Before They Were Famous

Kanel Joseph is a content creator who got his start on YouTube by ripping off other people’s “Minecraft” videos as a young kid and never really found his way until much more recently when he transformed into a prankster and comedian over the course of the past year or so. But just because he’s now stumbled upon his magic formula for success doesn’t mean that everything has suddenly become easy. Far from it, in fact. As recently as just a few months ago, he was arrested and charged with a felony while shooting a new prank -- and as harrowing of an experience as that no doubt was, somehow Kanel simply took it in stride. From getting fired by Wal-Mart to surviving out of his car, this young man has gone to great lengths to make something of himself by following his dream. What exactly was he up to that got him arrested and how has he managed to become so successful while practically being homeless? You’re about to find out the answer to those questions and a bunch more on our newest episode of Before They Were Famous!

19-year-old rapper, Set Da Trend, is a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. This South Bronx native dedicated himself to his musical journey after recording his very first song only to then drop multiple music videos that would rack-up millions of views in the span of just one year. His breakout collaborations with other Bronx drill artists like Kay Flock, Dougie B, and C-Blu would help him pave a lane while establishing his own unique voice in a corner of the industry that’s seemingly becoming more and more crowded every single day. And Trend did all of this while contending with the tragic loss of his father and a close personal friend. How has he managed to keep himself on course while going through the ups and downs of living life in the Bronx? And where does he hope his career will take him next? You’re about to find out all those answers and more as embark on the come-up of Set Da Trend here on our newest episode of Before They Were Famous.

C Blu is a promising up-and-coming artist based out of the Bronx who had only just started to release music and work his way up the industry food chain when something happened that nearly wound up costing him everything. In early 2022, C Blu was accused of shooting a cop during a struggle over the teen’s stolen weapon after he was part of what authorities are calling a “disorderly crowd” gathered outside a building near Third Avenue in New York City. The media attention around his arrest would only wind up elevating C Blu higher in the drill-rap scene and a record deal with Interscope would allow this young kid to post bail. But is everything as it seems in this case and is C Blu really to blame for what happened? If you’ve ever wanted to discover more about this teenager’s come-up and hear the true story behind his altercation with authorities, then keep watching our newest episode of Before They Were Famous!

From the streets to the strip clubs, the rapper known as Trapboy Freddy has been active since the mid-2010s, following a stretch of the better part of three years where he was in and out of jail constantly. But at the age of 21 years old, Freddy decided it was time for a change and started throwing together a slew of self-released mixtapes and a bunch of guest verses while becoming one of the more popular locally-grown artists in the Dallas area. Growing up in a family with no father figure to speak of, Freddy had to overcome a series of obstacles most of us never have to consider to get to where he is today. And even still, things aren’t easy for Freddy. He was recently arrested during the course of a traffic stop, the ramifications of which are still being worked out today. Want to know more about his background and how he came to make the news for owning a pet tiger? Then stay tuned to our newest episode of Before They Were Famous to find out!

Having arrived in the spotlight at the tender age of just 18 years old, Florida singer YK Osiris’ first few years in the music industry were an eye-opening experience. After quickly being discovered by label execs thanks to a stream of independent releases that he uploaded online like his breakthrough hit, “Valentine”, Osiris would continue with a string of successful singles leading up to the release of his debut studio album, “The Golden Child” in 2019. Buoyed by the massive hit “Worth It”, this project would get even more people christening Osiris as the next big thing in R&B. Since then, however, he’s run into a number of roadblocks along the way. Not only did he quickly lose much of his money – but he also found himself arrested on accusations of assault. Now, Osiris is back with a new hit single and looking to clear the air when it comes to his associations with a few notable rappers. Ever wonder what this young man had to do to get out from under the nearly 60-bands he owed Drake? Then stay tuned to our newest episode of Where Are They Now to find out.

