Gio Washington facts for kids

Governor Washington Jr. (born on July 25, 1983), known as Gio Washington, is an American R&B and soul singer. He was born in Charles City, Virginia. He used to be called Governor in his music career. Gio Washington first signed with T.I.'s Grand Hustle record label, which worked with Atlantic Records. Later, in 2010, he joined G-Note Records, a part of 50 Cent's G-Unit Records.

Gio Washington's Music Journey

Early Life and First Steps in Music (1983–2004)

Governor Washington Jr. grew up in Charles City, Virginia. His father was a preacher. Gio had a chance to go to the Berklee College of Music, a famous music school, but he decided not to. Instead, he started an R&B group called Case Closed. In this group, he used the nickname Country Boy.

After moving to New York City and then back to Virginia, Gio left the group. He returned to New York to try making music on his own. In 2000, Warlock Records signed him, and he released his first album, Another State Of Mind.

Around this time, he met important music producers called Trackmasters. Gio changed his music style from R&B to hip-hop. Another artist, 50 Cent, was also working with Trackmasters. Gio and 50 Cent recorded about six songs together for an album that was never released.

After leaving Trackmasters in 2002, Gio met Wyclef Jean. Wyclef helped him get a deal with Atlantic Records. Gio even recorded many songs with Dr. Dre for his first album with Atlantic. However, these songs were never released.

Joining Grand Hustle and Son of Pain (2005–2006)

In 2005, the American rapper T.I. invited Gio Washington to join his record label, Grand Hustle Records. Atlantic Records wanted T.I. to help Gio with his music career. Atlantic Records had signed Gio almost four years earlier. They wanted to connect him with T.I.'s music group.

Before this, Atlantic tried to have Gio work with famous producers like Dr. Dre and rapper 50 Cent, but those plans didn't work out. To help Gio gain more recognition, Atlantic arranged for him to join T.I.'s label.

In 2006, Gio appeared with T.I. to perform their song "Hello." This song was from T.I.'s album King. Gio also appeared on several mixtapes by DJ Drama, who worked with Grand Hustle.

Later, in September 2006, Gio released his album Son of Pain through Grand Hustle and Atlantic. Famous producers like Just Blaze, Scott Storch, Wyclef Jean, and Raphael Saadiq worked on the album. Son of Pain reached number 50 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Signing with G-Unit (2009–Present)

In 2009, Gio Washington signed with G-Unit Records. He then joined their new label, G-Note Records. He released his first single from his upcoming album there. The song is called "Here We Go Again" and features 50 Cent. This song was released for digital download on December 27, 2010.

In an interview, 50 Cent said that Gio Washington was "extremely talented" and that he was "about to blow up," meaning he was going to become very popular. Besides releasing his first single, Gio also said he was working on mixtapes. He planned to release new music regularly on thisis50.com to promote his album.

In an interview with HipHopNMore, Gio shared the title of his new album: A Touch of Magic. This album was planned to be released under G-Note Records in the summer of 2011. Gio also talked about new songs with 50 Cent on the album. He said that their first few songs together helped people get used to his sound while being connected to a very successful rapper. Now, he wanted to release songs that showed off his unique style as a solo artist.

In 2013, Gio Washington started performing under his new name, Gio Washington. In March 2015, Gio and 50 Cent worked together again on a song called "Annie." This song was made for the Starz TV show Power, which 50 Cent helped produce.

Personal Life

Gio Washington was in a serious car accident on August 8, 2015. The accident caused him to be thrown from his vehicle. He suffered a collapsed lung, broken ribs, and other internal injuries.

Music Albums and Songs

Studio Albums

Singles

Guest Appearances