Keenon Dequan Ray Jackson (born March 9, 1990), better known by his stage name YG (short for Young Gangsta), is an American rapper. He released his debut mixtape 4Fingaz in 2008, and its follow-up, The Real 4Fingaz, the following year. The latter gained recognition for its local hit song "Toot It and Boot It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 67 and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings in October 2009, which entered joint-venture with Atlanta-based rapper Jeezy's record label, CTE World, in 2013.

His 2013 single, "My Nigga" (featuring Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan), peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song and its follow-ups, "Left, Right" (featuring DJ Mustard) and "Who Do You Love?" (featuring Drake), preceded the release of his debut studio album, My Krazy Life (2014), which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and saw positive critical reception. Also in 2014, he guest appeared on Jeremih's single "Don't Tell 'Em", which peaked at number six on the Hot 100 and remains his highest-charting song. His second album, Still Brazy (2016), was met with critical acclaim despite less commercial orientation, as it explored political and social issues for its subject matter.

His next three studio albums — Stay Dangerous (2018), 4Real 4Real (2019), and My Life 4Hunnid (2020) — each debuted within the Billboard 200's top ten; the former spawned the single "Big Bank" (featuring 2 Chainz, Big Sean and Nicki Minaj), which peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains his highest-charting song as a lead artist. His sixth album, I Got Issues (2022) moderately entered the chart and served as his final release on Def Jam; Just Re'd Up 3 (2025), narrowly entered the Billboard 200. His collaborative albums, Kommunity Service (2021) with Mozzy and Hit Me When U Leave the Klub: The Playlist (2023) with Tyga, were both released independently and met with critical praise.

Keenon Dequan Ray Jackson was born on March 9, 1990, in Compton, California. He grew up on the 400 block of West Spruce Street in Compton, California. The 400 block name would inspire his "4hunnid" tag, along with the names of his record label and streetwear brands. His stage name "YG" stands for "Young Gangsta." YG joined the Pirus in 2006 at age 16. His father served time in jail for tax fraud.

YG created the "Pu$haz Ink" record label and group with DJ Mustard in 2008. After releasing several songs that garnered him a large following on the internet, such as "She A Model" and "Aim Me" YG signed to Def Jam in 2009. According to Max Gousse, the senior VP of A&R at Island/Def Jam who inked the rapper, the signing stemmed from a newfound emphasis on West Coast artists by label president/CEO L.A. Reid, as well as, YG's technical ability and stage presence. However, just as he was getting his buzz up in mid-2009, he was arrested on a parole violation, stemming from a previous charge of residential burglary. Following this, he worked on mixtapes, touring, and a clothing line based on his brand, 4Hunnid. Def Jam re-released "Toot It and Boot It," which features singer Ty Dolla Sign in June 2010, and became the rapper's first hit song. He was also included as part of XXL's 2011 Freshmen Class. Beginning with YG's mixtape The Real 4 Fingaz, Mustard began further producing on YG's projects. Their work resulted in songs such as "I'm Good", "Bitches Ain't Shit" featuring Tyga and Nipsey Hussle, and "You Broke", also featuring Nipsey Hussle. The singles were met with moderate success, but not near as much as his debut single.

In 2012, he announced his debut album, then titled “I'm 4rm Bompton”. Later in June 2013, he revealed that Jeezy's record label CTE World would release the album. He was then featured on Yo Gotti's "Act Right" also featuring Jeezy. It would peak at number 100 on the Billboard Hot 100. He was then prominently featured on the CTE World mixtape, Boss Yo Life Up Gang in August 2013.

On September 4, 2013, YG revealed that his debut album would be released on November 19, 2013, via Def Jam Recordings and that he has changed the album title to My Krazy Life. He also revealed that Drake would be featured on a song titled "Who Do You Love?", produced by DJ Mustard. Shortly thereafter he released the album's lead single "My Nigga" featuring Rich Homie Quan and Jeezy, also produced by DJ Mustard. The song has since peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100. On December 10, 2013, YG released the DJ Mustard-produced "Left, Right" as the album's second single. The following day, Def Jam announced that My Krazy Life would be released on March 18, 2014 and that "Who Do You Love?" featuring Drake would be the album's next single. On February 18, 2014, YG revealed the cover artwork for his debut album My Krazy Life. The artwork features YG posing for a mugshot, with his name and album title detailed in the placard around his neck. It was released on March 18, 2014.

On June 24, 2015, in an interview with Billboard, YG revealed that his second studio album would be called Still Krazy and it would be released in 2015 On July 15, 2015, YG teased the first single for the album, "Twist My Fingaz" on Instagram. The same day, YG released the single, "Cash Money" featuring Krayzie Bone. The full version of "Twist My Fingaz" was released July 17, 2015. On December 12, 2015, he released the second single, titled "I Want a Benz" featuring rappers Nipsey Hussle and 50 Cent.