Yung L.A.

In 2008, Austin was signed to American record executive T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records, after fellow Atlanta artist Young Dro found and brought Austin to the label. On April 12, 2008, Austin released his debut mixtape Offset Shawty.[2] On November 25, 2008, Austin released his debut single, titled "Ain't I"; it features appearances from his fellow Grand Hustle label artist Young Dro and T.I., it went on to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 47 and be certified platinum by the RIAA. On December 13, 2008, it was announced and confirmed that Austin had signed a label deal with Interscope Records and he was working on his debut album, titled Futuristic Leland.[3] On December 28, 2008, Austin released his mixtape titled The Matrix.[4]

On January 10, 2009, Austin released his first collaboration mixtape titled Black Boy Swag, White Boy Tags with Young Dro.[5] On April 7, 2009, Austin released his second single titled "Futuristic Love (Elroy)"; it features Ricco Barrino, though it did not match the success of "Ain't I" it charted on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart at number 55. On June 2, 2009, Austin released his mixtape titled Lamborghini Leland.[6][7] On November 5, 2009, Austin released his mixtape titled I Think I Can Sing.[8] On December 14, 2009, Austin released his second collaboration mixtape, titled Batman & Robin (Superhero Language), with fellow Atlanta artist J Money aka J.Futuristic.[9]

On February 24, 2010, Austin released his mixtape titled Crush Da Block.[10][11] On February 24, 2010, Austin released his mixtape titled Suntrust Leland.[12][13][14]

In early 2011 it was revealed that Austin had parted ways from Grand Hustle and was dropped from Interscope. It was also the shelving of his debut album Futuristic Leland. On September 16, 2011, Austin released his mixtape titled Crush Da Block 2.[15]

On March 27, 2012, during an interview, Austin discussed being dropped from Interscope Records, stating "I got dropped from Interscope because my single didn't match the success of the first one, you feel me, when that futurisic love didn't do what it needed to do I was dropped from the label" clarifying that because of his second single "Futuristic Love (Elroy)" didn't match the success of "Ain't I" he was let go from Interscope. He also discussed walking away from Grand Hustle Records stating "It's like the s*** with Grand Hustle I felt like you got one of the hottest young n****'s on the label, I mean "Ain't I" was one the biggest songs that came out of Grand Hustle since "Shoulder Lean" brah, you talking about a record that took me to Europe, Germany, to Hawaii to Canada to Mexico to Albuquerque to some places I thought I never see, u feel me. But at the end of the day my album ain't never come out, that ain't my fault I'm just an artist, it's really kind of my fault because I wasn't involved on the business side, but I had a system like Jason Geter, I had Tip I had Dro they had a proven system that they can sell records, but when it came to my project they dropped the ball and I had felt a certain way. So when they first dropped the ball on the project I stuck around with it, you know I stuck around because them my boys, shout out to Young Dro shouts out to Grand Hustle shouts out to Mac Boney shouts out to everybody in Grand Hustle, Jason Geter I see you, Jason Geter gave me my first car u feel me, so it ain't no bad blood. But its just that I'm 24 years old I ain't fitting to sit on the shelf and wait on you'll till im 30 and I'm hot." Austin also discussed getting stabbed multiple times by the mother of his child and not having any of his Grand Hustle label-mates visit him while he was in the hospital, stating "I called Jason I had got stabbed up, I got war wounds and everything on me, my baby mama stabbed me up you know what I'm saying 6 to 7 times, I got to DeKalb Medical I'm calling Jason, I'm calling Clay, all the executives at Grand Hustle like look brah I'm fucked up, I'm down here crying and everything, I just got stabbed up, but didn't nobody come see me, you know how much that hurt me. You'll suppose to be my family, I'm out here rocking you'll P$C chain, n**** i'm getting into beef with n****'s in the streets cause Tip got beef with Shawty Lo and these n****'s got beef with these n****'s way before I came to Grand Hustle. I had just got into Grand Hustle I'm picking you'll n****'s beef you see what I'm saying at the end of the day you see what I'm saying. At the end of the day I felt like my best situation was to sit down with Jason and let him know I want my release papers dog, I want my walking papers whatever I gotta pay you'll whatever it gone to take, im ready to walk, because my name big enough right now I gotta big enough buzz and a big enough fanbase to say f*** it I'm a do this s*** independent, let me get all my money you feel me. So you know that's really what it was, it wasn't no bad blood it just like a n**** gotta family, a n**** got kids to feed, so a n**** gotta make the best decision for his life.[16][17][18]

