Sammie Marquez Benson (born April 8, 1990), professionally known as Blac Youngsta, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is signed to Yo Gotti's label Collective Music Group (CMG) and Epic Records. After a series of mixtapes upon being signed, his 2017 single "Hip Hopper" and 2018 single "Booty", became the most successful, with the latter peaking at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both songs appear on his debut studio album 223 (2019), which peaked at number 42 on the Billboard 200. Early life Sammie Marquez Benson was born on April 8, 1990, and raised in McMillan Street, a poor area in South Memphis, Tennessee. Benson and his younger brothers were raised by their grandparents. Despite both of his grandparents having jobs, they earned very little and struggled to put food on the table. Benson's grandfather managed to get him a job at a local grocery store when he was just 7 years old, however, he was fired when the manager caught him placing fake orders to the store in order to take the food home for him and his brothers. After losing his job at the store, Benson began selling drugs and served numerous sentences in prison for drug and gun charges. In 2012, after serving a year in prison, Benson began hosting local block parties which made him locally popular in South Memphis. Shortly after, he began pursuing a career in music, releasing his debut mixtape Fast Bricks in 2012. Career 2012–2016: Early career and signing to CMG Taking the stage name Blac Youngsta, Benson began taking a career in music more seriously in 2012, releasing three mixtapes as part of his Fast Bricks series, from 2012 to 2014. 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. 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