Before They Were Famous

The Wack Pack has been a part of the Howard Stern Show, and -- by proxy -- it’s listening audiences’ lives, for decades now. We’re talking thirty long years of high-pitched voices, shock antics, and the type of un-PC hijinks that have really fallen out of favor over the past handful of years. But the fine folks that make up the membership of this group aren’t exactly the kind of people who you can tell what to do. Wack Pack members have almost all started off as fans of the Howard Stern show who have turned their seemingly insurmountable personal issues into sure-fire entertainment that has earned them frequent guest spots on Howard’s show and turned them into one of the series most defining characteristics. Unfortunately for many of them, beyond being funny, they don’t tend to live the healthiest of lifestyles and many of them have passed on over the years for a whole series of different reasons. Today, we’re going to take a look back at some of the most popular members of this prestigious club to find out how they’re doing -- or if they’re even still alive -- in our newest episode of Where Are They Now?

As someone who manages to expertly bridge the gap between trap music stylings and New York Charisma, Sheck Wes is poised to become one of the most powerful voices in NYC hip-hop. Hailing from Harlem, this rapper turned himself into such a hot commodity that he had both Kanye West and Travis Scott fighting over the right to sing him to their respective brands. Ultimately, they settled on co-signing him because Sheck Wes, well, he’s just too much talent for one label. The thing about Sheck is not only is his music infectious but he’s got a master plan that far-exceeds your typical hip-hop stars’ ambition. Well, guess what? Sheck has actually earned his chance to become a professional baller, and while it isn’t with the NBA, it’s still a massively remarkable accomplishment. Want to find out how his season went? Then stay tuned to our newest episode of Where Are They Now!

Over the years, Detroit has produced many, eclectic, eccentric, and talented artists, especially when it pertains to hip-hop. Few of these individuals have been more famous than Eminem -- but in 1996, five other Detroit-based rappers, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva, and Bugz got together to form a hip-hop supergroup. Their own rise to success would be intertwined with Detroit’s most famous son, Eminem, after he officially joined their group in 1999 following the tragic events of their member, Bugz, and D12, otherwise known as The Dirty Dozen, was officially born. With Em aboard, their debut album “Devil’s Night” would become a nationwide Billboard topper and slingshot them to superstardom. But just as Eminem’s own demons would catch up with him in the mid-2000’s so would D12’s and the group would slowly break apart over a number of years.

By now you have undoubtedly seen the 18-year-old Hasbulla dominating your social media feeds with his posts coming straight out of Makhachkala, Russia. His arrival on the scene has boosted his following from almost 2 million followers on Instagram, he's been hanging with Khabib Nurmagomedov, and his upcoming fight with fellow little person Abdu Rozik will certainly only increase not only his notoriety but his net worth as well. The kid made his first social media post just 32 weeks ago and his life has already dramatically changed in more ways than one. He's also got a love for designer cars having posted up with some of the fastest cars in the world and when the opportunity presents itself he likes to jump behind the wheel himself. When he's not traveling on land he and his friends have figured out a more affordable way for Hasbulla to travel the skies by attaching him to about a hundred helium-filled balloons.

John Cena’s heart might belong to sports entertainment and the WWE in particular, but if we take a step back and analyze his entire career I think it’s a pretty safe bet to say that Cena is the entertainment industry’s equivalent to a Swiss-Army-Knife -- he can do a little bit of everything. Whether he’s defeating all-time greats like The Undertaker, Triple H, or even The Rock inside the squared-circle or co-starring in massive action and comedy films alongside the likes of Vin Diesel, Tina Fey, or Amy Poehler -- Cena has charmed his way into most of our lives with his impressive physicality and hilarious sense of humor. But Cena didn’t just appear inside of a WWE ring as a fully-formed character -- in fact, back when he was a kid, being a wrestler was the furthest thing from his mind while he was training each and every day to become a professional bodybuilder. So, how did a kid from Massachusetts eventually find himself as the face of a billion-dollar business? Stay tuned to Before They Were Famous to find out!

