25 Biggest Hip-Hop Fails of 2011

Regrets, they've had a few. These 25 we'll have to mention.

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Image via Complex Original
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Intro

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It's that time of year again. The time of year when we look back and think, "this year really would have made Jesus proud" and "It's too bad he hasn't come back from the dead to see it." It was an especially great year for hip-hop, with the rise of Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, and J.Cole; with monster albums by The Throne, Lil' Wayne, and Bad Meets Evil; with Rick Ross dominating, and Drake emoting. 

RELATED: Do Androids Dance? - The Biggest Controversies of 2013

T.I. Gets Released, Then Sent Right Back Again

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 T.I. Gets Released, Then Sent Right Back Again

Exactly one year after heading to jail for ecstasy possession, T.I. finally got to head home—back to his family, back to his fans, back to those VH1 cameras. (Cue the record scratch.) VH1 cameras? Law enforcement officials were none-too-pleased to learn that T.I. was riding home in the company of TV executives and book agents, and quickly yanked him back into custody. Thus giving him even more material for his next book and reality show.

Big Boi Arrested For Ecstasy, Viagra

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Big Boi Arrested For Ecstasy, Viagra

Few things seem less appealing than sea cruises: the threat of food-borne illness; conga lines; and not an exit in sight. To get us on a cruise ship, we're going to need a whole bunch of drugs. While disembarking from a cruise ship in Miami, Big Boi was arrested by customs agents and their pesky sniffer dogs. Seems he got caught with three pills of ecstasy and ten Viagra in his pocket. C'mon, Big Boi! You're supposed to have finished those off while you were at sea. A cruise ship is the perfect time to get wavy.

Diddy Disses Partygoer For Not Drinking Ciroc

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Diddy Disses Partygoer For Not Drinking Ciroc

If Forbes named you one of the wealthiest men in hip-hop, based on your clothing line, your music business, and your premium vodka brand, how would you spend your night after the BET Hip-Hop Awards? If you said "up in the club, with microphone in hand, throwing icecubes and mercilessly taunting a patron for drinking a different, less-premium vodka," then you're just like Diddy! Thankfully cooler heads prevailed and the newly-freed T.I. was able to talk Diddy off the ledge.

Ryan Leslie Backs Out On $1 Million Reward

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Ryan Leslie Backs Out On $1 Million Reward

In November of 2010, R&B wunderkind Ryan Leslie got on YouTube with an urgent plea: he would give $1,000,000 to the person or persons who recovered his stolen laptop, last seen in Germany a month earlier. Ryan increased the reward by almost 5000%—the original bounty was a mere $20,000—because his album Les Is More was stored on the hard drive. He tweeted, did interviews; even mourned in song, penning lyrics like "They stole a little piece of my heart." Leslie's prayers were answered when a German man found the singer's computer in a park while walking his dog. Which was great for everyone, except for said German man—who never got paid the reward. This October, court papers were filed for $1,000,000 plus interest.

Big Sean Hit With Sexual Assault Charges

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Big Sean Hit With Sexual Assualt Charges


While he was enjoying a hell of a year, Big Sean's year almost went to hell. During live shows Sean would often stand on stage instructing the crowd to shout, "suck my dick, bitch!" Concertgoers happily responded to his call from city to city. But when the tour came through Buffalo, Big Sean was pinched on sexual assault charges. However it really went down, the charges were eventually dropped, and Sean plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge and paid a $750 fine. His lawyer told XXLMag.com that Sean, "regrets any misunderstandings that occurred that day and reiterates he did not engage in any type of sexual misconduct." Maybe now he'll ask the crowd to shout, "sign an official consent form, bitch!"

Lil Wayne Wears Women's Pants at VMAs

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Lil Wayne Wears Women's Pants At VMAs

Lil' Wayne's known for making ballsy choices, from songs like "Lollipop" and "Abortion" to "How to Love." His shows are even crazier than his records—from his electric performances to his cutting-edge wardrobe. Nobody could say Wayne's set to close the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards wasn't tight—especially not when he was wearing Tripp NYC leopard print jeggings. It was a bold fashion statement to be sure. And good news for all the women who've been wondering how to get into Wayne's pants. Turns out it's easier than you thought. You might even own them already.

