Brooklyn rapper Rowdy Rebel, tightly connected to Bobby Shmurda and the GS9 crew, produces verses defined by their raw force and relentless drive. A stretch of heavy output from 2014 to 2016 gave way to an extended stretch of limited activity, which ended when he surfaced on a Pop Smoke song in 2020 and then issued his own single the next year, “Jesse Owens,” featuring NAV. Epic delivered the major-label mixtape Rebel vs. Rowdy in 2022.
Chad Marshall was born in Brooklyn, New York, and turned his childhood nickname “Rowdy” into his professional name after linking with East Flatbush associates to create GS9. Bobby Shmurda secured his Epic Records contract in 2014; Rowdy Rebel followed with his own signature two months afterward. He joined Chris Brown, Busta Rhymes, Yo Gotti, and additional artists on the 2014 remix of Shmurda’s hit “Hot Nigga.” That year also brought Rebel’s first single, “Beam Jawn,” while “Computers,” featuring Shmurda, closed out the calendar. Another 2015 release, “She’s All About That Shmoney,” again included Shmurda and added veteran rapper Too $hort. Remain Silent, his opening solo mixtape, surfaced in 2015; he followed it in 2016 with Shmoney Keeps Calling, a project studded with appearances from GS9 members plus Rich the Kid, A$AP Ferg, and others.
Beyond occasional stray tracks and cameos, Rowdy Rebel stayed largely out of sight for years until his spot on Pop Smoke’s 2020 track “Make It Rain.” In 2021 he released the single “Jesse Owens” under his own name, this time with NAV supplying a guest verse. Rebel vs. Rowdy reached listeners via Epic in 2022 and carried contributions from French Montana, Fivio Foreign, and Jadakiss.
