B.G. (rapper)
A foundational voice of New Orleans hip-hop, his raw, streetwise narratives helped define Cash Money Records' early sound and launch a regional movement.
Born 1980 (age 46)·American rapper·Birthday: September 3·Generation X
Biography
Before the billion-streaming era, B.G., born Christopher Dorsey, was a pre-teen prodigy laying down the law for New Orleans. Signing to Cash Money at just 12, his voice—a seasoned, gravelly flow that sounded older than his years—became a cornerstone of the label's gritty, unfiltered identity. As a core member of the Hot Boys alongside Lil Wayne and Juvenile, he helped turn the group's albums into southern street anthems that resonated far beyond Louisiana. His solo work, particularly 1999's 'Chopper City in the Ghetto', captured the city's rhythm and reality with a stark clarity. B.G.'s career represents the raw, entrepreneurial spirit of 90s Southern rap, where local scenes built empires on authenticity before cracking the mainstream code.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
B.G. was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When B.G. Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
B.G.'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Was a founding member of the influential New Orleans rap group Hot Boys, whose 1999 album 'Guerrilla Warfare' went Gold.
- Released the critically acclaimed solo album 'Chopper City in the Ghetto' in 1999, featuring the hit single 'Bling Bling' which popularized the term.
- His 2000 album 'Checkmate' debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, his highest-charting solo release.
- Collaborated on numerous tracks with Lil Wayne, including the hit 'Way of Life' from the 'Fast & Furious' soundtrack.
Did You Know?
He earned his stage name 'B.G.', which stands for 'Baby Gangsta', due to his young age when he started rapping.
The term 'bling bling', coined in his song of the same name, was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2003.
He was only 17 years old when the Hot Boys released their major-label debut, 'Get It How U Live!'.
He left Cash Money Records in 2002, the same year the Hot Boys unofficially disbanded.
“Cash Money is an army, we got a million soldiers.”
