Before They Were Famous

After Rebecca Black broke the internet in 2011 with the digital release of her song “Friday”, which would clock in with a whopping 140 Million views on YouTube and feature 3.6 Million downvotes, forever cementing its consideration as the worst song and videos of a generation. After Rebecca Black was 2011’s #1 most searched entry, outdoing all other celebrities, even the likes of Lady Gaga and Adele. After Rebecca Black Rebecca Black would drop out of high-school to avoid a horrific level of bullying and repurpose herself as an Anti-Bullying advocate. something tells me if she had released “Friday” in 2020, those 3.8 Million downvotes would have been cut down by at least half. 10 years have passed since her cringe anthem took over the internet and Rebecca is back with a new look, a new team, and a remix to her hit song Friday. We will be reacting to the new video when it drops cause as far as we’re concerned this is a moment in human history. Can she top how bad the song was the first time?

Last summer, Staten Island native, CJ broke through into the mainstream rap scene in a big, big way. His hit track “Whoopty” became one of the most popular songs of the year and caught almost all of us by surprise when it landed on the Billboard’s Hot 100 where it’s continued its upward ascent ever since, currently climbing as high as the number 10 spot! But “Whoopty” was more than just a catchy song that helped a whole bunch of us get through those initial dark days under lockdown, it also made its writer and creator, CJ, a whole bunch of money. If the internet is to be believed then CJ, a man who had absolutely zero hit songs before this one, is now sitting pretty with a net worth in the $1 Million range. Success like that has finally afforded CJ to live a lifestyle, the likes of which he and his crew always knew he would one day acquire. His own manager, James Cruz, a longtime music executive has known CJ for the kid’s entire life. CJ is, without a doubt, having the time of his life these days. Whether it’s driving around in the nicest of whips, decking himself out in the most fashionable of clothing lines head to toe inking his body with new tatts, or draping the finest of bling around his neck, CJ is fitting right into the hip-hop lifestyle without skipping a beat. Considering the man is still just starting out, he hasn’t exactly diversified his business portfolio yet, but a quick perusal of his Instagram account gives us an idea that besides his music and a lucrative new deal that he just signed with Warner Records.

Before Gorilla Glue Girl would go viral for using Gorilla Glue in her hair and the news would get her verified on IG and clock in close to a million followers on both Instagram & TikTok. Before Gorilla Glue Girl would launch a go fund me and raise over $18K at the time of this recording. Before Gorilla Glue Girl would become a viral news story reported on by the likes of TMZ, Fox News, Entertainment Tonight, and the rest of the internet would watch as she used Goo Gone to cut off her ponytail and she would get some love from Chance The Rapper. You have heard the news all over the world but it appears no one has done a deep dive into who exactly Tessica Brown is. She's apparently the CEO of Dazzling Diva which is not only a dance team but also a sisterhood – and also Tessica’s Little Angels daycare that's right we did a deep dive. She's also a mother to at least 6 kids. So it's more like Gorilla Glue Mom but we are gonna let that slide. We also got the response from Gorilla Glue themselves which was a pretty weak reply if you ask me. I mean she does have a case if she wants to lawyer up.

After 6ix9ine would beat his potential 47-year prison sentence, seeing that number reduced to two years and getting placed on house arrest early thanks to COVID related health-risks. After 6ix9ine would drop his second studio album, TattleTales, only months after getting released featuring his hit single, GOOBA. After 6ix9ine would have 19 Million subscribers on YouTube, over 796K followers on Twitter, and 23 Million followers on Instagram at the time of this recording. Sometimes I find myself wondering – what is there really left to say about Tekashi 6ix9ine? It feels like the clown-prince of rap has been making headlines in the music industry for good and -- let’s be honest – a whole lot of bad, for the majority of his career. In the middle of last year, he was released from prison after narrowly beating a charge that would have seen him spend the majority of his life behind bars. But as basically everyone in the world knows, 6ix9ine struck a deal with the Feds to rat on his associates and got that sentence greatly reduced before ultimately being released to home confinement.
Since then, a whole bunch of other headlines has followed. He graced us with some new music and a second album, got served with a brand-new lawsuit, went house-hunting in New York, and then promptly disappeared before his daughter’s 5th birthday, causing all of his fans to freak out and ask the question: “Where is Tekashi 6ix9ine?” But even after disappearing off the face of the earth, his popularity is so all-consuming that Showtime announced the release of a docuseries on his life titled: “Supervillain: The Making of Tekashi 6ix9ine.”

Before DaniLeigh would get her big break in the music industry by directing a music video for Prince at the ripe old age of just 18-years-old. Before DaniLeigh would confirm that her relationship with Da Baby was over with a post on social media. Before DaniLeigh would have over 1 Million subscribers on YouTube, over 123K followers on Twitter, and over 3 Million followers on Instagram at the time of this recording. DaniLeigh, like many of today’s hottest artists, can thank social media for her rise to viral fame off the back of her Kiki TikTok dancing craze set to Drake’s “In My Feelings”. But unlike most of these viral artists, DaniLeigh has already shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the music industry thanks to her career as a dancer that helped her pave the way to a solo-career as a musician with enough experience and charisma to set herself apart from the rest of the pack. Dani is a self-proclaimed “Dominican Mami”, straight outta South Florida and whether it was her dancing career, her teenaged YouTube covers, or her viral success, she’s been proving that she was born for the center-stage and a worldwide audience for a long time now. After moving to LA to kickstart a career for herself at the age of just 16, Dani has never looked back, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a moment to appreciate where she came from on the way to where she’s going. Well……maybe going.

