Mario Mims (born May 19, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee), better known by his stage name Yo Gotti is an American rapper signed to Cash Money Records formerly known as Lil Yo 90's he released his first album from Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game in 2000 Since then he has released the 2001 Self-explanatory 2003's Life 2006's Back 2 Da Basics 2008's Cocaine Muzik 2009's CM2 (Cocaine Muzik 2 hosted by DJ Drama) and The King and Pyrex: Street Runnaz Special Edition
As one of the six epicenters in the southern Memphis hip-hop has always had a thriving agriculture that can produce major platinum superstars such as Eightball & MJG 3-6 Mafia and Project PatSkip aka Gianni Booker All the above-mentioned artists at one time literally dominated the city's underground rap scene before being ÖVErgår to become national superstars Next up for BAT Yo Gotti M-Town current underground rap Kingpin Like his namesake John Gotti in Memphis based rapper has been running the Southern underground scene with an iron fist for the last-known and respected throughout the South for his skill and finesse in microphone, Yo Gotti is one of Korea's most respected young rappers Born Mario Mims Yo Gotti grew up in the infamous Ridgecrest Apartments in a North Memphis neighborhood called Frazier His childhood was typical of a poor ghetto youth in the Deep South I grew up in a family with Hustlers and exposed to hard times 24 hours per day rap Tennessee Titan soon turned to the only thing he knew could get him paid Hustling "being from the hood things Hustling is coming your way"Says Yo Gotti" Everyone in my family hustled into Some Kinda way "Ironically Hustling is what ultimately led Yo Gotti to rapping Take cue from Memphis rap legends such as Eightball & MJG Al Kapone Gangsta Black Triple 6 Mafia and Kingpin Skinny Pimp all which he lists as influences, Yo Gotti released his own underground tape entitled Youngster on the Come Up and placed it on consignment at a local Mom & Pop record stores and Hustling The band sold out the trunk of hotcakes on the streets and made Yo Gotti the hottest rapper on the streets of Memphis From Dope Game on Rap Game Yo Gotti's sophomore effort sold so well that the Select-O-Hits a locally based independent distributor offered him a small business and Memphis rapper MOre than doubled his fan base with absolutely no marknadsföring or campaigns Soon he found himself ranked among the city's top rappers Besides being on the cover of Murderdog Magazine along side his idols Kingpin Skinny Pimp and Al Kapone his record from the Dope Game to the Rap Game made the list for the magazine's top independent record label for 2000 Two years later he inked a distribution deal with TVT Records and released the critically acclaimed album Life, which did respectable numbers for an independent label, "It sold about 40 or 50,000 with a few campaigns and video," says Yo Gotti "That history did what he did alone "But as the old adage when one door closes another opens Gotti's reputation as the king of Memphis continued to spread and that eventually led him to aproduction deal with Cash Money / Universal Records for his group The Block Burnaz With TVT his second album titled Back 2 Da Basics Yo Gotti back with the same hardcore street flavor that his die-hard fans have come to know and love only this time the real king Memphis has elevated his game a bit, given that his last record did not make the kind of big numbers, he hopes that you think Yo Gotti would switch up his style to reach a wider audience Right? Wrong! According to Gotti his street credibility with his underground fans means more to him than gold or platinum status "One thing you must understand is that when you create a fan base away from the street product the last thing you want to do is disrespect them by changing because of record companies and stuff when you make att you change it, you created for me it is very important that I keep in tune with the people who helped to sell 40,000 records independently, it is why I call my album Back 2 Da Basics " Produced by DJ Thoomp Mannie Fresh Carlos Brody and newcomers Street Tunes Back 2 Da Basics offers fans a grainy insiders believe the real streets of Memphis as seen through the eyes of Yo Gotti Nowhere is this perspective more intense than the "Full Time" the amped-up lead single, and with the MTV Film "Hustle & Flow film - with a thunderous bass and intoxicating beat joining Gotti recipe for success crowd full time "A lotta cats want to be a rapper or a street Hustler but they do not want to put in time that it takes," says Yo Gotti "They want money and cars and girls, but they do not want to work hard for it but to be successful at anything you have to grind it "on the song" Mama, we gone Be Alright "he waxes introspective by reflecting on all the difficult times that he and his family have suffered through the years and gives her hope-filled words, encouraging, "Mama, we gone Be Alright" with grip song "My Story" emerges as two of the most interesting songs on Back 2 Da Basics These three titles along with club banging tracks like "Shorty" featuring Baby make Back 2 Da Basics is one of the best albums of the year
