Born James Baker in Memphis, Tennessee during 1996, BlocBoy JB emerged from a sizable single-parent household where he quietly borrowed his brother's recording gear. A self-taught producer and dancer, he released his earliest track, "Goons Coming," while still a teenager. In 2017 the Memphis rapper issued both "No Chorus, Pt. 6" and "Shoot," the latter produced by longtime collaborator Tay Keith and included on the Who Am I 3 mixtape, which he recorded inside a closet; the song ignited a viral dance craze that reached high-profile ears including Drake. Additional projects such as The Purple M&M followed as his online profile expanded. Early the next year Drake appeared on "Look Alive," featured on the Simi mixtape; the single quickly accumulated millions of streams and marked JB's Billboard debut at number six on the Hot 100. He continued with the 2019 single "Mercedes" and the 2020 release "Swervin'" before delivering his major-label studio debut FatBoy that October, which included appearances by Trippie Red, G Herbo, and Yo Gotti. Also in 2020, FatBoy yielded the NLE Choppa collaboration "ChopBloc, Pt. 3." After a relatively quiet 2021, BlocBoy JB rejoined Tay Keith, who served as executive producer on the January 2022 mixtape Bacc 2 Da Bloc; the fifteen-track set featured EST Gee, Pooh Shiesty, Co Cash, and SpotemGottem.
