What is Yung Berg's Net Worth?
Yung Berg is an American rapper, producer, and songwriter who has a net worth of $500 thousand. Also known as Hitmaka, Yung Berg rose to fame in 2007 with the release of his first album, "Look What You Made Me." In 2001, he was signed to DMX's Bloodline Records and made his debut on the "Exit Wounds" soundtrack on the song "Dog 4 Life" under the moniker Iceberg. In 2005, Yung Berg worked as a hype-man and recording assistant for Disturbing tha Peace member and Chicago rapper Shawnna. Later that year, he founded his Yung Boss imprint and production team, Yung Bosses. Yung Berg's debut single, Sexy Lady, featuring R&B singer Junior, was released in early 2007 and generated a buzz around Berg, eventually peaking at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. Berg went on to sign with Epic Records, and his debut EP, Almost Famous: The Sexy Lady EP was released later in 2007. Berg's debut album, Look What You Made Me, was released in 2008 and spawned the singles Do That There, featuring Dude 'n' Nem, and The Business featuring Casha, which peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. 2008 also marked a collaboration with Ray J on the track Sexy Can I. In 2009, Berg added yet another alias, Hitmaka, and focused on writing, producing, and arranging songs for other artists. As Hitmaka, Berg wrote Tamar Braxton's hit single The One.
Early Life
Yung Berg was born on September 9, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois, and given the name Christian Ward. He enjoyed music, particularly rap and hip hop, from a young age and began making his own music in his early teen years. In 2001, when he was 16, he was signed to rapper DMX's Bloodline Records and experienced some early initial success with the track "Dog 4 Life," which appeared on the soundtrack for "Exit Wounds." On the track, he went by the name Iceberg. However, his parents sent him to a military boarding school in Montana in 2001. He finished his schooling there in 2003.
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Career
After finishing school, Yung Berg moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career in music. By 2005, he was working as a hype man and recording assistant for the rapper Shawnna, a member of Disturbing the Peace. He was also working on his own music at the time. He released the single "Sexy Lady," which also featured the singer Junior, and the track became a hit on Los Angeles urban radio. He was subsequently signed to Epic Records. In July 2007, he released the EP "Almost Famous: The Sexy Lady EP." The same year, he also made a cameo in the music video for the single "Whine Up" by Kat DeLuna. In November of 2007, he recorded a song with Lil Wayne and Brisco called "Bitch Please."
By the end of 2007, Ward released another single called "Sexy Can I." He collaborated with singer Ray J on the track, which became popular. He also released his debut album "Look What You Made Me" the same month. The album charted in the 20th spot on the Billboard 200 and the second spot on the Top Rap Albums chart.
In December 2008, Ward began working on the concept for a potential reality dating show that he planned to host. While he had already begun casting the show, the idea ultimately never came to fruition.
In 2009, Ward formed a production group called The Dream Team along with his older brother, K-Young, and the producer Rob Holladay. From that point onward, Ward focused his career more on producing and less on creating music himself, though he would return to making music later on.
By 2012, Ward was working with Nicki Minaj. He co-wrote and co-produced several tracks from her album "The Pinkprint," including "Want Some More" and "Buy a Heart." His success in the music industry led to him being cast in 2014 on the first season of the VH1 show, "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood," a spin-off of the original "Love & Hip Hop." The show followed Ward, as well as castmate Hazel E, and depicted various events from their love and personal lives. However, Ward was fired from the show in late 2014 due to legal issues.
By 2020, Ward had become a high-profile record producer and executive in the music industry. He was appointed vice president of A&R at Atlantic Records. Around that time, he worked as the executive producer on T.I.'s new album, "The L.I.B.R.A."
In 2021, Ward also released new music of his own under the name Hitmaka. He released "1-800-HIT-EAZY" in 2011 along with Eric Bellinger. The same year, he released "Big Tuh," followed by "1-800-Hit Eazy 2." In 2022, he produced the album "Tink Pillow Talk" for rapper Tink.
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Personal Life
Ward has a child with former girlfriend Brandy Flint. In October of 2015, he was cited for being delinquent on child support payments, as he owed over $100,000. In December 2017, he was considered a delinquent parent by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which subsequently published information about his failure to pay child support. He was again in legal trouble in 2014 when he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his at-the-time girlfriend, Masika Kalysha Tucker.
Ward has been involved in a number of other controversies over the years. He was the victim of an ambush attack in 2008 by the Detroit rapper Trick Trick. Ward was ambushed outside of a club by Trick Trick's entourage, after which he filed a police report as a couple of the expensive jewelry chains he was wearing had also been stolen from him during the attack. He has since stated publicly that he chooses to no longer wear flashy jewelry. Ward has also had a few public arguments with other rappers and artists. He released a diss track focused on Bow Wow in 2008, though he stated that the two had settled their differences the following year. He also exchanged angry words with singer Teairra Mari over Mari's former relationship with singer Ray J. However, the two resolved their differences, and Ward later produced one of Mari's songs, "Deserve."
