Before They Were Famous

Kay Flock has made it and he isn’t afraid to show off the perks of his success. I mean it’s not every boyfriend who gets to drop a literal bag on an entire Amiri store to impress his boo. And he’s also more than willing to throw down a few hundred dollars on single-shot outfits for himself AND his sister. Of course, no spectacular fit is complete without a little ice to go along with it and Kay picked himself up a ritzy Cartier watch that probably makes him something of a driving hazard on a really bright sunny day. There is also the expensive BMW that he’s been spotted driving around the Bronx city streets in. There are few hotter musical genres right now than Bronx-drill and perhaps no artist personifies the movement better than Kay Flock. Flock came up alongside his buddies B Lovee and Dougie B, but he’s managed to separate himself from the pack as songs like “Being Honest”, “Is Ya Ready”, and “PSA” have steadily climbed further and further up the streaming charts. In fact, in just over a year of making music, Kay Flock has already created over half-a-dozen hit songs, all of which have well over 1 Million views over on his YouTube channel. BUT – are those streaming numbers turning Kay Flock into a multi-millionaire? Well, that’s where this story gets a little bit more complicated. There’s no doubt your boy likes to flex a lot of cash over on Social Media but net-worth sites like Popnable have his current bank account estimated to be sitting at a rather low $100,000. Still, other sites like Newsfinale are a little more generous and take aim that Kay Flock is really worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 Million to $5 Million.

Ron Suno is here to stay and he’s ready to prove it. Not only is this talented artist a comedian, but he’s basically the Big Daddy of Bronx-drill, having created the art form for the first time when he was just a teenager! Since then, Ron has been entertaining the masses with his online content through comedy sketches that give everyone a taste of just how loud and hilarious this dude really is. After creating the Weave Challenge at only 17-years-old, Ron cemented his place in the entertainment industry and would use that exposure to springboard his hip-hop career with viral tracks like “Pinocchio”. So, did this dude really create the uber-popular Bronx-drill format? Let’s investigate to find out on our newest episode of Before They Were Famous!

Before rapper Digga D could legally buy a pint of alcoholic beverage at any one of his local London pubs, he’d become a breakthrough drill artist in his home country of the UK. Today, at 21-years-old, he’s now grown-up enough to spend his fortune any way he sees fit. So how much is this upcoming artist worth? Well, according to sites like Pop’n’able and Capital Xtra, he’s got a net worth in the $100,000 range. Now I know what you’re thinking – that number sounds awfully low. And it is – however, the long and complicated legal-history Digga D has had to contend with over the past few years has definitely prevented him from earning his true worth. That being the case, Digga is still more than willing to spend what money he does have on some truly spectacular purchases. I’m talking the likes of a six-figure Richard Mille Watch. As well as dropping a mint on a brand-new Lamborghini truck that comes with all the bells and whistles while also treating his new girl-friend, Instagram model Mya Mills, to the finer things in life -- like a fashionable Birkin handbag. Taking a step back and adding all of that up makes me doubt more than ever that $100,000 net-worth projection – after all, a young man with enough entrepreneurial sense to start his own music collection as a teenager must be making mad bank on hit songs in his adult life, right? Especially when you’re topping that account off with a little extra income from your very own merch store.

For years, drill music has featured stammering drums and smooth 808’s. Whether it’s Chicago, London, or even Brooklyn style – they all tend to share the same characteristics. But now there’s a new drill sound that’s shaking it all up. This new genre is sometimes called “sample drill” and it’s rising up from a totally different New York City borough – the Bronx. Over the last several months, there have been numerous examples including B Lovee’s “If You Know, You Know”, Kay Flock’s “Being Honest”, and DThang’s “Talk Facts”. But just who came up with this style in the first place? And why is the answer to that question, DThang? I mean... at least according to him it is. If you want to find out the truth, then keep watching our newest episode of Before They Were Famous that explores the career of one of today’s hottest artists.

