Atlanta-based
Young Jeezy originally planned on having a background role in the music industry -- as a businessman, not as a rapper. Years before making his first Def Jam album --
Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101, released in July 2005 -- he set up Corporate Thugz Entertainment and promoted Cash Money releases. From there, he branched out as a label boss and artist in his own right, releasing albums and mixtapes.
Come Shop wit' Me, his independently distributed debut from 2003, allegedly sold more than 50,000 copies. As a member of
Boyz N da Hood, he was behind a self-titled album (released just weeks before
Let's Get It) that debuted in the Top Ten of the Billboard album chart. Driven by the hit "Soul Survivor,"
Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 eventually did even better, nestling at the number two spot in the Billboard 200.
The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102 followed in late 2006, and by that point,
Jeezy had become one of the most prominent MCs; the album became his first number-one smash. In 2007 he introduced his
U.S.D.A. crew with the album
Cold Summer, and then returned to his solo career a year later with the politically minded
The Recession -- his second set to reach number one. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide