From rags to riches
It’s no secret that rappers in the game today come from backgrounds of all different types. Some come from rough neighborhoods and tough families like Lil Wayne on his journey out of Hollygrove, while others like Drake had higher platforms and easier routes to success because of his previous acting career. Either way, there is no shortage of interesting come-up stories when it comes to rappers and musical artists in general. Check out these stories behind how some of your favorite rappers and hip-hop artists got to their stardom today.
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Nicki Minaj
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When Nicki was young she claims that she was “fired like 15 times” because of her “horrible attitude”, so it became apparent quickly that she wasn’t made out for a normal workday.
She joined a four-person rap group, but then left to become a solo artist. Her break came when she was releasing music on MySpace, and was signed by a Brooklyn label called “Dirty Money”. From there she released a DVD street series called “Come Up” that came across Lil Wayne’s eyes, and he was instantly won over. In 2009 Young Money announced they’d signed Nicki.
Drake
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It’s no secret that Drake was an actor on the Canadian show Degrassi, so his rise to stardom had an extra boost. After he left the show in 2009, he dropped his first mixtape. Then he got names like Trey Songz to be on his early work and a talent scout from Houston was liking what he was hearing. The scout reached out to Lil Wayne, who listened to Drake and flew him out to Houston just days later. From there Drake signed with Young Money in 2009.
Chief Keef
Source: Instagram @chieffkeeffsossa
Born Keith Cozart, Chief Keef started freestyling with his family’s karaoke machine at the ripe age of 10. Thanks to his uncle’s connections, Keef had the opportunity to work with DJ Kenn, who produced Keef’s first hit “Bang” in 2011.
In 2012 Keef got his name out when Lil B and Soulja Boy remixed some of his songs. He even got Kanye West to remix one of his singles. A month later Keef announced a deal with Interscope and even a publishing deal with Dr. Dre for some Beats by Keef headphones.
