G-Eazy

Gerald Earl Gillum (born May 24, 1989), known professionally as G-Eazy, is an American rapper. Based in Oakland, California, he began his career in 2006 and released two independent studio albums before signing with RCA Records to release his third album and major label debut, These Things Happen (2014). It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and spawned the single "I Mean It" (featuring Remo), which received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.

His fourth and fifth albums, When It's Dark Out (2015) and The Beautiful & Damned (2017), both debuted within the Billboard 200's top five. Their respective lead singles, "Me, Myself & I" (with Bebe Rexha) and "No Limit" (featuring Cardi B and ASAP Rocky), both entered the Billboard Hot 100's top ten; the latter peaked at number four on the chart and remains his highest-charting song. His sixth album, These Things Happen Too (2021), was met with a commercial decline, peaking at number 19 on the Billboard 200. His seventh and eighth albums, Freak Show (2024) and Helium (2025), both failed to chart in any known territory.

Gerald Earl Gillum was born on May 24, 1989, the eldest of two sons of Edward Gillum, an art professor at California State University, Fresno, and Suzanne Olmsted, an artist and professor. He is named after his maternal grandfather. He has a younger brother, James (born 1992) who is also a musician. His father is of partial White Mexican descent.

When Gillum was in first grade, his mother left his father, and Gillum then moved in with his grandparents in Berkeley, California, where he attended Berkeley High School. They later moved to North Oakland, although Gillum continued to attend school in Berkeley. Gillum attended Loyola University New Orleans, where he graduated with a BA in music industry studies in 2011.

Starting out as a record producer, G-Eazy began working on singles while he was still a student at the Loyola University at New Orleans with his producer Christoph Andersson who also was a student there. He gained some recognition for being a part of the new hip-hop scene back in the East Bay Area, joining with such artists as Lil B, Crohn and The Cataracs. He became a member of a local hip-hop group called "The Bay Boyz", who had released several songs on their Myspace page.

In 2008, he was performing at a college talent show and was nearly booed off, when Matt Bauerschmidt noticed him and signed him as a client to his new music management company The Revels Group that he started with Matt Davis.

In 2010, G-Eazy was given an opportunity to open for some well-known artists, most notably Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg.

G-Eazy's mixtapes at this period of time were met with limited success. In August 2011, he released The Endless Summer, with an updated version of the 1961 hit song "Runaround Sue", which garnered over four million views via YouTube. The music video was directed by Tyler Yee. The mixtape features guest appearances from Greg Banks, Erika Flowers and Devon Baldwin. In November 2011, Gillum embarked on a nationwide tour with Shwayze. "My Life Is a Party" was featured in the game Saints Row: The Third on an in-game radio station.