Famous Dex is a name often associated with the virally adored new wave artists of the South, like Atlanta's Lil Yachty -- with whom he shares a hairstyle (and color) -- or Trill Sammy and Ugly God from Houston. Aside from Rich The Kid, the label's founder and CEO, Famous Dex is the only current signee of Rich Forever Music, and he's earned a deal with 300 Entertainment as a result, as the two companies officially partnered this summer.
Dex's music is built on turning up in the silliest, most fun-loving manner possible -- another reason why his name has resonated more so in the blogs than in the streets and why he's popped off in scenes that embrace a creative youth culture, rather than those that focus on crime and violence. Even so, Dex, now 23 years old, hails from the South Side of Chicago, and he made his name in his home neighborhood of Englewood, a place that plays an indelible history in Chiraq drill music. And like guys like Durk and Keef, Dex's backstory is filled with pain and struggle, including the loss of his mother just over a year ago.
As his name continues to rise, here's a guide to all that you need to know -- all the positive as well as the controversy -- about Famous Dex. Scroll through the galleries to get started.
Origin Story
Dex grew up in Englewood in the South Side of Chicago, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city. The area is home to other famous rappers, mostly of the drill scene, like Chief Keef, Fredo Santana, Lil Reese, and Lil Durk, the latter with whom Dex went to high school. Before rap, Dex spent much of his time hustling in the streets; he claims to have been selling drugs as recently as 2015. His decision to get out of the streets and pursue a music career was prompted by the loss of his mother. She died of breast cancer in September 2015, and Dex commemorated her passing with a tattoo of her name on his neck and another one of the breast cancer awareness ribbon on his cheek. Dex has a young daughter, with whom he can be seen in the picture above.
Music
Musical Style
Dexter is his real name, but he has made sure to take inspiration from the boy-genius character from the famous Cartoon Network series. The connection is ready-made not just due to Dex's name but also his cartoonish energy and mad scientist-like sonic experiments. He favors extra bubbly trap-driven electronic beats, and he often sharpens his pitch into something that sounds computer-generated. More recently, he has begun to call himself "Dexter The Robot," which was the title of a mixtape he dropped in September.
He may have a similar energy level to the drill pioneers of his home neighborhood, though the spirit of Dex's music is one of positivity rather than aggression. His brand of turn-up music isn't driven by a sense of menace, and he hopes his fans will rejoice in the undying zaniness of his attitude. The hyperactive meandering of his natural strut is reflected in his music. He enjoys auto tune as a tool that fits into his alien character. Redundancy is a foreign concept to Dex, and he loves to fill negative space with his own signature ad-libs, such as "oh man goddamn!"
Frequent collaborator Lil Yachty referred to Dex as a "creative jitterbug," and that's about the most precise two-word description one can imagine. In both appearance and sound, he takes stylistic cues from Atlanta, and he also has an appreciation for Houston lingo, such as the "drip." His interest in the young scenes within these cities has made his buzz quickly circulate far outside of Chicago, and him not being beholden to one regional affiliation has been instrumental to his success.
Dex's rise to prominence began in late 2015, first with his Dexter's Laboratory mixtape, which birthed some of his biggest songs to date, like "Hoes Mad," "Swagg," and most notably, "2 Times." This summer, "2 Times" was given a remix by Rich The Kid -- his label boss -- and Wiz Khalifa -- his favorite rapper.
Also at the end of 2015, he dropped a song and video called "Drip from My Walk," which, unlike other drip-inspired music, would go on to be approved, and even remixed, by Sauce Walka, a co-owner of The Sauce Factory.
Rich Forever Music & 300 Ent.
In March, Rich The Kid announced that he had officially started his own label, Rich Forever Music. He soon revealed that his first signee was Famous Dex, with whom he collaborated on "Hell Yeah" just days earlier. Florida rapper J $tash would feature a handful of times on the label's first compilation, which dropped the next month, though Rich and Dex are the only Rich Forever artists on Rich Forever 2, released in July. This summer, before the release of RF2, Rich The Kid secured a deal between Rich Forever and 300 Entertainment, to whom Rich is also affiliated due to his signing with Quality Control Music. Rich and Dex can be seen celebrating the new deal with 300 CEO Lyor Cohen above.
Recent Assault Caught on Video
After what seemed like unhindered success for much of the year, Dex's reputation took a beating in September when he was caught on camera striking his girlfriend repeatedly. The footage was shared by Tish Hyman, an esteemed songwriter in the hip-hop industry, as the assault reportedly took place in a hallway in her apartment building. Dex, who lost an endorsement deal with Puma as a result of the incident, responded to backlash by showing regret but also pointing out that the victim had cheated on him. There have been rumors that Dex spent a short time in jail shortly after the footage went viral, though it is ultimately unclear if he has experienced -- or if he is awaiting -- any legal consequences because of his violent actions. Watch the (WARNING: GRAPHIC) video here.
5 Mixtapes in 2016
Famous Dex is nothing if not prolific. Beginning with Drippy on New Year's Day, Dex has released a total of five mixtapes in 2016. His latest, Different, came just two days ago (Nov. 1), and Dexter The Robot dropped less than six weeks before that. Taking all of them together, the projects feature artists like Lil Yachty, Quavo, Playboi Carti, Dice SoHo, Ugly God, and of course, Rich The Kid. In fact, the two labelmates have released two Rich Forever compilations this year, so counting those, that's 7 projects for Dex in 2016. Listen to or download each of them below.
Famous Dex:
Rich Forever: