G Herbo

Terror Town

Herbert Randall Wright III was born in Chicago on October 8, 1995, and grew up in South Shore, in a pocket around 79th Street and Essex Avenue that locals called Terror Town. He attended Hyde Park Academy before leaving school at 16, and that same year, 2011, he signed with Machine Entertainment Group. With neighborhood friends he formed NLMB, a crew that recast its initials as “Never Leave My Brothers.”

Lil Herb and “Fazoland”

Recording as Lil Herb, he broke out alongside Lil Bibby with “Kill Shit,” whose lyrics Drake quoted online in 2013. His debut mixtape “Welcome to Fazoland” appeared on February 17, 2014, named for Fazon Robinson, a friend killed in 2010. Its dense, punchline-heavy verses and soul-leaning beats pushed drill in a more lyrical direction. In April 2014 he featured on Nicki Minaj's “Chiraq,” and further tapes followed, including “Pistol P Project” (2014), “Ballin Like I'm Kobe” (2015) and “Strictly 4 My Fans” (2016).

Albums and the charts

As G Herbo, he released his debut album “Humble Beast” on September 22, 2017, and it reached No. 21 on the Billboard 200. “Swervo,” made with producer Southside, reached No. 15 in 2018, and “Still Swervin” followed in 2019. “PTSD” (February 28, 2020) debuted at No. 7, and its title track with Juice WRLD, Chance the Rapper and Lil Uzi Vert became his first Hot 100 entry. “25” (July 2, 2021) opened at No. 5, his highest-charting album. Later albums include “Survivor's Remorse” (2022), “Big Swerv” (2024) and “Lil Herb” (2025). His biggest Hot 100 hit came as a featured artist on Nardo Wick's “Who Want Smoke??,” which peaked at No. 17.

Advocacy and legal matters

Since 2020 he has led Swervin' Through Stress, a mental health program for Black youth. In 2023 he pleaded guilty in a federal wire fraud conspiracy case.

Read the story: Chicago Rap, Decade by Decade: From Hip House to Drill