Lindsay Lohan Sues Pitbull

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Lindsay Lohan Sues Pitbull

Poor Lindsay Lohan. Literally. In an effort to scrape up some much-needed cash—before cashing the check for that big Playboy pictorial—Lindsay filed a lawsuit against Pitbull, Ne-Yo and Afro-Jack for making fun of her legal troubles in their song "Give Me Everything." You know, the one where Pitbull raps: “Hustlers move aside, so I'm tiptoein', to keep flowin'/ I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan." Ugh. Lock that rapper up—but not for defamation, as Lindsay claims. No one's defaming you but yourself, Baby.

Donald Trump Anoints Mac Miller "The Next Eminem"

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Donald Trump Anoints Mac Miller "The Next Eminem"


In Donald Trump's world, if you put the Trump name on something, it has to be the Best Something. Or more accurately, it would be Donald Trump's Best Something. So when one of his non-celebrity apprentices informed him that there was a white rapper from Pittsburgh with a very popular song called "Donald Trump," Mr. Trump knew exactly what to do before even hearing the song or seeing the video: 1.) Deem it the best video ever. 2.) Take credit for its success. 3.) Appoint Mac Miller team leader for this week's pizza challenge. 4.) Compare Mac to Eminem. Mac, of course, is nothing like Eminem at all—aside from his skin color. But Future President Wannabe Trump only cares about facts if they're Donald Trump's Best Facts.

Lil B Releases I'm Gay (I'm Happy)

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Lil B Releases I'm Gay (I'm Happy)


The Based God came out. With a new album. Called "I'm Gay (I'm Happy)." Lil' B's not actually gay, as in homosexual, but he is apparently happy, as in gay. The most controversial aspect of this album was that a day after it went on sale, he posted a free download link on his Facebook page. The most disappointing aspect: there was no song called "Fred Flintstone." After all, he is having a gay ol' time.

Kat Stacks Deported

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Kat Stacks Deported


After a year behind bars, things got even worse for Andrea Herrera (better known as Kat Stacks). We first came to know of her existence when she took the jobs most Americans didn't want: sleeping her way through the Young Money bunks. A week later, she popped up in Soulja Boy's hotel room, charging that he was a cokehead who couldn't do her right. Yet through it all, Kat Stacks toughed it out like some new superbreed of bedbug that could not be eradicated. Her mother racked up 12,000 followers on Twitter; her kids were written up on gossip sites, and her videos got millions of views. But she was eventually arrested on immigration charges—after having missed a court date—and, in November of this year, she was finally deported back to Venezuela.

Soulja Boy Disses The Military

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Soulja Boy Disses The Military

As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approached, Soulja Boy felt that he should become the voice of reason, a spokesman for peace, this generation's John Lennon. And so, in a YouTube freestyle-slash-thesis titled "Let's Be Real," Soulja Boy rapped, "Fuck the FBI and fuck all the Army troops/ Fighting for what? / Bitch, be your own man." Oh. Very cool argument, Soulja Boy. Thanks for your thoughts, but maybe you should go back to dodging eviction notices and puffing blunts with A-Rab. Soon after he released an emphatic apology, the U.S. military announced an official ban on Soulja Boy's music. More recently, he made headlines by saying, "My ex-manager exploited my stupidity." At least he's self-aware.

Lil Kim's $9.99 Mixtape

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Lil Kim's $9.99 Mixtape


Fame is a helluva drug, and some people just can't handle the comedown. When Nicki Minaj rose to stardom, Lil Kim saw a good chance to make a comeback, and so a beef was born. (Kim's excuse: Nicki hasn't paid her enough acknowledgment—a common theme lately.) Months after starting this rather one-sided feud, Kim released an entire mixtape devoted to her rival. The catch? It was no longer free as initally advertised—fans were taxed $10 to hear Kim go in on Nicki. The gutsy PayPal powerplay had fans disgruntled when the download link failed to work. Three weeks later Kim finally shipped physical copies of CDs to many (but not all) those who bought the mixtape. She claimed to have made a million dollars in the process, but consider what she lost.

Machine Gun Kelly Incites Riot At Shopping Mall

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Machine Gun Kelly Incites Riot At Shopping Mall

As seen in countless YouTube videos and live concerts, Bad Boy Entertainment's newest recruit, Machine Gun Kelly, has some very devoted fans. When he says Jump they ask How high? When he says Mosh, they destroy. When he says, Lace Up, they lace the fuck up. And when he says, Show up at the South Park Mall foot court in Strongville, Ohio at 5pm and rage, well, his troops do as they're told. Soon after that "flash mob" stunt gone wrong MGK was cuffed by the cops and hauled down to a holding cell for inciting a riot.

Gucci Mane's Face Tattoo

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Gucci Mane's Face Tattoo

Gucci Mane has been knocked down a number of times during his career, but this year he finally Mike Tyson'd himself. Fresh off another jail bid, the rapper known for his "Brrr" ad-lib stopped by his friendly neighborhood tattoo artist and had an ice cream cone inked onto his face. With three scoops. And red lightning bolts firing out of the dessert. Oh, and the word "Brrr" underneath. Pictures of the face-tat immediately went viral, with everyone from fans to detractors to Gucci's own record label execs wondering if they were real. They were—and nearly a year later, that ice cream cone is still giving folks the shivers.

Joe Budden's Miscarriage Hits Bossip

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Joe Budden's Miscarriage Hits Bossip

Which one is worse? Trashy gossip sites, or the people who frequent them? Hard to say, but when Bossip decided to post photographs of Esther Baxter's miscarriage, both the readers and eventually those who run the site had to do some soul-searching. “We weren't thinking editorially," Bossip Chief Executive Marve Frazier told The Daily Beast—but thankfully the pictures were eventually taken down. While Budden and Baxter may be public people they did not deserve to have their business put out there like that.

Canibus vs. J. Cole

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Canibus vs. J. Cole

In this 106 & Park world where tricks and gimmicks trump beats and rhymes, J. Cole is one of the last of the true lyricists in the game. The Roc Nation rookie always shows respect to his elders, shouting out Jay-Z, Nas... even Canibus, who never enjoyed true commercial success and may be best remembered for painting himself silver for an MTV appearance. Some veteran rappers might enjoy the attention; apparently Canibus did not—sorta like those nursing home residents who yell at the visitors, saying they don't visit enough. "He speaks about me like I am dead," Canibus said of J. Cole, then went on to express his appreciation by relelasing a dis track called "J. Clone" about how J. Cole never recorded a song with him. (It's not like it would have been impossible. Nat King Cole appeared on a posthumous duet of "Unforgettable" with his daughter, Natalie.) Two days later Canibus folded, issuing an apology before crawling back to his cave.

MMG Use 500 Benz in "600 Benz" Video

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MMG Uses 500 Benz in "600 Benz" Video

In the video for MMG's ode to excess, "600 Benz," there'e really only one prop necessary, as specified in the song title. So why did thry have a S550 Benz in their video? You'd think that Wale and Rick Ross would splurge for the higher-end model, at least at the shoot. While identical on the interior, the S550 is rather déclassé. It's easier to maintain, gets better fuel economy and—while it lacks the power of the 600—it is less expensive and far more easily found. To make matters worse, the video keeps showing the rear of the car, with the S550 model number shining through raindrops. Not a good look. In fairness, there were only 2,677 Mercedes-Benz 600s made, and we're guessing that most are in the hands of bossalinis like Fidel Castro and Kim Jong-Un—but still...

Kreayshawn at the VMAs

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Kreayshawn at the VMAs

On the strength of a few hot videos, Kreayshawn's whole life turned upside-down: a million-dollar Sony record deal; a director's gig for a Red Hot Chili Peppers' video; the scrutiny of critics. Weeks before she was set to host the Internet broadcast of MTV's VMA black carpet, a line from one of Kreay's quasi-freestyles went viral: "You tryin' to play me like a boss, but you faker than Rick Ross." Publicly, she said it wasn't "an intentional dis." (Though a Ustream chat that leaked wide suggested otherwise.) Kreayshawn felt safe until Rick Ross popped up in her rear-view at the VMAs, yelling in her direction. In an effort to stay cool, she started speaking gibberish: "VMA wildness! Nobody likes Kreayshawn, but it's okay. We all have fun, we all have fun out here. Things are getting a little too serious though. We had some jokes—I'm hella irritated right now." The White Girl Mob boss lady was asked to leave for her safety.

Game Tweets Police Phone Number

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Game Tweets Police Phone Number


On August 12, Game tweeted about a fantastic internship opportunity, and included a Los Angeles phone number. Many of his 580,000 followers jumped at the chance, en masse. Calls immediately flooded the system, resulting in a busy signal that lasted for three hours. The unlucky recipient? The Compton sheriff's department, who were trying to deal with a few things that day—like a missing persons report, an incident of spousal abuse, two robberies, and a stolen vehicle. Police brass even took to Twitter to get Game's attention, with the captain of the force @-ing him three times in an effort to take down the tweet. Around midnight, Game finally deleted the post, writing, "Yall can track a tweet down but cant solve murders! Dat was an accident but maybe now yall can actually do yall job." Six days later, after a chastised Game apologized for a 'joke gone wrong,' the sheriff's office decided not to pursue charges.

FOX News Freaks Out Over Common

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FOX News Freaks Out Over Common

Common—he of positivity and love and Electric Circus—was invited by First Lady Michelle Obama to perform at a White House poetry reading. Fox News predictably took offense to yet another African-American from Chicago setting foot on the grounds of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and sounded the alarm on their website, calling Common "vile" and "controversial." Somebody tell Fox News that even Drake's not scared of this controversial, vile poet.

Lupe Fiasco Calls Obama "The Biggest Terrorist"

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Lupe Fiasco Calls Obama "The Biggest Terrorist"

Lupe Fiasco is the type of person who thinks they're very smart, sorta like that girl who took Psych 101 and thought she has you all figured out. In an interview with  the CBS-affiliated web show "What's Trending" this past June, Lupe said, "In my fight against terrorism, to me, the biggest terrorist is Obama, and the United States of America." Simplifying U.S. foreign policy to a simple land-grab for blood and oil, Fiasco seemed to forget about all the humanitarian relief efforts, investment, and development and basically all the good this country provides worldwide. He went on to say that, as a rule, he doesn't vote. Also, that he "doesn't get involved in politics." Thanks for your thoughts.

Detox Still Unreleased

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Detox Still Unreleased

We've actually gotten used to Dr. Dre's opus Detox turning into a case of chronic blue balls. But in 2011, it was just unfair. First Just Blaze got our hopes up when he released a video of Dre in the studio saying, "4/20, baby. 4/20. I'm comin'." Label reps immediately denied the rumored release date. But then there was the "I Need a Doctor" song, video, and Grammy performance—all of which led to nothing. And there was a great to-do about "Under Pressure," a collaboration with Jay-Z, which leaked, was announced as the next single, and then... nothing. Oh, and Dre announced that he's thinking about taking a break from the music industry. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me over and over and over again since 2002? Forget about it.

V-Nasty's Use Of The N-Word

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V-Nasty's Use Of The N-Word

V-Nasty is a half Vietnamese half-white girl from Oakland, California, representing her crew, the White Girl Mob. She defends her right to use the N-Word freely in her every-day conversation. It's okay, she assures us, because "it ain't no color in Oakland." She's on "some real n***a shit" she adds. Oh, and haters have never walked in her shoes. On her latest album she said she was trying to stop using the word, but accidentally used it anyway. The question isn't "Will this end well?" but "Will this please end?"

Ray J And The Money Team vs Fabolous

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Ray J And The Money Team vs. Fabolous


After taking major offense to some comments Fabolous made on Twitter, Ray J attempted to get his revenge in a crowded hallway at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. With 50 Cent watching in amusement, Brandy's brother chose to seek vengeance by rushing Fab, getting kicked out of the Palms, being arrested, and then calling in to The Breakfast Club morning show on New York's Power 105FM to claim victory and introduce America to "The Money Team." Multiple Rolls Royces outside! Indoor pool! Outdoor pool! Raping dudes! Solid plan, Ray. Oh, except that Fabolous (and witnesses like 50 Cent and DJ Clue) later questioned your version of events and pulled your g-card. It turns out that Ray J didn't beat the tweets out of Fab, or do much besides pushing while his man tried to make a video. The only lesson taught that night was "just say no."

Girl Tattoos "Drake" On Forehead

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Girl Tattoos "Drake" On Forehead

"Tatt my fuckin' name on you so I know it's real," Drake says on his song "Free Spirit." Months later, some girl committed hard to the statement, paying Los Angeles-based tattoo artist Kevin Campbell to give her the Nathaniel Hawthorne treatment and print DRAKE in big block letters across her forehead. Nothing lasts forever except for tattoos and regret—no amount of tears will get that ink off. But this story doesn't end with some poor girl getting her face ruined: Campbell has become an entertaining interview, calling Drake a "goofnugget." Drake responded that he'd "fuck that guy up." And now, Campbell is offering "any time, any place." Looks like we've all fallen down some sort of a wormhole—thanks to some Drake fan taking Drizzy's lyrics too seriously.

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