Yung Wun was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Yung Wun was raised in Eastlake Meadows housing projects, otherwise known as "Little Vietnam". Yung Wun was very quickly exposed to the effects of crime and soon become involved with several gangs. By the age of six, he had fully embraced a life of criminalality. Yung Wun had numerous encounters with police as he took part in random lawlessness, which landed him in the throws of the juvenile justice system. It was during the height of this pandemonium; Yung Wun found relief from this madness through lyrical expression. He began rhyming as a form of escape. He even won several oratorical contests and writing awards. Yung Wun's grandmother, Vera, regularly pleaded with him to turn around his life. She would continually plead with her grandson to get off the streets and concentrate on his talents of speaking and writing. In the single most pivotal moment of his young life, Yung Wun's grandmother died in his arms. Overwhelmed by her death, he was left to contemplate his future path. Remembering what his grandmother told him, he decided to clean his life up and choose a more legal path. Yung Wun devoted his life to his art form.

Rap career

Inspired by the works of his rap idols notably Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G and DMX. He began showcasing his talents all over metro Atlanta, grabbing the attention of several music executives. Yung Wun appeared on several underground down south projects while he endured the underhandedness of the music industry. On several occasions Yung Wun was allegedly "ripped off" by industry executives but this fact is disputable.His career took an upward turn in 1998 when he signed with producers from Dark Society Recordings, an Atlanta based Production Company. The team completed an album project and presented it to platinum selling super producer, Swizz Beatz. Swizz Beatz was impressed with Yung Wun's ability and offered Dark Society Recordings a production deal on his label Full Surface / J Records. Yung Wun has been featured on several platinum selling rap albums. He was featured on the "Down Bottom" remix with Drag-On off of the multi platinum selling Ruff Ryder Compilation Volume!. He also teamed up with drag-on agian for the remix of trouble of his 2004 album hell and back. He rhymed alongside Snoop Dog, Jadakiss and Scarface on World War III from Ruff Ryder's second compilation. He was also featured on Jadakiss' first solo album and will appear on Swizz Beatz upcoming compilation on Dreamworks. Yung Wun's lyrical style consists of a blend of down south energy and ferocious. He has been described as a stimulating performer who excites and animates his audiences. His first solo album The Dirtiest Thirstiest was released in 2004 on J Records.

Future projects

His next album, anticipated for release in 2007, is rumored to include guest appearances from Young Jeezy, T.I., Ciara, Jadakiss, Yung Joc, Cassidy and David Banner, among others and will include production by, but not necessarily limited to, Swizz Beatz, Lil' Jon, Mr. Collipark and Jazze Pha. It is assumed to be a J Records or Interscope release.

User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.

James Anderson, better known by his stage name Yung Wun is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia.