What The Hell Just Happened in Music During the First Quarter of 2013?

We're only three months into the year, and it's already been a wild ride.

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Image via Complex Original
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We're only three months into 2013 and it's already been an insane year. Beyoncé performed at the Super Bowl, Gucci Mane starred in Spring Breakers, Justin Timberlake sold a million albums in a week, Lil Wayne almost died, and Kanye West started wearing masks. The scary part? This year's not even close to being over.

In order to make at least a little sense of it all, we've recapped exactly What The Hell Just Happened in Music During the First Quarter of 2013. If the beginning of the year is any indication, these next nine months are going to be a wild ride. We can't wait.

Written by Lauren Nostro (@LAURENcynthia)

RELATED: The 40 Biggest Hip-Hop Moments in Pop Culture History

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop" Goes Platinum

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Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" Goes Platinum

Date: January 3

Two white dudes started rapping about thrift stores/used clothes, and their support of gay marriage. It was cool and all but it was hard to ignore that Macklemore sounded just like Slug from Atmosphere. "Thrift Shop" got almost zero radio play on the East Coast but hit No. 1 on the charts for weeks, and people went crazy for Macklemore.

Azealia Banks and Angel Haze Exchange Diss Tracks

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Azealia Banks and Angel Haze Exchange Disses

Date: January 3

Azealia Banks had even less chill entering 2013, beefing with Angel Haze, Perez Hilton, Diplo, Bauuer, Rita Ora, and others. Problem is, she can spit on the mic, and while her Twitter wars get more press than her music at times, she is pretty damn entertaining. But when she waged war with New York's Angel Haze, private text conversations were exposed making Banks look pretty dumb. Haze won this war with "On The Edge", but diss tracks flew between the two for a few days.

Big Baby Gandhi Retires From Rap

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Big Baby Gandhi Retires From Rap

Date: January 5

Big Baby Gandhi's heartbreaking departure from hip-hop went down. Rest assured though, he'll be a damn good pharmacist one day.

Justin Timberlake Announces A New Album

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Justin Timberlake Announces a New Album

Date: January 10

The world stopped breathing. JT announced a comeback after a 6-year hiatus; a new album was on its way. Days later, his single "Suit & Tie" dropped with a Jay-Z feature, and a mature JT singing about being in love. It was a new year and a new JT.

Kriss Kross Reunites

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Kriss Kross Reunites

Date: January 16

A reunion that the world never expected-Kriss Kross reunited for a February performance, without the backward jeans, of course.

So So Def Reunited on "Celebration"

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The Rest of So So Def Reunites, Too

Date: January 16

Jermaine Dupri, Jagged Edge, Da Brat, Dondria, Fresco Kane and Bow Wow all teamed up for "Celebration". It was the So So Def reunion that no one expected and everyone fucking loved. The sounds of "My Boo" flooded offices everywhere in anticipation, and remembrance of, So So Def.

Master P Releases New Music

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Master P Returns With New Music

Date: January 16

Master P was back with his Al Capone mixtape, in January and again, in February with the Louie V Mob comprised of Alley Boy and Fat Trel on New World Order.

Chief Keef Was Sentenced to Two Months in Chicago Youth Center

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Chief Keef Gets Sentenced to Two Months in Chicago Youth Center

Date: January 16

A sad day for Keef, his camp, Kay Kay, and fans—his departure was sudden. Fans wrote letters to him in prison, and he missed the Pope resigning, among other things.

Gunplay Was Freed From House Arrest

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Gunplay Is Freed From House Arrest

Date: January 17

About the time Keef went in, Gunplay came out of house arrest.

Wale and Jerry Seinfeld Are Working on "The Album About Nothing"

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Jerry Seinfeld Says He's Working on Wale's The Album About Nothing

Date: January 18

Jerry Seinfeld teamed up with Wale after learning about his music from his wife and they announced via video that they'd be working together on Wale's upcoming album.

Hudson Mohawke Signs With Kanye West

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Hudson Mohawke Signs With Kanye West

Date: January 19

One half of trap duo TNGHT, Hudson Mohawke signs to G.O.O.D. Music and symbolizes the crossover of EDM and hip-hop with his collaborative works. His signing comes right around the time Billboard adds an EDM chart to their roster.

Beyonce Lip-Synched The National Anthem, Then Didn't, Then Sang It Live

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Beyonce Lip-Synchs the National Anthem, Then Sings It Live

Date: January 22

Bey was accused of lip-synching at the Inauguration. But don't worry, she handled it like the King she is and proved she can, actually, sing.

Kanye West Briefly Returns to Twitter

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Daft Punk Announces New Album

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Daft Punk Announces a New Album

Date: January 28

It's been eight years since Daft Punk dropped a solo project and we cannot wait for this one. They defined the sound of the '00s—and will most likely do the same this year.

Lil B and Joey Bada$$ Beefed

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Lil B Beefs With Joey Bada$$

Date: January 29

We still can't believe that Joey Bada$$ responded to a Lil B diss but we know he's not that based these days.

Gucci Mane Attends Career Day

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Drake Drops "Started From The Bottom"

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Drake Drops "Started From The Bottom"

Date: February 1

The memes, the jokes, the punchlines, the tweets—Drake is back and he's got his whole team fucking here.

The Harlem Shake Was No Longer "The Harlem Shake"

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The New "Harlem Shake" Goes Viral

Date: February 2

You thought the Harlem Shake was that awesome dance that originated in Harlem and was a violent version of shaking your shoulders, didn't you. Well that all changed this year when Bauuer's "Harlem Shake" video inspired countless fans, sports teams, and animals to take part in the craze. Harlem residents were not pleased, either. The track hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 due to its viral success.