Durk Derrick Banks, aka, Lil Durk, exploded onto the rap scene in the early 2010s. At that point, he was still only a teenager, but thanks to a wicked self-starter streak, he founded his very own rap collective known as “Only the Family” through which he would drop his original mixtapes like “I’m a Hitta” and “Signed to the Streets”. On the bright side of fame, all of that hard work paid off when he wound up on Def Jam Recordings in 2015. He’d soon after released his debut studio album, “Remember My Name” to some stupendous sales numbers that would see the LP climb all the way to the 14-spot on the Billboard 200. From that point on, Durk has achieved more and more success with each subsequent album release going on to sell more copies than the last. But on the dark side of fame is another story altogether, and while Lil Durk may be one of rap music's most popular artists -- that’s not to say that the man isn’t riddled in controversy. In fact, Lil Durk’s life has been consumed with fallen friends, multiple arrests, time spent in the slammer, home invasions, and yes, even serious criminal actions. Oh, and did I mention that he recently released his list of Top 50 Rappers of all time? For some reason that really seemed to set people off. So, let’s take a walk on the Dark Side of Fame starring Lil Durk.
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The Island Boys have managed to capture the world’s attention all from singing a few simple words while wearing jogging pants in the pool. The last time we reported on this song it had been seen by 5 Million people on Tik Tok but today it’s well over 10 Million. On top of this, it’s become a massive trend online for other influencers to make their own parody of the boys. Some have even dedicated their entire career to impersonating the now-infamous twins. We even had our first million views on Tik Tok all because of these two kids and although they are receiving much more hate than love in the comments it’s making the boys rich – at least rich in clout. KodiayakRedd has over 700K Tik Tok followers while Fly Soulja has surpassed 1.3 Million on the app. I’m sure that’s caused some sibling rivalry between the two boys but they are clearly winning together and have been flexing their cash, cars and whips. So are The Island Boys actually making bank? Where is there money coming from? Do they even live in the house that they filmed this video in and what is their net worth? I’ve actually interviewed the boys and asked them these questions and more.

Rollback the clock to 2014 or 2015 & Fetty Wap who came out of nowhere was at the top of the charts with Trap Queen and that was after 7 years of trying to make it. From there he signed a record deal and had not one, but three smash hits with his singing vocals taking over everyone’s playlists and even Drake remixing his songs. He became the first male rapper with three songs occupying the top 20 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart since Eminem did so in 2013. He also became the first male rapper in four years to have concurrent singles reach the top 10 of the same chart since Lil Wayne did so in 2011 and he was nominated for two Grammys. So what happened? For starters, Fetty apparently signed a bad deal. He’s been putting out music over the past half a decade but so far nothing seems to be hitting. There have also been some less favorable headlines like Fetty being accused of assaulting some hotel employees and one of the most horrific tragedies any man can imagine – that is the loss of his 4-year-old daughter so passed away from health complications followed by the shooting of his brother just last year.

If you don’t already know who rapper Mattia Barbieri aka Rondo Da Sosa is by now, you will soon, trust me. This recent Warner Records signee has blown up over the course of the past year thanks to his hugely viral track, “Face to Face” along with a slew of others. Once his music arrived on the shores of North America, people instantly began drawing comparisons between him and the late, great, Pop Smoke thanks to Rondo’s use of drill beats. Now, he’s become one of the biggest international faces in the genre with six of his singles earning more than 15 Million streams each on Spotify. Have I mentioned that the man only has around two dozen tracks total? That’s a fine record for someone just starting out. But where did this moody, 19-year-old come from? Find out now on Before They Were Famous!

I don’t know about you guys, but it seems to me that as popular as both Chicago and UK drill music can be, all anyone wants to talk about these days are the drill beats emanating out of New York -- more specifically, the Bronx. That’s where trio-of close friends that we know as Kay Flock, B Lovee, and Dougie B would spend their childhoods, running their block, before becoming three of the biggest rap stars in the city with hit tracks like “Brotherly Love”, “T-Cardi”, and “Pop That”. Recently we’ve taken a look at the come-ups of both Kay Flock and B Lovee, so now let’s investigate the equally intriguing story of their friend Dougie B – the man who had to sit and watch from behind bars as his best friends made it without him. Find out how Dougie B’s friends held it down for him after the jump on our newest episode of Before They Were Famous!

The hip-hop scene coming out of the Bronx is absolutely on fire right now. Not only are artists releasing singles at break-neck speed, but they’re also gobbling up samples left and right to incorporate into their music. Near the very top of that list is the artist known as Qwayshawn Cannon a.k.a B Lovee, a pioneer of the Bronx drill sound who has quietly built up a large and engaged fanbase by appearing on platforms like OVO Sound Radio while also racking up millions of views off of tracks like “Spot Em” and collaborative efforts with his good friend Kay Flock like “Shot Down” or “Opp Spotter”. B Lovee might be on the fast track to success, but did you know that only a few years ago he was slacking and giving up on his rap dream completely? If you want to find out what tragedy re-awakened his hunger for success, then keep watching our newest episode of Before They Were Famous!