Before They Were Famous

Before Dustin Poirier would unleash his power on the UFC, fighting his way to the top two in the Lightweight Rankings. Before Dustin Poirier would earn himself a rematch against Conor McGregor and have a shot at redemption. Before Dustin Poirier would have over 434K followers on Twitter and almost 2 million followers on Instagram at the time of this recording. Dustin Poirier has risen through the ranks of the UFC in large part due to his ability to always be improving himself, something that has propelled him into becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world of combat sports. Things don’t always go Dustin’s way but that’s okay because he’ll just continue working hard to achieve whatever it is that he sets his mind to. For him, losses are nothing more than speedbumps on the way to success. Pretty soon, the man who holds victories over the likes of Max Holloway, Eddie Alvarez, and Justin Gaethje, is about to get his chance at redemption when he steps foot into the Octagon to take on the man who defeated him over six years ago, Conor McGregor.

Before Netflix would drop The Night Stalker documentary. Before Ramirez would be responsible for torturing dozens more before being captured in 1985. Before Richard would become an international news story and would have a cult following of female fans and got married while behind bars. Richard's reign over southern California lasted from June 1984 until August 1985. His satanism and sheer lack of concern for human life cemented his place in history as one of the most prolific "people" of our time. After binge-watching the show there still wasn't a whole ton of information given about his childhood or his decades served in prison. I mean the dude even got married in there to some woman with seriously questionable taste.

Before The Buss It Challenge would help rapper Erica Banks blow up on social media and secure her a contract with Warner Brothers Music. Before The Buss It Challenge would see celebrities the likes of Monica, Rico Nasty, and even Iggy Azalea taking part on TikTok. Before The Buss It Challenge would be seen in more than one million unique Tik Tok videos at the time of this recording. All things considered, Tik Tok has only been around a relatively short amount of time, but there are few social media platforms more successful these days at kicking off viral trends, in the last little bit alone we’ve seen the rise of clown core a musical adaptation of Disney’s “Ratatouille” and, of course, that fantastic mix of Cranberry Juice and skateboarding. But these past few weeks, the latest trend blowing up across Tik Tok has finally arrived and it’s called: “The Buss It Challenge”, named after Erica Banks’ track: “Buss It”. The trend involves participants showing themselves in a normal, everyday, cozy attire before suddenly cutting to themselves all glowed-up and, often, twerking. While Banks’ song was originally released in the middle of last year, it really didn’t take off until this year’s recent trend. So, if you’re looking to Buss It Out yourself, I’m about to give you guys a rundown on what this craze is all about.

Before Lori Harvey would date some of the biggest names in Hip-Hop and R&B including Sean Puffy Combs, Future, and Trey Songz. Before Lori Harvey would be mentioned in a couple rap songs by Meek Mill and Future alike one naming Lori Harvey as an item on his Christmas wish list and the other saying “give me glory, give me Lori, that’s victory”. Before Lori Harvey would appear in her good friend, Normani’s music video for “Motivation”. Before Lori Harvey bagged People’s Sexiest Man in the World, Michael B Jordan. Before Lori Harvey would have over 2.9 million followers on Instagram at the time of this recording. Lori Harvey an accomplished model and former equestrian, daughter of Steve and Marjorie Harvey grew up in the limelight for the most part but now she’s made her way into the spotlight with her amazing looks, down to earth personality, and the new title of Queen of Dating…how did Lori Harvey get famous? Keep watching

Before Popp Hunna would drop his mixtape “One Year Later” and go viral thanks to the success of his track “Adderall (Corvette, Corvette)” on TikTok. Before Popp Hunna would be asked by Lil Uzi Vert to remove his feature off Pop Hunna’s most recent EP due to a story circulating online accusing Hunna of being a Snitch. Before Popp Hunna would have over 168K followers on Instagram and over 232K Subscribers on YouTube at the time of this recording. Pop Hunna stepped into the spotlight for the first time last year after he dropped his mixtape “One Year Later” in January and then followed it up with his EP “Mud Baby”, eleven months later on Christmas Day. This rapper straight outta North Philly has gained over 27 Million streams on Spotify for his track “Adderall (Corvette, Corvette)” thanks in large part to its prominence on TikTok which led to celebrities of all types coming out of the wood-works to endorse his song. We’re talking the likes of Sasha Obama and even comedy mega-star Kevin Hart among a whole bunch of others. But just as Popp Hunna’s moment has finally come, some people are already calling for it to be over after events from his past have come to light that have a large portion of the hip-hop world shunning him, including his former collaborator, Lil Uzi Vert.

When it comes to hip hop, Chicago has been a staple in the culture for decades. With artists like Common, Da Brat and Twista setting the tone early, it was clear that the city would be a force to be reckoned with. But I don't think anyone anticipated Chicago birthing artists that would change the musical landscape forever. The always larger-than-life figure Kanye West, burst onto the scene in 2004 with the instant classic College Dropout it debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 and was certified double-platinum in June of that same year. Arguably one of his biggest career highlights and pivotal turning points came with the debut of 808s and Heartbreak. But that wouldn't be the only time Chicagos's impact would be felt worldwide. March 14, 2012, an ambitious 16-year-old rapper from 64th street by the name of Chief Keef dropped his album, with the lead single Don't Like which peaked at #73 on the Billboard 100 and has 36 million at the time of this recording.

Before Ari Lennox would drop her debut album “Shea Butter Baby” featuring hit singles like “Whipped Cream” and “40 Shades of Choke". Before Ari Lennox would team up with Crown Royal to record a cover of Sly and the Family Stone’s “If You Want Me to Stay” in support of independent bars facing the threat of closure during the COVID crisis. Before Ari Lennox would have 1.3 Million followers on Instagram, over 481K followers on Twitter, and almost 400K subscribers on YouTube at the time of this recording. When fans and critics talk about the music of artist Ari Lennox, they often use words like “classic” or “timeless” to describe her R&B sound – but despite the praise they’re eager to heap on her now, it was a long road to success for Ms. Lennox. After years of work on the independent scene by uploading her music online and working a series of different odd jobs, this uber-talented 29-year-old became the first female to sign onto J Cole’s Dreamville label back in 2015. Even after that, it took Ari a few years to continue developing her music and sound before she was ready to drop her debut studio album: “Shea Butter Baby”, which, after the release, J Cole then jumped onto Twitter to announced Ari as: “the Future” of the music scene.

Before NextYoungin would team up with Ppcocaine and take the world by storm with their insanely popular hit track: “3 Musketeers”. Before NextYoungin would create so much buzz that Influencers like Charlie D’Amelio are already creating original dances to her music. Before NextYoungin would have almost 4K followers on Twitter, over 140K followers on Instagram across two profiles, and over 135K followers on TikTok at the time of this recording. If you’re an avid TikTok user, chances are you’ve already heard of NextYoungin. This 20-year old rapper has taken the social media app by storm with millions of streams of her co-feature, “3 Musketeers”, a song she made alongside her best friend, PPCocaine. In fact, these two are so close that not only do they make beautiful music together, they also frequent each other’s social media feeds. So much so that they even opened up their own joint account on Instagram where they share with the world how their come-up is progressing and let their fans in on some behind-the-scenes looks at their music and personal lives. These two appear to be greatly enjoying one another’s company – and why wouldn’t they after blowing up off the back of one of their very first releases? In fact, almost all of NextYoungin’s recent success stems from that “3 Musketeers” feature, which means almost everything she’s going through right now is totally new to her. Before last year, she had never even recorded a song in her life! Now, she’s got over 44 Million streams on Spotify, 1.6 Million monthly listeners, and a song that was named one of the best of 2020 by the New York Times! But most important of all, NextYoungin got to this point in her life thanks in large part to her good heart, genuine intentions, and the insight to simply be herself.

Before Soran would perform Hotel California for his audition of Quebec’s version of The Voice and have it released as an official single bringing in over five million streams. Before Soran would make a song about the current times we’re living in with the help of his fans Instagram comments. Before Soran summer single “Going On” would be certified gold in Belgium. Before Soran would have over 96.4 thousand followers on Instagram, over 204 thousand followers on TikTok and over 201 thousand subscribers on YouTube, and over 17 million streams worldwide at the time of this recording. Soran Dussaigne of Montreal, Canada has taken the world by storm and it all started when he was just a toddler. He began experimenting with instruments at a young age and held on to that passion for making music into his teens. After feeling neglected by his brother and father, Soran found solace in music and teaching himself how to compose his very own unique pieces before he went viral. So how was Soran’s climb to fame? Let’s get into it.

After Azealia Banks would drop hit songs like “Anna Wintour”, “Black Madonna”, and “212”. After Azealia Banks would find herself mixed up in public feuds with near everyone in Hollywood including Lana Del Ray, Zayn Malik, and even Russell Crowe. After Azealia Banks would horrify a whole ton of people on social media, posting a video of her digging up her cat and boiling it in a vat of water to bring it back to life. Azealia Banks is a name that causes a pretty strong reaction to almost anyone who hears it. For those who love her immense talent, she’s one of the best rappers in hip-hop, a fantastic dancer, and a true artist. But to her detractors, she’s obnoxious, racist, and possibly circling the drain of a failed career. Let’s not forget, her breakthrough song was “212” and she released that bad-boy almost ten years ago now. At that time, she was heralded as the next big thing in rap music. Not only was she trendy and confident, but she was also actually a good artist and a fantastic performer. And while her music, when it gets released, is still gobbled up by her fans, over the years Azealia has become more well known for initiating one-sided beefs than almost anything else she does... well, that and things like digging up her cat, Lucifer, just to bring it back to life. And this is not the first time Azealia has shocked the world with her behavior. Far from it.