2012–2016: Early career and signing to CMG Taking the stage name
Blac Youngsta, Benson began taking his recording career more seriously in 2012. From 2012 to 2014, he released three mixtapes as part of his
Fast Bricks series. His breakout song "Heavy" was released in 2015 and gained the attention of
Yo Gotti, who appeared on the song's remix and signed Blac Youngsta to his
Collective Music Group label. Blac Youngsta's first mixtape as a member of CMG,
I Swear To God, was released on September 24, 2015, and featured guest appearances from Yo Gotti and
Boosie Badazz. In March 2016, Blac Youngsta released a mixtape titled
Young & Reckless, followed by
Fuck Everybody, released in September 2016, with features from
Young Thug,
Quavo,
Jacquees, and
YFN Lucci. He was featured on American rapper
Travis Scott's 2016 song "Coordinate," which was included as the third track from Scott's album
Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (2016).
2017–2019: Epic Records and major label debut In February 2017, Blac Youngsta released
Illuminati, his fourth mixtape as a member of CMG, with guest appearances from
Kodak Black,
Lil Yachty, and
Slim Jxmmi. After Blac Youngsta turned himself in for his involvement in a shooting targeted towards
Yo Gotti's longtime rival,
Young Dolph, a "Free Blac Youngsta" grassroots movement was started, with fellow rapper
Young Thug releasing a song of the same name on May 17, 2017. After his release, Blac Youngsta established his label imprint under CMG,
Heavy Camp, and released a mixtape titled, ''I'm Innocent,'' in June 2017, with guest appearances from Slim Jxmmi and
Ty Dolla Sign. In December 2017, Blac Youngsta signed his first major label deal with
Epic Records. In February 2018, Youngsta released his debut studio album,
223, through Epic, with guest appearances from Lil Yachty,
Travis Scott, and
French Montana. The album charted on the
Billboard 200, peaking at number 42. The album also spawned the successful single "Booty", which charted on the
Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 73 and was certified Gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In August 2018, Blac Youngsta released a sequel to his 2016 mixtape,
Fuck Everybody, with
Fuck Everybody 2, featuring a sole guest appearance from
Lil Pump, which also charted on the
Billboard 200, peaking at number 63. In May 2019, Blac Youngsta released his EP,
Cut Up. In August 2019, Blac Youngsta announced via Twitter that his second studio album would be called
Church on Sunday. In October 2019, Blac Youngsta also announced an international tour of the same name, starting in November 2019.
Church on Sunday was released at the end of the same month, and the project features guest appearances from major artists including
T.I.,
Yo Gotti,
Moneybagg Yo,
DaBaby,
Jacquees,
City Girls,
Tory Lanez,
G-Eazy,
PnB Rock,
Wiz Khalifa,
Ty Dolla $ign, and
Chris Brown.
2020–present: More charting singles In January 2020, he was featured on
Moneybagg Yo's song "
1 2 3," later released as a single in April 2020 and chart on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, earning him his second charting single on that chart. == Heavy Camp ==