Waka Flocka Flame

Juaquin James Malphurs, known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. He first became known for his 2009 single "O Let's Do It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 and led him to sign with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, an imprint of Warner Records that same year.

Waka Flocka Flame arrived in 2009 as Gucci Mane's hungry protégé, turning "O Let's Do It" into a Billboard earworm that announced his hunger to anyone paying attention. Under Gucci's mentorship through Brick Squad, he became the voice of Atlanta's most aggressive era, but it was producer Lex Luger who truly crystallized his identity—the thunderous, minimalist production on "Hard in the Paint" became the sonic blueprint for Flockaveli, a debut that proved Waka wasn't just riding Gucci's coattails. His three albums across 2010-2012 captured a specific moment when trap was still young enough to feel dangerous, before it calcified into formula, and his relentless touring built a fanbase that never stopped showing up.