Born David Brown in Nashville, Tennessee, Young Buck lived with his single mother and sister and began hustling drugs on the streets of Cashville (aka the hard knocks area of Nashville) to earn money for his family when he was just 14. Luckily, rapping began to take precedence in Young Buck's life and he got in at the ground floor of the emerging hip-hop scene in Nashville. Cash Money Records took notice of Young Buck in 1997 and signed the fledgling rapper, who forged a friendship with the label's biggest star, Juvenile, and eventually joined his label, UTP Records. While on the road with UTP, Young Buck recorded with Sha Money XL and 50 Cent, a local rapper making a name for himself with his G-Unit crew. The following year Young Buck signed with G-Unit/Interscope and was featured on G-Unit's platinum-selling album Beg for Mercy.

In 2004 Young Buck released his first G-Unit effort, Straight Outta Cashville, followed by Buck the World two years later. Straight Outta Cashville peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 chart and number two on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and Buck the World topped the charts at the number one spot on Billboard's Top Rap Albums chart and Top-R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album boasted a collaboration with 50 Cent ("Hold On"), the Dr. Dre-produced "U Ain't Goin Nowhere" and "Four Kings," featuring Young Jeezy among other standout tracks. "Get Buck" and "U Ain't Goin Nowhere" from the album both made their way to the hip-hop charts. Young Buck now has his own group, 615 (named after the Nashville area code), comprised of Lil' Murder, D-Tay and Hi-C and his own label called, what else, Cashville Records. Young Buck's most recent album is 2008's Da Underground.