On the Verge: YG climbs the charts with 'real rap'

• The 23-year-old grew up listening to Lil Wayne%2C Tupac and Snoop%2C who is now his mentor
• Since signing to Def Jam in 2009%2C YG has scored hits with %27My Hitta%27 and %27Toot It and Boot It%27
• His favorite track off Beyonce%27s self-titled album is Jay Z duet %27Drunk in Love%27

An unexpected 'Hitta': At a time when pop stars such as Rihanna and Miley Cyrus catapult hip-hop tracks up the charts, YG stands out as a bit of an anomaly. With My Hitta — which peaked at No. 19 on Billboard's Hot 100 — the burgeoning rapper brings West Coast hip-hop to the mainstream without the aid of a superstar guest or bubblegum-pop hook. Featuring hypnotic production by DJ Mustard and fiery verses from Young Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan, My Hitta is but a stepping stone on YG's mission to "give people real rap." "There's a lot of rappers out right now making soft rap music," says Keenon Jackson, 23, aka YG. "When (rap) started, it was hard. ... Hip-hop is from the streets, and I'm giving it to people my way."

Hitting the big leagues:My Hitta isn't the Compton, Calif., native's first brush with crossover appeal. After signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2009, he released the ferociously catchy Toot It and Boot It the next year, which may have only gone No. 67 but proved to be a prevalent summer hit among twentysomethings. Nabbing guest spots from Tyga and Chris Brown (Hell Yeah), Soulja Boy (Wobble) and 2 Chainz (#Grindmode) for various mixtape tracks, he also appeared on songs with Kendrick Lamar (Young Jeezy's R.I.P. remix) and Yo Gotti (Act Right) this past year. Now with a new Drake collaboration, Who Do You Love (which leaked in late December), and a debut studio album, My Krazy Life, out March 18, the XXL 2011 Freshmen Class honoree looks to be an undeniable force in the hip-hop community.

American hustle: At 15, Jackson became involved in gang activity around Los Angeles and began rapping a couple years later. Signing to Def Jam after serving six months in jail on residential burglary charges, he vowed to keep his focus primarily on the music. "When I got signed, I was like, 'OK, I just got out of jail, I got a strike on my record, I'm 19, and, man, I really need to take this seriously.'" Holing up with producer DJ Mustard making beats and tracks, he began passing out his mixtapes on the streets, performing at house parties and clubs, and shopping his songs to local radio stations. "When I was coming up in L.A., I was really out here: getting into fights, getting into shootouts, like that's the game I respect, because I came up through all of that just hustling," Jackson says. "I make music for people that ain't got nothing. They listen to it and like to have a good time to it."

His krazy life: Jackson promises lots of "bangers" offering a "day in the life" perspective on his debut album. "I'll take them through situations and times I had in my life that had something to do with how I came up, where I come from and the type of things I was doing," Jackson says. "It's basically like a movie. You know how Snoop (Dogg) and (Dr.) Dre were doing their albums back in the day? It's like the same thing."

The name game: Originally titled I'm 4rm Bompton, Jackson changed the album's name to My Krazy Life on the advice of Young Jeezy. "He said, 'If you come out with an album (called) I'm 4rm Bompton, you'll only be (catering) to a certain crowd of people.' " He also didn't want to waste time explaining why he replaced the "C" in Compton with a "B," a common switch among Blood gang members. "I'm not trying to be doing my interviews explaining the title, I just want to explain my music," Jackson says. "Yeah, I get it's gang-affiliated and all, but it's bigger than that."

YOLO: Drake was apparently a fan of YG long before they worked together on Who Do You Love. "He's always been rocking with me, but it was just about the right time with the right song," Jackson says. "We didn't get in the studio (together) to record that, but we had conversations over the phone, I sent him the beat and he hopped on it." And YG's song I'm Good off of his Just Re'd Up mixtape? "(Drake) said that was the song he was listening to that inspired him to make The Motto," which popularized the phrase "YOLO (You only live once)."

Sage advice: Listening faithfully to Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Tupac and Snoop Dogg growing up, YG was surprised to find that one of them would eventually become his mentor. "Snoop, he's like a big brother for sure," Jackson says. "He gives me advice. Whenever I need him to do something, he'll do it for me; when he needs me to do something, I'm there for him." He also talks to Young Jeezy when "something's going on" or he's in need of guidance. "He's been helping me out a lot with everything, just the way I look at my music and my album."

Drunk in love: While he considers himself a fan of Tyler the Creator and A$AP Rocky, one of Jackson's music preferences could surprise some fans. "I don't want people to give me (expletive), but I've been listening to Beyoncé's new album that just came out," he says, adding that Drunk in Love is his favorite track off the self-titled record. "If you're a player ... you're going to have to know some good female records to get them in the mood, you feel me?"