Happy Birthday, G-Eazy!

Say what you will about his music, but one thing that's hard to argue against when it comes to G-Eazy is his hustle. The Bay Area rapper reaches the young age of 26 today (May 24).

G-Eazy is one of the reasons fans and critics argue for artists to go independent instead of signing to a major label. Although he received attention for singles like "Runaround Sue" and "Candy Girl," touring became a huge part of building his fan base. G-Eazy got himself huge looks by opening for Drake in late 2010, and touring with Shwayze in 2011. That move definitely was a step up from playing shows for free.

"You open up a lot of tours making nothing just for the fact that you need to start somewhere and get some exposure," G-Eazy said in an interview with The Boombox. "When you start to headline your tours, all the money is in headlining, but there’s no money in headlining small rooms. So we’re out there losing money and barely breaking even on tours, and nonetheless it’s still fun to be out there on the road, but then you come home from the tour and it’s like back to reality. And that’s the mindf---."

The commercial success followed soon after. These Things Happen, his album released through RCA Records, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and featured his first Hot 100 hit, "I Mean It." There should be more coming from G-Eazy in the near future.

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