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The year 2012 has brought music lovers plenty of treats—about 50 albums' worth to be exact. But it's given us plenty of drama too. There's never a dull moment in the world of hip-hop. From absurdity to tragedy and courtroom dramas, 2012 has had it all—and we're just halfway through the year. So let's take a deep breath and recount The 25 Biggest Hip-Hop News Stories of 2012 (So Far).
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25. Diddy's Son Earns $54,000 UCLA Scholarship
Date: May 31
It's like they always say: haters gon' hate, ballers gon' ball. Just ask Justin Combs, Sean "Diddy" Combs' son, who caught the public's attention by earning a $54,000 football scholarship to UCLA. Testy taxpayers were catching feelings, saying that Justin should forfeit the scholarship since Sean Combs can easily spend that amount in a day. But can't a young brother get money anymore? The kid put in that work on the field and in the classroom (earning a 3.7 GPA) so why not let him have his shine?
24. Lauryn Hill Evades Taxes for Three Years
Date: June 7
Like many of her rapper peers, Lauryn Hill has got into hot water with the IRS. Ms. Hill reportedly failed to file tax for a period during which she earned over $1 million. The charges are serious enough to potentially land her in jail. She has since responded to the charges by posting a long essay on her tumblr. This sort of thing is all too common in the rap game. Wasn't anybody listening when Biggie said "No need to worry my accountant handles that"?
23. Nas' Daughter Instagrams Condoms
Date: February 17
Nas is not trying to see his daughter, Destiny Jones, turn into another "big girl." In February Destiny Instragrammed a picture of a pink box and tweeted "Keep dis cute lil box on my nightstand My home girls kno what I keep in it. Can you guess? lol." It was a box of condoms. Making the most of this "teachable moment," Nas addressed the matter in the realest way possible. "At this point," he rapped, "I realized I ain't the strictest parent."
22. DMX Disses Rick Ross, Drake and Jay-Z
Date: February 23
It's no secret that things have been ruff for DMX, but he's on a mission to make his way back to rap relevance. So the former Ruff Ryder did the only logical thing: he aimed his cross-hairs at all the top dogs. In a February appearance with The Breakfast Club on Power 105.1, DMX openly dissed Rick Ross, Drake, Jay-Z, and Def Jam. He saved his harshest words for Drake, saying he doesn't like his face, subject matter, the way he walks, not even his face. Damn, dog.
21. Lupe Fiasco "T.R.O.Y" Sample Angers Pete Rock
Date: May 21
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” is a hip-hop classic inspired by a real-life tragedy. Legendary producer Pete Rock holds the song in such high regard that he threw a bit of a tantrum when Lupe Fiasco recently sampled it for his single “Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free).” Though he's a master sampler himself, Rock took to Twitter arguing that his song should be left alone for the rest of eternity. He would later apologize for his rant, saying that he's now “focused on what's good."
20. Highline Ballroom Bans MGK
Date: June 6
Bad Boy Records recruit Machine Gun Kelly has earned a “wild boy” reputation by reportedly trashing hotel rooms, getting arrested for flash mobs and, allegedly, slashing the finger of a club bouncer with a bottle. The latter incident—combined with media hype surrounding the Drake vs. Chris Brown bottle battle—caused NYC's Highline Ballroom to ban MGK from his June 17th show there with Tech N9ne. So much for innocent until proven guilty, huh?
19. Wiz Khalifa Gives Fans a Heart-to-Heart
Date: February 15
Now that Wiz Khalifa has emerged as one of the biggest rappers in the game, he gets a lot of hate. While he has his diehards—shouts to the Taylors—he has endured constant criticism for his clothes, his girl, and even his music—particularly his album Rolling Papers. In February, Wiz got it all off his chest in a long and refreshingly honest letter to his fans touching on all those issues and more. In an industry that often changes artists for the worse or robs them of their voice, Wiz gets props for keeping it real.
18. Chief Keef Heads to Interscope
Date: April 4
The G.O.O.D. Music remix of "I Don't Like" pushed Chief Keef into the national spotlight, and soon after that came the obvious question: Who was Sosa going to sign with? Birdman and Young Jeezy were among the label bosses who openly expressed interest in the young Chi-Town spitter but Keef ended up going with Interscope, where he'll be rocking with 50 Cent and Eminem. Bang!
