Mario Mims, aka Yo Gotti, is an American rapper. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album Youngsta's On a Come Up, under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to release From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game (2000), Self-Explanatory (2001), Life (2003), Back 2 da Basics (2006), Live from the Kitchen (2012), I Am (2013), The Art of Hustle (2016) and I Still Am (2017).

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Mims grew up in Ridgecrest Apartments in the Frayser neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee. He began his music career around 14, rapping as Lil Yo, affiliated with DJ Sound and his crew. Between 2000 and 2006, Yo Gotti released a string of independent albums: From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game (2000), Self-Explanatory (2001), Life (2003), and Back 2 da Basics (2006).

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After several delays, Yo Gotti released his major label debut studio album,  Live From The Kitchen, on January 10, 2012. The album's original first single was titled "5 Star," and it was released on May 20, 2009. The single peaked at 79 on the Hot 100, 19 on U.S R&B, and 11 on U.S Rap."Women Lie, Men Lie" featuring Lil Wayne, the album's second single, was released on December 11, 2009. The song peaked at 81 on 100, 22 on the U.S R&B, and 12 on the U.S Rap."Look In the Mirror" was the third single released 7 months after the second single on July 27, 2010. The song peaked at 97 on the U.S R&B chart. Live From The Kitchen debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200, with 16,000 copies sold in its first week of sales in the United States. After three weeks on the chart, the album has sold 36,000 copies in the United States. In 2012, due to Gotti's views of his debut album's low sales, he departed from RCA Records & Polo Grounds Music. On October 17, 2012, he released the 7th version of his well-known mixtape series Cocaine Muzik entitled Cocaine Muzik 7: The World Is Yours.

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In early 2013, Gotti announced that he and his label CMG had been signed to a distribution deal with Epic Records from longtime business partner L.A. Reid. On May 28, 2013, Yo Gotti announced that his sixth studio album would be titled I Am. The first single from his sixth studio album, I Am, is titled "Act Right" and features Young Jeezy and YG. The song debuted at #5 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and at #39 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. As of September 21, it has peaked at #100 on the Hot 100, making it Gotti and YG's third Hot 100 entry, #33 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and #24 on the Rap Songs chart. In July 2013, it was announced that the album would be released on November 19, 2013. On August 22, 2013, he announced the I Am Tour Dates, a tour promoting I Am, which ran from September 14, 2013, until November 19, 2013, with supporting acts including YG, Zed Zilla, Shy Glizzy, and Cash Out. On September 2, 2013, Yo Gotti released the mixtape Nov 19th: The Mixtape in promotion for the album.

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On October 7, 2013, the album's second official single, "King Shit," featuring T.I., was sent to mainstream urban radio in the United States. On October 15, 2013, the music video for "King Shit" featuring T.I. was released. "King Shit" has since peaked at five on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. On October 27, 2013, Yo Gotti premiered the album's third single, "Cold Blood," featuring rapper J. Cole and Canei Finch.

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On February 1, 2016, Yo Gotti released the official cover art for the standard and deluxe versions of The Art of Hustle and the album's release date. The album was released on February 19, 2016, and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200. The album's lead single, "Down in the DM" (featuring Nicki Minaj on the remix), peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. In August 2016, singer Meghan Trainor released "Better" featuring Gotti as the third single from her second major-label album, Thank You. Gotti closed out 2016 by announcing a deal with Jay Z and his Roc Nation label in partnership with his CMG (Collective Music Group) imprint. 

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On June 1, 2017, Gotti released a collaborative mixtape with record producer Mike Will Made It, titled Gotti Made-It. The mixtape's lead single, "Rake It Up," featuring Nicki Minaj, peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became his highest charting single in the country.

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Collective Music Group, also known as CMG, formerly Cocaine Muzik Group, is a record label founded by Yo Gotti. The label's first official release was Yo Gotti's sixth studio album, I Am. The label released a collective project featuring the whole roster titled Chapter One in 2014. The label's current president is Yo Gotti's relative, Brandon Mims.  Source.

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