Happy Birthday, Gunplay!

Today, July 18, is the birthday of Carol City, Fla. rapper Richard Morales Jr., better known to the hip-hop world as Gunplay. He is now 39.

Though he was born in El Paso, Texas, the tatted up, gravelly voiced MC reps the darker side of the Sunshine State all day. Gunplay kept it in the Florida family and started off his rap career in Rick Ross' crew The Triple C's. Together, they released their first independent album Custom Cars & Cycles in 2009 under Ross' then fledgling label, Maybach Music Group.

That same year, Gunplay's extra-gritty lyrics shined on Ricky Rozay's Deeper Than Rap. Gunplay's authenticity comes from rapping about what he knows: evading the law, living on the lam and surviving the unforgiving streets of Dade County.

Gunplay signed with Def Jam Recordings in 2012 and began dropping a slew of mixtapes to build up his credentials. In 2015, fans finally got Gunplay's debut solo album Living Legend.

LastJune, Gunplay hit fans with back-to-back projects, his solo album The Plug and a collab project with West Coast rapper Mozzy, Dreadlocks & Headshots.

Taking his talents to the world of TV, Don Logan also joined the cast of Love & Hip-Hop: Miami in 2017. This past June, Gunplay also made time to drop off his Active album, which includes features from Rick Ross, Curren$y and more.

Happy Birthday, Gunplay!

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