reportedly Owes the IRS $1.6 Million in Unpaid Taxes". Complex Networks. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ↑ Coleman, C. Vernon II (May 20, 2018). "2018 Billboard Music Awards Winners List". XXL. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ↑ "VMAs 2018: The winners' list". USA Today. August 21, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ↑ Schulman, Alissa (August 26, 2019). "2019 MTV VMA Winners: See The Full List". MTV.
- ↑ Brooks, Hayden (March 15, 2019). "2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards Winners: See The Complete List". iHeart.