40 Glocc

Born Lawrence White, also known professionally as Tory Gasaway, the West Coast gangsta rapper 40 Glocc first saw the light of day on December 16, 1979, in Galveston, Texas. His grandmother raised him after his mother remained absent until he reached eight years old; once reunited, she relocated the family first to Los Angeles and later to Colton, California—nicknamed the Zoo—in San Bernardino County. Gang life in the area soon pulled him in, and at thirteen he left home to survive on the streets as a member of the Colton City Crips. His first commercial appearance came in 1998 when he joined Zoo Crew rappers K-9 and Natural Born on the album Migrate Adapt or Die. Five years afterward he issued his solo debut, The Jackal, through the BMG-distributed imprint Empire Musicwerks, an effort boasting beats from Dr. Dre, Battlecat, and South Central Cartel’s Prodeje alongside guest spots from Kurupt, Ras Kass, Suga Free, Spice 1, and Tray Deee. That partnership proved brief, leaving him to hunt for fresh recording deals. G-Unit Records brought him aboard in 2006, aided by his management ties to labelmates Mobb Deep, yet the arrangement yielded mainly added visibility rather than sustained output. Alongside 2007 mixtapes That New Nigga and Street Hop, he courted notice by targeting better-known artists, most directly on the single “3 Amigos,” where he took aim at the Game, Lil Wayne, and Young Buck.