G-Unit: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• The LOX
• The Diplomats
• D12
• Ruff Ryders
• State Property

• Mobb Deep

• The Game
• Tony Yayo
• Eminem

Genres:

Gangsta and Hardcore Rap Music, East Coast Rap Music

Decades Active:

2000's

Artistic Quality

Low

Cultural Impact

Low

Popularity

Medium

Ratings Guide

Practically every East Coast hardcore rapper has a posse to back him, and 50 Cent is no different, with G-Unit as his particular crew. The Unit began as a trio comprised of 50, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo (often with the accompaniment of either DJ Whookid or Cutmaster C as their DJ), and this particular lineup resulted in a series of popular mixtapes: 50 Cent Is the Future, God's Plan, No Mercy, No Fear, and Automatic Gunfire. Before the group had a chance to record its debut album for Interscope in the wake of 50's breakthrough with Get Rich or Die Tryin', Yayo was sentenced to prison for a gun-possession charge. His replacement, Young Buck, stepped up soon afterward, and the group continued its activity, working on yet more mixtape recordings and scoring some big-time success on the "G-Unit Remix" to 50's "P.I.M.P.," which also featured Snoop Dogg and got heavy rotation on MTV. Meanwhile, G-Unit recorded its debut album, Beg for Mercy, over the course of 2003, and Interscope finally released the album on November 18, preceding it with a lead single, "Stunt 101."

- Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide