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Revisiting The 2012 XXL Freshmen 10 – Their Success & Where Are They Now?
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Danny Brown: Mainly known for his ridiculously unique and unorthodox flow, when it comes down to creativity of his subject matter and lyricism Danny Brown is second to none. He has released two incredible albums that provide the listener with a fresh experience on his take on Hip-Hop and features on songs such as Eminem’s city cypher “Detroit Vs. Everybody” and A$AP Rocky’s “1Train”.
Where Are They Now?
The 35 year old just released his fourth album, Atrocity Exhibition. The album features Kendrick Lamar, Earl Sweatshirt and more with production from The Alchemist and Paul White among others. Danny Brown is definitely one of the most talented and over looked artists to ever grace the XXL tradition.
French Montana
French is known for being loud, braggadocious, and for dating Khloe Kardashian. He holds a plethora of guest verses and a good amount of smash singles as well. He came up in the industry the hard way earning every accolade he’s received. His grind started in the early 2000s but it wasn’t until 2010 when “Choppa Choppa Down” with Waka Flocka broke through the mainstream. His “Shot Caller” single would continue an impressive onslaught of bangers.
His 2012 hit “Pop That” took radio by storm as did his premiere single “Ain’t Worried About Nothin” which instantly became the most popular song the week of its release. French’s debut album. Excuse My French would come by way of a partnership with Bad Boy and Maybach Music Group, with Puff Daddy and Rick Ross sharing executive producer credits.
Where Are They Now?
Montana is on the road enjoying the Bad Boy Reunion Tour at the moment. Currently on the verge of releasing his second studio album, MC4, which has features from artists like Drake and Kanye. He also released the visuals for his single ‘No Shopping’, one of the most anticipated songs of the summer. The project was leaked on its original August release date but French should be fine moving forward regardless.
Iggy Azalea
The Australian rapper sure knows how to get people talking. Signed by T.I. in 2012 after the release of her Ignorant Art mixtape, Iggy would get the 2012 XXL Freshman accolade shortly thereafter. Ironically her loyalty to T.I. would end up delaying her solo debut two years after leaving a deal with Interscope behind to instead partner with Def Jam.
One of the most popular and most annoying songs in rap history has to be Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy”. Props to her for providing the year of 2014 with one of the most infamous radio singles of all time. She’s won an American Music Award for the Favorite Rap Album for her 2014 debut The New Classic, beating out Drake’s Nothing Was the Same.
Controversy has pretty much followed her since that early success. Public spats with rappers and entertainers about her looks haven’t helped. Initially T.I. was in her corner fighting hard but he has since distanced himself from her entirely. Her engagement to Nick Young surprised some but then the revelation of infidelity and ensuing break up came as no surprise.
Where Are They Now?
Her second studio album, tentatively titled Digital Distortion was supposed to be a Summer release but Iggy recently said her personal life, the Nick situation had ruined her life and delayed the album. She did release a lead single “Team” earlier this year, but no word yet and when the project sees the light of day. Iggy should be alright though, she has made a lane for herself with Pop Rap and features with Ariana Grande, Rita Ora, Demi Lovato and Charli XCX are proof there is a lane for her out there if she can only turn her heartbreak into quality music.
Macklemore
Commonly known as “The Grammy Thief” for receiving the award for Best Rap Album over Kendrick Lamar’s autobiographical masterpiece good kid, m.A.A.d city, Macklemore has caused a lot of buzz in the rap game ever since he’s stepped in. His mainstream debut album and Grammy award winner, The Heist, consisted of some of the more touchy subjects in recent memory, from same-sex marriage to young kids getting killed over a pair of sneakers. With his musical partner Ryan Lewis he brought a new sound to music and along with the likes of Iggy Azalea, MGK and Yelawolf set a true emergence for mainstream white rappers.
Where Are They Now?
His follow-up album This Unruly Mess I’ve Made was released this past February. It made it to Number 4 on the Billboard charts but didn’t receive the same reception as his previous work. The single “Downtown” featured Hip-Hop legends Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz and Kool Moe Dee but wasn’t a mainstream powerhouse like say a “Thrift Shop”. Of the 13 tracks there just wasn’t much to compete with the hype and expectations he brought upon himself. The album has all but faded from memory and likely won’t be mentioned during the Award season.
Future
Future Hendrix, Super Future, the man who grasped 2015 by the throat. Future might be the biggest surprise from this list as there were sooo many doubts surrounding him back in 2012 when he released his debut album Pluto. While he had some success with singles and mixtapes, comparisons to T Pain and 2 Chainz hurt him. Still, Epic Records saw something here and they re-released Pluto 3D with several remixes to keep him relevant later that year. Remixes with Lil Wayne, T.I., Kelly Rowland, Ludacris and Diddy gave listeners a second listen and only then did he really begin to see his height.
His follow-up album Honest was much better received on the heels of a number of good looks thanks to the likes of Rihanna (“Loveeeeeee Song”) Ace Hood (“Bugatti”) Rich Gang (“Tap Out”) among countless others and subsequently becoming DJ Khaled’s go to artist, replacing T Pain starting with 2013’s “I Wanna be With You”. Additionally dating label mate Ciara would only help deliver him to a new audience. He would executive produce her self-titled 2013 album and be featured in the video for her lead single “Body Party” while also appearing in the remix for the album. That project would prove to be the beginning of their end, but Future ended up the winner of that relationship. He’s also gone on two tours with Drake, even after issues on the first one.
2015 was a year full of countless club bangers released month after month such as a “Commas”, “March Madness”, “Stick Talk”, and a number of others.
As of now Future is definitely the most popular rapper that came out of this 2012 XXL freshman class. In 2015 he released three mixtapes and one solo album, DS2. That is a whole lot of music. One of those three mixtapes just so happened to be a collaboration project with one of the most popular artists in the world, Drake on What A Time To be Alive.
Where Are They Now?
In 2016 he released the mixtape Purple Reign and a new album EVOL. That second tour with Drake is ongoing. He’s all over DJ Khaled’s latest release Major Key and his is of course on the lead single “I Got The Keys” alongside Jay z. You just can’t deny his work ethic. It’s not all quality music but it’s consistent.
*Additional reporting by Yoni Yardeni
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