Young Noble

West Coast rapper Young Noble was born Rufus Cooper III in Sierra Madre, California on March 31, 1978. Cooper's early years were tumultuous, with troubles in family life as well as run-ins with the law. After relocating to New Jersey as a teenager, he spent several years selling drugs while trying to take steps toward a career as a professional basketball player. This winding path found Cooper in and out of school and juvenile detention centers, as well as ping-ponging between New Jersey and California. In the midst of this chaos, he began rapping under the name Young Noble. ...