Beck was born on July 8, 1970 in Los Angeles, the son of David Campbell and Bibbe Hansen. When his parents split, he and his younger brother stayed with their mother. Beck dropped out of school at the age of 14 and drifted around for about a decade, ending up back in Los Angeles. While playing some open mic events, he got noticed by the little local label, Bong Load Custom Records. In 1993, "Loser" was released to the world in a limited pressing of 500 copies and sent out to radio DJs across the U.S. The song became quite popular, and Geffen signed Beck in November of 1993, giving him the freedom to work with independent labels and to make "uncommercial" music.