Before Moneybagg Yo would release chart-topping albums like “Federal 3x”, “2 Heartless”, and his most recent, “Time Served” which debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200. Before Moneybagg Yo would drop features with the likes of Lil Baby, YoungBoy NBA, and Quavo, along with a whole slew of others. Before Moneybagg Yo would have 1.7 Million followers on Twitter, 5.9 Million followers on Instagram and over 1.7 Million subscribers on YouTube at the time of this recording. Moneybagg Yo has been plotting and keeping busy ever since breaking through in the music industry in a big-way in 2017. But even prior to that, this South-Memphis native has been working hard to ensure he made something of himself and found a way outta his life as a street hustler. Prior to music, there were other attempts to lead a more straight and narrow existence, like a two-day stint at Church’s Chicken, but Moneybagg, he’s always been destined for greater things, even if, at one point, his life seemed so hopeless that he really didn’t think he’d make it. Plus the only good thing at Churches is the biscuits, so good move. These days, he’s dropping Billboard-charting albums like “Time Served” and expanding his booming brand with a film project about to drop that he’s been working on for a hot minute called “24 Hours”. All of this makes Moneybagg Yo one of the most relentless rappers in the game, so today, let’s see how he got there.

Before Freddie Gibbs would release an astounding amount of content over his remarkable career including 4 solo albums, 4 collaborative albums, 8 EP’s, and 20 Mixtapes. Before Freddie Gibbs would find himself dropped from both Interscope and Jeezy’s CTE World imprint and yet still manage to persevere and make it big by creating his own independent label. Before Freddie Gibbs would have over 271K subscribers on YouTube, over 425K followers on Twitter, and find himself banned from Instagram. After emerging onto the rap scene in the late 2000s, Freddie Gibbs earned himself a reputation as a rapper with sharp storytelling skills who wasn’t willing to shy away from the serious subject matter, often shining a light on his hometown of Gary, Indiana which would serve as the backdrop to a lot of his lyrical narratives. If you had told Freddie back then that it would take him over ten years of hard work before he’d find the type of recognition he deserves, including his recent 2021 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album, would he have believed you? Well, if he had, he might have just stuck to his earlier ambitions of becoming a pro-football player. But trying to carve out a life for himself by hustling drugs on the streets of Gary taught Freddie that he needed to find a way to escape, at any cost.

Before DJ Akademiks would join the Complex team on Everyday Struggle before his departure in 2020 over some remarks he made in regards to Chrissy Teigan. Before DJ Akademiks would get into beefs with Eminem, Migos, Nipsey Hussle, Nav, Meek Mill, Freddie Gibbs & more. Before DJ Akademiks would befriend Drizzy Drake, Tekashi 6ix9ine, and date Celina Powell. The last time we took a look at this man's come-up this channel was just getting started and I'm not sure McCrudden had any idea at how well connected DJ Akademiks was about to become. Back when that video was made in 2016 Akademiks social media page was sitting at a humble 200K on Twitter, 150K on Facebook and 1/2 a million on his main YouTube Channel. Fast forward to today and all those accounts have a following over a Million. I guess his Rutgers degree in Biomathematics paid off but before all that the kid was a local DJ and radio host and we have dug up a ton of old clips you've likely have never seen before. Like this interview with Mike Hardy from way back in 2013. Not sure what happened to Mike Hardy but Akademiks found his calling and never looked back.

Before Amine would self-release a series of mixtapes that would grab the attention of the hip-hop world, especially after he dropped his banger single: “Caroline”. Before Amine would land Scary Spice for his music video “Spice Girl”, and meet his childhood crush Sporty Spice. Before Amine would have 416K followers on Twitter, 1.5 Million followers on Instagram, and nearly 2 Million YouTube subscribers at the time of this recording. Amine is the type of hip-hop superstar the likes of which his hometown Portland fanbase probably never expected to see in their lifetimes. In the span of just five years, this 26-year-old went from dropping out of Portland State to self-releasing mixtapes and managed to transform himself into a major-label sensation. He’s come a long way from sneaking into an empty room on the Portland State campus to work on his songs and he’s managed to create a career for himself in a city that’s more well known for its indie rock scene than it is hip-hop thanks to his surprise breakout hit: “Caroline”, which took a frustrated college student and turned him into a hip-hop superstar.

Before Slowthai would release his breakthrough album, “Nothing Great About Britain” and announce himself as the new bad boy of the British rap scene. Before Slowthai would boast several high-end collaborations with the likes of Denzel Curry, Skepta, and A$AP Rocky. Slowthai is the type of rapper who prides himself on his ability to tell a story through his music and over the last couple years, he’s thrown his home-nation of Britain under his microscope, finding it to be a country of people chock-full of problems similar to his own. As a young man he was forced to live in community housing, spent too much time drinking, got beat on by an abusive step-father, and stole things just to escape boredom. This 24-year-old built himself a cult-like following off the back of two spectacular EP’s, 2017’s “I Wish I Knew” and 2018’s “Runt”, not to mention a whole slew of sold-out local gigs. But if your only exposure to him has been through website headlines, then you likely don’t know the real Slowthai at all, because his antics often overshadow his talent, like that time he chose to perform live at the Mercury Prize ceremony while waving the fake severed head of the UK’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. Yea that really happened. This guy has some balls bro, that was amazing. Despite his cheeky antics, Slowthai raps about subject matter that is both personal and universal making him one of the most authentic voices in the world of hip-hop today.