Last year at the offset of the pandemic, viewers fell in love with the Netflix reality series “Too Hot to Handle” and have eagerly been looking forward to the follow-up season ever since. Well, have I got great news for all of you -- because starting June 23rd, it’s back with a whole batch of new episodes! The series centers on the contestants’ summer-long battle with celibacy while being trapped in paradise amongst some of the most beautiful people you’ve ever laid eyes on. Think of it kind of like “The Contest” from Seinfeld -- only jacked up on steroids -- and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what’s going on here – no kissing, and needless to say, no hooking-up of any type or else you’ll see your potential prize money of $100,000 whittled away, and who wants that? For the series’ second season, a whole new batch of contestants are moving into an 8,000-square-foot beach villa located in Turks and Caicos, and now that the cast members have officially been revealed I thought it’d be a great time to take a look at who they are before most of their lives change completely overnight.

In today’s day and age, anyone can get famous. Case-in-point, a few years ago there was this viral YouTube singer who went by the name of Ice JJ Fish, you might have heard of him -- and if you haven’t then maybe count yourself blessed you missed out on viral videos from him. This product of Illinois became something of a curiosity on the internet largely thanks to the undeniably serious way that he approaches his indescribably bad vocals. Immediately, people began wondering – are we laughing at a guy who legitimately thinks he can sing, or at a man who simply has more confidence than he knows what to do with? Over time, as Ice has continued to make more and more music, even switching genres completely from R&B to Gospel, I think we’ve found our answer. No one keeps a joke going for this long – not even this dude. So, stay tuned to our newest episode of Where Are They Now to find out what IceJJFish has been up to!

For those of you who are huge fans of the Kardashians and Kylie Jenner in particular, then you probably have heard all about the social media phenomenon, Stassie Baby, whose real name is Anastasia Karanikolaou. Believe it or not, these two have been friends since childhood and they’ve been “twinning” one another since way back when in the days of middle school. When these two were kids, they wouldn’t ever leave the house without ensuring they had matching outfits on and more recently, with the world firmly in the grip of mandated lockdowns, these two spent a large period of time self-isolating with one another to make sure they didn’t miss out on one another’s company. But beyond being Kylie’s most consistent and loyal friend, what else is there to Stassie Baby’s story? Today you’re going to find out on our newest episode of Before They Were Famous.

Before Irina Shayk would get her big break gracing the pages of Sports Illustrated back in 2007 and would become the first Russian to make the cover page. You might just be hearing about Irina Shayk now due to her recent hook up with Kanye West but this girl has been in show business for well over a decade. Is the baby mama to Bradley Cooper and has starred in films alongside Dwayne The Rock Johnson. What I found interesting about her while researching this video is that the girl is from super humble beginnings and from a small town in Russia I couldn't pronounce to save my life. Her modeling career started all because of a chance encounter at a bus stop. Her words, not mine. We will get into all that and her recent new romance with Kanye which interestingly enough, the two go way back having worked together in his music video for Power back in 2010. He also made use of her name in "Christian Dior Denim Flow" rapping, "I wanna see Irina Shayk next to Doutzen"

It didn’t take long for Daniel Desmond Amofah -- better known by his screen name: Etika -- to turn himself into one of YouTube’s most prominent video game bloggers. After getting his start in 2012, his trademarked High-top fade and bubbly personality made Etika seem like one of the friendliest video game enthusiasts on the planet, and at the peak of his popularity, Etika had more than 800,000 followers, or, as he called them, JoyCon Boyz. But underneath the surface, Etika was battling personal demons that would wind up being too much for him to overcome. In June of 2019, after having been reported missing, Etika tragically took his own life. So, today -- on the two years anniversary of this revolutionary YouTuber’s passing -- we’re going to look back at his life and career to celebrate the man for his many accomplishments while also exploring his fate as a cautionary tale to make sure all of us are taking care of our mental health.