Appearing with a name that represented his swagger, Young Greatness was born Theodore Jones in New Orleans, Louisiana. The devastation of the Big Easy after Hurricane Katrina meant his relocation to Houston, Texas, but it was a quick and easy fit for the young MC. Local heroes like Bun B and Mike Jones began repping Young Greatness, and in 2015 he joined the Quality Control label and issued the mixtape I Tried to Tell Em. It spawned the single "Yeah" featuring Quavo. In May 2016, one of its tracks, "Moolah," got a remix featuring Lil Wayne and Yo Gotti. I Tried to Tell Em 2 followed later in the year and featured the single "Ball." In 2017, Young Greatness returned with the mixtape Bloody Summer.