My Bloody Valentine to Release Their First Album in 21 Years

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My Bloody Valentine Announces Their First Album in 21 Years

Date: February 2

And you thought Daft Punk had a long hiatus? Look at My Bloody Valentine and relish in the awesomeness of their return.

Beyonce and Destiny's Child Reunite At Super Bowl

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Beyonce and Destiny's Child Reunite at the Super Bowl

Date: February 3

The only person who didn't enjoy this was Keyshia Cole—but otherwise, the world was watching the trio grace the stage, and Beyonce kill her solo material, at this year's Super Bowl. They released "Nuclear" in mid-January, but this was their moment of the year.

Beyonce Announces "The Mrs. Carter Show" World Tour

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Beyonce Announces "The Mrs. Carter Show" World Tour

Date: February 3

She wasn't done after the inaugration, she's going on a world tour and is taking over 2013.

Eminem Expected to Release Album This Year

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Eminem's Return to Music Is Revealed

Date: February 8

While we were all celebrating, and feeling old, about the 14th anniversary of Eminem's The Slim Shady LP, Paul Rosenberg says a new album from Eminem is expected to drop this year.

Toni Braxton Announces Her Retirement From Music

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Toni Braxton Retires From Music

Date: February 8

She said her heart wasn't in music anymore while simultaneously breaking all of our hearts at the same time.

Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Drake Win All the Rap Grammys

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Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Drake Win All the Rap Grammys

Date: February 10

We know that the Grammys have made plenty of hip-hop mistakes in the past, but this year, Jay-Z, Kanye and Drake dominate the Rap Grammys. Don't worry, Kanye West wasn't even there.

Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z Perform "Suit & Tie" at the Grammys

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Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z Perform "Suit & Tie" at the Grammys

Date: February 10

It was the comeback of the year-Justin Timberlake took the stage and was joined by Jay-Z, both sporting suits, to perform JT's No. 1 hit single "Suit & Tie."

Riff Raff Is Working With Drake and A$AP Rocky

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Riff Raff Says He's Working With Drake and A$AP Rocky

Date: February 13

As if Riff Raff didn't get enough buzz off of being an inspiration behind the Spring Breakers movie, rumors that he's working with Drake and A$AP Rocky were really in his favor.

Kanye West Disses the Grammys and "Suit & Tie"

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Method Man Says New Wu-Tang Clan Album Will Drop This Year

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Method Man Says a New Wu-Tang Clan Album Will Drop This Year

Date: March 3

Because Wu-Tang is for the children and the children really need this.

Gucci Mane Changed His Name to "Guwop" for 10 Minutes

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Gucci Mane Changes His Name to "Guwop" for 10 Minutes

Date: March 4

Was Gucci Mane trolling? It was his year, until he got arrested for assault. Come on Gucci, we can do better.

Ciara Made Her Comeback

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Ciara Makes Her Comeback

Date: March 4

Ciara dropped the Mike WiLL Made It-produced "Body Party" with a great "My Boo" sample. It's a great track that shows she's still got it. Did we mention that her and Future, who wrote the song, are dating? Did we also mention that they are the greatest couple on Earth-and Pluto?

Mobb Deep Reunites for 20th Anniversary Tour

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Mobb Deep Reunites for 20th Anniversary Tour

Date: March 6

The drama is behind Prodigy and Havoc, and the rumors are true: They're reunited and going on tour this year.

Justin Timberlake "The 20/20 Experience" Drops

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Justin Timberlake Drops The 20/20 Experience

Date: March 15

The time was finally here. Two months after annoucing its release date, The 20/20 Experience streamed a week before its release. It was everything we wanted to hear from JT-mature songs, a lot about love, and production that will be perfect on his Legends of the Summer tour with Jay-Z later this year.

Lil Wayne Almost Dies

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Lil Wayne Almost Dies

Date: March 15

Wayne admitted to having epilepsy, which caused his serious seizure just weeks ago. He's fully recovered, he says, but he was rushed to ICU, and thanks to sites like TMZ, fans believed that he was being read his last rites.

Beyonce's New Song "Bow Down/I Been On" Dropped

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Beyonce Drops "Bow Down/I Been On"

Date: March 17

All Hail King Bey. On her latest track, she's re-claiming that throne and repping her hometown of Houston, making us even more excited for her upcoming album.

Justin Timberlake Confirms Sequel to "The 20/20 Experience"

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Justin Timberlake Confirms Sequel to The 20/20 Experience

Date: March 18

You thought he was done after his latest album? No way—Justin Timberlake will be releasing the sequel to The 20/20 Experience in the fall. Get it? 20/20—2 albums.

Jay-Z Jumps on Kendrick Lamar's "B***h Don't Kill My Vibe" Remix

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Then Lil Wayne Drops "IANAHBII" And It Is Hilarious

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Lil Wayne Drops His New Album and It's Hilarious

Date: March 26

He gets rushed to the hospital (twice) due to seizures, he's reported to be on his death bed, and a week later his I Am Not A Human Being II drops. His rhymes are so outrageous we realized Wayne's work ethic hasn't gone anywhere just yet.

The Diplomats Reunite For 10th Anniversary Concert

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Dipsets Reunites for 10th Anniversary Concert

Date: March 25

The Diplomats reunited for the 10th anniversary of Diplomatic Immunity this month and packed the Hammerstein Ballroom.

Tyler, the Creator Drops "Wolf"

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Tyler, the Creator's Wolf Leaks

Date: March 27

It's been two years in the making, and while he's still rhyming outrageous lines, Tyler, the Creator's latest effort is filled with neo-jazz sounds and amazing production.

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