Fredo Bang

Rising from the streets of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, rapper Fredo Bang specializes in pugnacious yet melodic trap-based anthems that revolve around sex, violence, and struggle. Debuting in the early 2010s with his Top Boy Gorilla crew, he set himself apart with his lascivious viral single “Oouuh,” which arrived the same year he was released from an extended prison sentence. His time in jail would inform much of his material for the rest of the decade, especially on his solo mixtape debut, 2 Face Bang. In 2020, he made the jump to the majors, signing with Def Jam for his set Most Hated. Over the next few years, he kept busy with a pair of mixtapes including 2021′s Murder Made Me and its Lil Durk-assisted hit “Top” as well as 2022′s Two-Face Bang 2.
Born Fredrick T. Givens II, he was fond of music from a young age, playing in his middle and high school bands. Although he signed up in order to get closer to a girl he liked, he found himself interested in the clarinet and French horn, performing both in concert and in marching bands. Passing on a scholarship for college in Texas, he stayed in Baton Rouge and became increasingly involved in street life, leading to his first lock-up in 2014. Meanwhile, alongside his crew Top Boy Gorilla, he began rapping and recording. Some early work was collected on 2015′s Lost Files. From the outset, his steady bars and melodic hooks set him apart, cultivating an image that was both hardened by street life and also fully committed to bedroom activities.
In early 2016, he returned to prison. While behind bars, his lifelong friend Gee Money passed away, which devastated him. Upon his release in 2018, the combination of the death and his years locked up inspired a slew of tracks. He released his debut mixtape, 2 Face Bang, that October. The set featured his hit “Oouuh” and “Father,” an introspective and emotional peek into Givens’ psyche. That reflective attitude was combined with his melodic delivery, injecting a depth to his aggressive street anthems on subsequent 2019 releases Big Ape and Pain Made Me Numb. As his guest features increased — he recruited Tee Grizzley, Moneybagg Yo, YNW Melly, Kevin Gates, and more — he also caught the attention of Def Jam. After signing with the label, he issued 2020′s Most Hated, which marked the rapper’s first appearance on the Billboard 200. Months later, he hit the charts again with his fourth mixtape, In the Name of Gee, which featured another appearance by Gates, as well as Mulatto and Seven7Hardaway. 2021 saw Givens team up with Chicago rapper Polo G on the single “Bless His Soul” from the Murder Made Me mixtape. In early 2022, he delivered the solo tracks “Throw It Back” and “4′s Up,” along with the DJ Chose collaboration “She Luv Me.” In April of that year, new mixtape Two-Face Bang 2 arrived, with guest features from Roddy Ricch, Sleepy Hallow, and others. The mixtape debuted in the Billboard Top 200 charts. ~ Neil Z. Yeung