Before They Were Famous

From the very beginning of his career, Virgil Abloh was about positioning a new era of fashion designers to be heralded as rock stars. He wrote as much in an original piece he penned for the “The Brilliance” blog in 2007, and if he had been able to jump into a time machine back then to travel to right now, then I think he’d be incredibly proud to discover he managed to accomplish just that. He not only re-defined the idea of modern fashion designer but in 2018 he has appointed the head of menswear design at Louis Vuitton, making him the first black designer ever to earn the opportunity. At the age of only 41, Virgil had somehow managed to accomplish more than most of us can ever hope to do in an entire lifetime -- but then, in November of 2021, he passed away after a private battle with a very aggressive form of cancer. So, in honor of his life, we’re going to take a look back at some of his most remarkable accomplishments and fill you in on the unbelievable but true story of the modern era’s most influential designer.

One random day about six years ago, a high school student named Cooper Remble was sitting in his bedroom minding his own business when a buddy brought over some studio equipment. Before long, these two were recording their own songs and daydreaming of becoming hip-hop superstars. Well, flash-forward to today and the California rapper now known simply as Remble has accomplished just that off the back of a distinctive style that the internet just can’t seem to get enough of. Do you know how there are mumble rappers? Well, Remble is more or less the opposite of that. In fact, a whole bunch of people online refer to him jokingly as a “clarity” rapper because he makes sure to properly enunciate every word that comes out of his mouth. Now, after a monumental couple of years, Remble has signed to Drakeo the Ruler’s Stinc Team, a crew that he’s been a fan of since long before he started taking rap seriously. Sometimes, it just all comes full-circle when you’re willing to put in the work. Want to learn just how hard Remble had to hustle? Then keep watching our newest episode of Before They Were Famous!

A little over a decade ago, there was a time when Sean Kingston ruled the summer airwaves with big-time singles like “Beautiful Girls”, “Take You There”, and his Justin Bieber collaboration, “Eenie Meenie”. This Miami-born singer of Jamaican heritage broke through into the industry with the help of MySpace and became one of the first musicians to capitalize on having a significant online presence. His ability to craft dance-friendly melodies in the genres of dancehall, R8B, and hip-hop went largely unmatched for years, but upon entering the 2010’s Kingston’s career would begin to cool down. Then, in 2011 came a near-losing life experience that shifted his priorities leading to him take a step-back from the industry. Today, Sean Kingston is finally gearing up to release his first album in nearly 10 years. Want to find out what’s brought him back? Then keep watching our newest episode of Where Are They Now!

Hailing from the O’Block, the man known as T. Roy was a close personal friend to both Chief Keef and King Von. He helped shepherd Chief’s career through its infancy by ensuring that if a problem ever sprung up, he’d be the one to take care of it. And when you’re a wannabe rapper looking to make it off the streets of Chicago, Illinois, believe me, problems do crop up. After claiming multiple bodies and assisting with assaults on many, many more, T. Roy would be surprise attacked on Valentine’s Day in 2017 and gunned down by Tyquan World member TB, a man he had reportedly been in the process of hunting down himself. Want to learn more about the unbelievable story of the man known as T. Roy? Then keep watching out the newest episode of Before They Were Gone.

Rapper Icewear Vezzo is more or less the personification of Detroit’s finest. He also just happens to be the city’s newest mainstream superstar, following in the footsteps of some equally big legends like Big Sean and Eminem. Of course, if you were to ask Icewear Vezzo about it, he’d also bring up names like Tee Grizzley, Babyface Ray, Peezy, and a whole lot more to prove his point that few places produce as many talented artists as his hometown. But just because he’s here now doesn’t mean that Vezzo’s journey to success wasn’t long and arduous. Growing up on the streets of Detroit is like trying to traverse a minefield and eventually, Vezzo’s choices caught up with him right as he was popping off, almost derailing his entire career. Want to learn how Icewear Vezzo went from running a weed-op at 13 to overcoming all the odds to become Detroit’s most recent success story? Then keep watching Before They Were Famous!

Across all musical genres, hip-hop is undoubtedly the most difficult to set yourself apart in. A lot of that has to do with the sheer number of new artists popping up every day, leading to more than a little oversaturation. Having a wealth of options to choose from can be positive, but when there’s so much choice that you don’t even know where to look, that’s when things can get out of hand. Lucky for you we’re here to tell you about up-and-coming Florida rapper, Cochise, a man who combines the influences of artists like Busta Rhymes and Bob Marley to create his own fusion of dancehall and hip-hop. But he doesn’t stop just there – he also infuses his tracks with a healthy dose of anime, sports, movie, and pop-culture references, wrapping it all up in hypnotizing vocals. Want to learn more? Then keep watching Before They Were Famous!

Violet Myers is about as thick as a milkshake and every bit as sweet. This former college student she’s been a geek-at-heart since day one. After studying psychology at University for a few years, Violet learned the ins and outs of getting exactly what she wanted from any guy who might happen to come her way. Next, she tinkered with the idea of becoming a cam-girl, but soon after discovered that she liked partnering up with her adult-film co-stars a whole lot more than going it solo. Want to learn more about the come-up of Violet Myers? Then pour yourself a nice cold milkshake and settle into our newest episode of Before They Were Famous.

Is there a more viral act tearing up the inter-webs right now than Kodiyak Redd and FlyySoulja, aka, the Island Boyz? If there is, I’m not aware of it, and considering that’s more or less my job, I think I would know. Not only do these two have a combined 3.5 Million followers on Tik Tok and just over 800K followers on Instagram, but they’ve also become a viral sensation thanks to a bare-bones clip that sees both of them singing while hanging out in a pool. But even though I haven’t seen a more viral act since the heyday of Kid Buu or Joker 305, that doesn’t mean everything about the Island Boyz story shines – in fact, a whole lot of it has to do with some pretty seedy and dark stuff. I’m talking calls of cultural appropriation, multiple arrests, months spent in juvie, and taking advantage of the recent pandemic to land themselves a brand-new dream home where they’ve been filming the bulk of their content.

Flavor Flav first burst onto the scene in the late '80s, where he emerged as a rapper, hype man, and co-founder of the legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy. Possessing the most sampled voice in the history of hip-hop, Flavor Flav along with his group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards just last year. He’s also made massive achievements in the world of Reality Television with the most viewed and highly rated non-sports TV program of all time for season 2 finally of Flavor of Love. Those are some of his many accolades but he’s also made plenty of news headlines for all the wrong reasons. We are talking DUI’s, Drug Addiction, Tax Evasion, incidents of the women around him, and just last week he got locked up for domestic battery. Let’s just say we got a lot to get through.

Is there a more popular genre of music right now than drill? With big-time artists like Fivio Foreign, Chief Keef, Lil Durk, Digga D, Unknown T, and so many, many more, it’s a bonafide cornucopia of choice for any hip-hop fan. And guess what? Now you’ve got another name to add to that list and this dude might be the youngest of them all – I’m talking about New York’s own Edot Baby. At the ripe young age of just 16, Edot has captured the attention of the East Coast hip-hop scene with his wild passion and ample brash energy. And just because my man is young don’t expect him to not speak on things like gang affiliations, drugs, guns, and the rest, because all of it was a big part of his life growing up. Want to learn the inside scoop on the come-up of Edot Baby? Then keep watching our newest episode of Before They Were Famous!