17. GOOD Music's Cruel Summer Confirmed
Date: April 4
Individually, Kanye and his G.O.O.D Music label mates have been a force to be reckoned with. That's why news of the crew's debut compilation, Cruel Summer, has caused so much excitement and anticipation. With the lead-off single "Mercy" and their collaborative remix of "I Don't Like" already hot in the streets, it looks like G.O.O.D. Music is about to make this Summer last all year.
16. Roc-A-Fella Co-Founder Kareem "Biggs" Burke to do Hard Time
Date: June 5
When the mighty fall, they fall hard. Case in point: Roc-A-Fella co-founder Kareem "Biggs" Burke. After getting caught with 100 kilograms of marijuana in 2010, he plead guilty to drug trafficking and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to five years in prison. As if that wasn't bad enough, Biggs has to forfeit $15,000 and his $660,000 house in jersey. This fella hit the rocks.
15. Hot 97/Power 105 Beef Escalates
Date: June 7
Although the beef had been simmering for a while, the New York City radio wars kicked into high gear after the Summer Jam controversy. Between hilarious name-calling, fake text messages, and the always INCREDIBLE Funk Flex Rants, Power 105 and Hot 97's downright disrespect for one another has resulted in non-stop entertainment for us listeners. So here's a heartfelt plea to Rosenberg, Charlamagne, and all the other combatants: Please, don't stop!
14. Jay-Z Makes Nets Move to Brooklyn Official
Date: April 30
Long affter announcing plans to move to Brooklyn in 2005, the Nets finally completed their transformation with the unveiling of a brand new logo. But the new design received a good deal of criticism for being too minimalist and even damaging Brooklyn's cool image. But seeing as the new logo was approved and endorsed by Jay, you can bet all the critics will soon start wearing it anyway.
13. Wiz Khalifa & Amber Rose Makes Engagement Twitter Official
Date: March 1
You know it's 2012 when rappers are tweeting photos of their significant other's engagement rings. That's exactly what Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose did when Khalifa popped the question back in March and presented her with an enormous diamond band. Amber Rose stays winning.
12. Obama Shouts Out Young Jeezy at Correspondents Dinner
Date: April 28
From singing Al Green to picking the winner of the NCAA college basketball tournament each year, President Obama has always come off as a pretty hip dude. But the commander in chief took his cool to another level when he name-dropped Young Jeezy at the White House Correspondent's Dinner back in April: “In my first term I sang Al Green. In my second term, I'm going with Young Jeezy,” OK, Prez. We see you.
11. Brian McKnight's Goes XXX
Date: April 28
In a weird and uncomfortable turn of events, Brian McKnight decided to deviate from his regular smoothed-out R&B subject matter and attempt to create an “adult mixtape.” Nothing like hearing a 53-year-old tell you he wants to “show you how your pussy works.” Cringe.
10. Jimmy Henchman Admits to Tupac Set-up
Date: June 25
June has been a bad month for Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond. The man behind Czar Entertainment was convicted of running a cross-country drug ring alongside his music industry business. He was also accused of ordering a hit on a former G-Unit associate, but the craziest part of all was when he allegedly admitted to being involved with the 1994 Quad studio robbery and shooting of Tupac Shakur. His statements came up years ago during a closed plea hearing that was recently cited by prosecutors in another case. Rosemond probably won't face additional charges, but after 18 years it looks like the truth may have slipped out.
9. Chris Brown Puts Name on Rihanna's "Birthday Cake" Remix
Date: February 16
The story of Chris Brown and Rihanna is a long and complicated one. Their relationship has been tense ever since that awful Grammy night a few years back, but for a moment it looked like the two embattled pop stars might be settling their differences—and maybe even becoming romantically involved again. Rihanna allowed her ex to jump on the remix of “Birthday Cake,” where Chris Brown oh so subtly sang: “Girl I want to fuck you right now/It’s been a long time, I’ve been missing your body." The song was hot, but awkward nonetheless.
