Baton Rouge and No Limit rapper Glenn ‘Young Bleed’ Clifton Jr. dies, leaves hip hop legacy
Before Boosie, Kevin Gates and NBA Youngboy, Glenn “Young Bleed” Clifton Jr. was the Baton Rouge rapper of the 1990s. He and his rap group, Concentration Camp, including C-Loc and Happy Perez, were originators of the Baton Rouge sound.
Clifton gained notoriety with the single, “How You Do Dat” in 1997, which he released with C-Loc. The song led to his signing with No Limit/Priority Records.
In 1998, after Clifton signed with the record label, Master P re-released “How You Do Dat,” and it became a platinum record.
Clifton died Nov. 1 after suffering a brain aneurysm in Las Vegas. He was 51. He had performed with No Limit at the No Limit v. Cash Money Verzuz event on Oct. 25 and collapsed at an after-party following the event.
Clifton, also known as “Tank” and “Bleed,” was born June 6, 1974, in Baton Rouge. Even though he traveled the world performing, he always came back to his hometown.
His eldest son, Ty’Gee Ramon Clifton, who lives in Baton Rouge, says that his dad was his hero. Although Glenn Clifton Jr. was only 17 when Ty’Gee was born, Clifton Jr. was a major influence in Ty’Gee’s life. Although Young Bleed was well-known, Ty’Gee says he was just “Dad.”
Ty’Gee Clifton on the left, with his father, Glenn “Young Bleed” Clifton, Jr. on the right.
“I always will love and respect him. He was definitely a man of honor. He’s my role model,” Ty’Gee said. “He’s the reason I literally walk and talk the way that I do.”
Known for his lyricism and wordplay, Clifton’s first album, “My Balls and My Word,” reached the Billboard charts and became nationally recognized.
Ty’Gee says that his dad was the smartest man he knew — a walking dictionary — whose flow and poetic style kicked down the door for Baton Rouge rappers to follow after him.
Young Bleed’s signature gritty yet smooth delivery was Baton Rouge all the way, and his mark on Southern hip hop is unforgettable.
He leaves behind his mother, Florida Allen, and four other children, Destiny, Charlé, Tia and Tyrell.