Well, it was bound to happen eventually, wasn’t it? Andrew Tate, a onetime kickboxing champion – sorry, Andrew, I meant four-time – turned self-styled men’s-help guru who regularly argues that women are the property of their husbands and should just: “have kids, sit at home, be quiet, and make coffee,” has finally had his social media accounts taken away from him. Yep – the man who, in the past, has described himself as “absolutely a misogynist” and whose content has spread like wild-fire across the entire internet this summer, racking up millions of views in the process, has been barred from participating in TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, permanently. That’s despite his recent claims that he’s been misunderstood and that he’s actually a massive supporter of women’s rights who donates millions to charities that look to empower them... which, I mean, what else did you expect him to say? The truth? Come on. Why would he start now? These bans left Andrew with only two platforms to disseminate his particular brand of sensationalism, Twitch and his own Hustlers University website, and oh, what do you know? He just self-deleted his Twitch account. Now why would he go and do that? If you’re just getting caught up and are wondering what exactly is going on with Andrew Tate and his vanishing social media accounts, then stay tuned as we dive deep on the events of the past few days and explain how he’s found himself at this moment on our newest episode of The Dark Side of Fame or Banned But Not Forgotten.

English YouTuber, Daz Black, is perhaps better known by the handle of his incredibly popular gaming channel, Daz Games. This one-time former blue-collar worker has spent the past decade turning himself into a recognizable content creator after discovering Vine back in the early 2010’s. When that platform went the way of the dodo bird, Daz was able to parlay his substantial audience into a solid subscriber base on YouTube. Today, he’s got 8 million subs on his most popular channel and if I had to guess, he’s about to get a whole lot more after playing a substantial part in helping take down the king of toxicity, Andrew Tate. This past week, Tate saw every single one of his social media accounts deactivated and many online users have pointed to a video Daz made shortly before hand that might have motivated the tech giants to act. How did a self-described overweight gamer position himself to take down one of the internet’s most popular personalities? You’re about to find out on our newest episode of Before They Were Famous.

22-year-old female rapper, Ice Spice, pairs her entirely enticing appearance with some of the cleanest and best production to come out of the Bronx in a hot minute. If you’ve ever seen her on social media then you know that Ice is fully capable of grabbing her audience’s attention before even uttering a word. But by working with her producing-partner, RIOT, Ice Spice has found a magic formula when it comes to sampling EDM tunes to soften the otherwise traditionally menacing production of drill music into something more wholly her own. And once her vocals come in, listeners are hooked thanks to her natural ability on the mic and an attitude that was shaped by the growing up in the world’s most famous city. Ice Spice has been working her way towards this moment since March of 2021 and now that she’s finally on the cusp of making it big, she’s going to soak it all in. How did she get here and what role did her father play in helping her achieve success? Find out on our newest episode of Before They Were Famous!

I’m sure a ton of you already know this but English YouTuber KSI is getting set to make his big in-ring boxing return at the end of August. And while he was originally set to fight Alex Wassabi, a medical issue has now prevented Alex from participating. This sent KSI scrambling to find a new opponent, one of which will be boxer Ivan Nikolov, while the other will be a warm-up match against his fellow UK rapper, Swarmz. Now, considering these two are on pretty friendly terms, the internet had themselves some fun at KSI’s expense, mocking his selection of an opponent who has literally zero-fight experience. But that’s not to say Swarmz isn’t athletic. In fact, prior to becoming a promising new voice in hip-hop, Swarmz was carving out a career for himself as a professional football player. So, how have we wound up here, with him set to square off against KSI? Stay tuned to our newest episode of Before They Were Famous to find out!

For a very long time now the man we know as Steiny has been something of an enigma. Sure, he’s appeared in a ton of NELK content, including regular appearances on the Full Send Podcast, but outside of his name – none of us knew all that much about him. Well, all of that has changed after the past few months during which time Steiny has become more prevalent than ever before. Not only has he found himself with a ton of exposure after having a 2-hour-plus sit-down with Bradley Martyn on the Raw Talk podcast, he subsequently got beat down by Jake Paul during an altercation at a Miami nightclub, which happened shortly after he finally stepped out from under SteveWillDoIt’s wing. What’s Steiny’s background and how did the unrealistic expectations of living up to his father’s accomplishments ultimately lead him to a life in YouTube? Stay tuned to our newest episode of Before They Were Famous for the answers.