8. MIA Flips Bird at Superbowl
Date: February 6
Ahhh, the annual Super Bowl halftime show controversy. Since we all got a peek at Janet Jackson's nipple, the yearly show-time snafu has become a tradition as American as apple pie. This year, that trouble took the form of M.I.A's middle finger, which she decided to brandish for the cameras and millions of fans at home. Her gesture pissed off a whole lotta people, including her co-performer Madonna. You know how bad girls do.
7. "Sweet," "Schemin,'" and "Serena" Involved in Drake/Common Beef
Date: January 8
On his song "Sweet," Common unleashed a not-too-vague rant about "sweet motherfuckers" and "soft-ass hoes." When asked if his declaration was aimed at Drake, Com certainly didn't deny it. After dissing Common at one of his shows, Drake unleashed his "Stay Scheming" verse, which criticized un-named "rappers" for stirring up beef just to sell records. Com fired back with a remix to the song that ended "Make no mistake I'm talking to Drake." Just when the beef seemed like it could boil over, the two MCs squashed it. We're not 100 percent sure how the whole thing started—here's looking at you, Serena—but the spat resulted in some good drama and even better music.
6. Pusha T and Young Money Trade Shots
Date: May 23
The Clipse have had their issues with Lil' Wayne over the years, but then Pusha T decided to go at Drake on “Exodus 23:1” The song takes more than a few subliminal shots at Weezy's young capo. Always one to stand up for his artists, Wayne responded with “Ghoulish,” a song that Pusha would later call “trash.” Can't we all just get along, guys?
5. Nick Minaj Pulls Out of Summer Jam After "Starships" Diss
Date: June 3
Hot 97 radio personality Peter Rosenberg has never been one to hold his tongue, but when he voiced his feelings about Summer Jam headliner Nicki Minaj's hit single "Starships," things got real. Once Rosenberg's comments got back to Nicki and YMCMB head honcho Lil' Wayne, the decision was made to pull out of the Hot 97 sponsored show. Nicki definitely did it on 'em.
4. Jay-Z and Beyonce Welcomes Baby Blue Ivy
Date: January 8
Since debuting her baby bump at the VMAs, Beyonce and Jay-Z's child has been the most talked-about baby in hip-hop. Baby Blue Ivy Carter was born on January 8th, 2012 after Jay rented out the whole hospital floor for a reported $1.3 mil. Baby girl already has a feature on one of her daddy's songs and she's poised to be the coolest toddler ever.
3. Kanye West Keeps It "Cold" While Dating Kim Kardashian
Date: April 5
After months of speculation, Kanye and Kim Kardashian made their romantic relationship official. Yeezy chose to do it in the best way possible: in a song. When he dropped "Cold" (formerly known as "Theraflu") earlier in April, Mr. West simultaneously expressed his love for Kim, ethered her ex, and send a shoutout to Wiz in what has to be the coldest verses of the year (but don't take our word for it, just ask this dude. Since then Kim bought Kanye a $750,000 Lamborghini and the two were spotted riding around with the roof off in Paris. Now that's a power couple.
2. Beef and Broken Bottles: Chris Brown and Drake's Brawl
Date: June 14
Rihanna is super hot, and she's been romantically linked to her fair share of musicians, including Drake and Chris Brown. So it came as no surprise when two of her former flings ran into each other at the same NYC club and an early morning ruckus ensued. When the Cristal was done flying, there were multiple injuries, multi-million-dollar lawsuits, and the club was shut down. I believe the phrase is “poppin' bottles” gentlemen, not throwing them.
1. Hip-Hop Legend Adam "MCA" Yauch Dies
Date: May 4
May 4, 2012 was a sad day for hip-hop. Adam “MCA” Yauch passed away at the much too young age of 47 after a lengthy battle with cancer. As a co-founder of the Beastie Boys, Yauch not only pushed hip-hop forward, he also pushed himself forward. The hard-partying B-boy evolved into a father and husband devoted to Buddhism and meditation and using his fame and influence to raise his fans' consciousness. As former Def Jam publicist Bill Adler wrote in a tribute for Complex, "The same band that had once made a hydraulic dick their chief stage prop would go on to inaugurate and promote the Tibetan Freedom Concerts." Yauch also became an acclaimed filmmaker and gave hope to white MCs everywhere. Rest in peace.