On November 27, 2012, Austin released his debut album titled Check; it was distributed by independent Atlanta based record label U-Digg Music Group.[19]

On November 19, 2014, Austin released his third collaboration mixtape titled Batman & Robin 2 (Superhero Language) with fellow Atlanta artist J Money which is a sequel to their first collaboration mixtape Batman & Robin (Superhero Language).[20][21]

On February 5, 2015, it was revealed that Yung L.A. was working on a new mixtape titled Expensive Language.[22] On March 27, 2015, Austin released his mixtape Expensive Language.[23] Also on March 27, 2015, during an interview, Austin revealed that he had signed to record producer Zaytoven's label Zaytown USA.[24] On August 7, 2015, Austin released a collaboration mixtape with the production team 808 Mafia titled 3 Way: 80Lay Mafia,[25][26] and a second collaboration mixtape with producer's Zaytoven and Cassius Jay titled 3 Way: Dripset.[27] Also on August 7, 2015, Austin released a third mixtape titled 3 Way: Foreign Water.[28]

The Travis Porter song "Black Boy White Boy" caused some controversy when Young Dro and Yung L.A. said that it was initially theirs.[30]

On February 20, 2011, during an interview, it was revealed that Austin had gotten a face tattoo resembling the logo of local Atlanta record label Duct Tape Entertainment.[31] On February 23, 2011, Duct Tape's Co-chief executive officer (Co-CEO) and fellow rapper, Alley Boy, spoke about the tattoo, saying "He didn’t sit down with any of the heads at Duct Tape, clarifying that Austin is not signed with the imprint. Yung L.A. ain't get the okay from none one of us and ain’t none one of us told you nothin' about you having nothing to do with Duct Tape, You dead wrong. He’s gonna have to get like a pendant or a star or somethin’ to cover that shit. It's like an ex-boyfriend name or somethin', he finna get that shit covered-up."[32] On February 23, 2011, Austin admitted and confirmed it was the Duct Tape Entertainment Logo though he was not officially signed to the label; he stated "That tattoo just comes from something in the city. My cousins grew up with a lot of people from Zone 6, I know a lot of people from Zone 6, and the people from Zone 6, there whole movement is called Duct Tape and I just had been really getting up with these guys. Everybody in the city from Zone 6, Zone 3, Zone 1, from Duct Tape to YGC to CDB to 30 Deep, there’s so many cliques in Atlanta and I just wanted to be the Robin Hood, I just wanted to be the guy that could have relationships with everybody in the city." L.A. later stated he went to the tattoo shop after a meeting with Big Bank Black who is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Duct Tape Entertainment and who is also Alley Boy's brother, stating "Big Bank was kinda fucking with me and just feeling the whole link up move that I was screaming. Off of that when we sat down and had the talking everybody was just choppin' it up and I was like this is what it is, this is the new beginning. I can’t really go on what Alley Boy say cause he's not the CEO of the label. So he wasn't around at the sit-down, when we did chop it up. I had my relationship with Big Bank Black, other cats, and people that I grew up with and they love me genuinely. That’s the relationship I had.”[18][33] On March 2, 2011, Yung L.A. stated that he would not be removing the tattoo, stating "Duck Still On My Face. It Aint Going No Where. I Got Goons Behind Me."[34] On March 9, 2011, Austin revealed that he had cover up the tattoo stating "We ain't trying to put no negative energy out. I just gave [Duct Tape Ent] a big up, a shoutout. Real n****s do real sh**, the duck come off. I'm getting the duck took out my face right now, while speaking on the phone in the clip. So when this get on the internet, they gonna be like Oh!."[35] On April 14, 2011, Austin was later seen on a viral video being set up and viciously assaulted by Alley Boy and members of Duct Tape.[36]

On March 27, 2012, during an interview, Austin spoke about the incident, stating "At the end of the day with that Alley Boy sh*t, that sh*t dead and gone. Because I mean everybody seen it on youtube im one man, you one man, if six n****'s jump you, shit the same outcome gone come out, you see what im saying, you'll seen it and the world seen it, ima one man army I don't got no problem with nobody. But I Ain't no hater I salute Duct Tape because i'm still getting money man.[16]

• 2009
  • Best Collaboration for "Ain't I" (Nominated)[37]