Image via Complex Original
Summer 2012 was an eventful few months, and with only a week officially left in the season, it's time to evaluate who racked up the most wins. Between the huge album releases and massive music festivals, we witnessed everything from Nas getting his swag back to Mike Will taking the spot as rap's most in-demand young producer. Who really made the competition tuck their summer in? We've ranked hip-hop's top 12 winners of summer 2012. Continue reading for the definitive word on who owned the conversation surrounding rap during the hottest months of the year.
Written by Lauren Nostro (@LAURENcynthia), Benjamin Chesna (@bmched), and Daniel Troisi (@DanTroisi).
12. Riff Raff Trolls His Way To Relevance
All it took was a few quietly brilliant viral videos, and suddenly Riff Raff was everyone's favorite rapper. Ironically, of course. Why? Well, who else is saying things like, "your girlfriend's vagina smells like Bumblebee tuna" with a straight face? That's entertainment, people.
Even if you hate Riff Raff and his wildly amusing persona—which can best be described as a riddle wrapped in a caricature of a poser spliced with absolute nonsense—he was a winner this summer. He sealed a deal with Mad Decent, churned out a number of viral hits, and basically took Lil B's spot solidified his spot as the Rap Game Michelle Kwan. (Circa the 1998 Olympics, of course.)
11. Mike Will Made Hits
The "Mike Will Made It" drop was the most familiar echo on urban radio this summer. Mike Will first rose to prominence in the mid-00s trap scene, producing bangers for Gucci Mane and OJ Da Juiceman, but he's successfully transitioned his sound to the mainstream over the past few months. The 22-year-old producer cranked out hits for 2 Chainz ("No Lie"), Future ("Turn On The Lights"), and Juicy J ("Bands A Make Her Dance") without sacrificing his trap aesthetic. Now he's one of the most in-demand beatsmiths in hip-hop.
10. Juicy J "Bands" Together A Smash Record
One of the best songs of the summer came from inside the champagne room. Juicy J's "Bands A Make Her Dance" hit radio waves in early June and America hasn't stopped "throwin' racks" since. The strip-club anthem marked the triumph return of the former Three 6 Mafia member to the forefront of hip-hop.
The song garnered ever more buzz with a remix that featured 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne. "Bands" serves as the 37 year-old rapper's 81-point game on his trippy comeback tour, which has been spearheaded by J's recent alignment with Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang.
Yesterday, his solo deal with Columbia Records and Dr. Luke was announced. Winning.
9. Wiz Khalifa's Controversial Album Cover
When Wiz Khalifa dropped the cover art to his upcoming album, O.N.I.F.C., he created even more buzz for his album than his hit single "Work Hard, Play Hard" did. On O.N.I.F.C.'s cover, the father-to-be slouches back in a black, leather chair sporting skin-tight white and red striped pants and a snow leopard coat open enough to expose his tatted up torso.
Homage to Jimi Hendrix? Nope, Wiz says it channels the "larger ethos of '60s counter-culture." Either way, we like seeing Wiz making bold decisions that most rappers would shy away from. Regardless of the cover's criticisms, it has people wondering what Wiz has up his sleeve for the album.
8. YMCMB Keeps Going Strong
The whole family is still winning. Wayne had everyone's attention with Dedication 4 and when it finally dropped, showed that he hasn't fallen off. Plus, Weezy scored big bucks with two major endorsement deals, Beats By Dre and Mountain Dew.
Meanwhile, Drake didn't even have an album out, but his name is still buzzing thanks to excellent guest verses on summer anthems like French Montana's "Pop That," Meek Mill's "Amen," and 2 Chainz's "No Lie."
Tyga continues to step up, whether it's with his quietly great Well Done 3 mixtape, or entrepreneurial moves in the adult film industry.
Last but not least, Nicki Minaj dropped multiple hits off her critically panned but commercially successful, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, put on an amazing show to make up for her Summer Jam fiasco, and even had President Obama answering questions about her lyrics.
7. Maybach Music Takes Over
The competition for best rep crew was heated this summer, but MMG held their own, showing up on five of the summer’s hottest jams. Meek Mill proved his status as a solo star dropping two smash hits (“Amen” and “Burn”) from his acclaimed Dreamchasers 2 mixtape, and headlined his own national tour.
Meanwhile, head honcho Rick Ross scored his fourth No. 1 album, God Forgives, I Don’t and had the streets on smash with "Hold Me Back."
"The human bath salt” Gunplay, kept us entertained with ratchet activity, but most importantly, stepped up as a viable star in his own right, outshining everyone on posse cut "Power Circle" and turned sea bass into a cult dish in the process.
6. 2 Chainz Debuts at No. 1
When 2 Chainz announced his debut album, Based On A T.R.U. Story, everyone wondered if he could hold his own for an entire album or if his run as rap's most recent novelty would come to an end. In the end, 2 Chainz prevailed, stayed true to his style, and scored the top spot on the Billboard charts. Plus, the video for "Birthday Song"—you know, the one with "big booty hoes" and Kanye riding a bicycle in leather pants—was just too awesome.
5. Nas Hits His Creative, Commercial Stride
This summer, Nas scored his sixth No. 1 with Life Is Good, but the album was special for more reasons than commercial success. Nas spit emotional and mature rhymes that addressed his divorce from Kelis, his shortcomings as a father, and his life and career. In turn, he made his best album in years.
4. G.O.O.D. Is Good Enough
Every time G.O.O.D. Music dropped a song this summer, you had to stop whatever you were doing and go find a computer. Outside of music, Kanye West is still making headlines every day with Kim Kardashian and his Yeezy II was the biggest sneaker release of the year.
Big Sean killed more than a few guest verses and dropped a very well-received mixtape, Detroit. Pusha T showed us that he's still one of the nicest MCs working on "Exodus 23:1" and "New God Flow." Kid Cudi kept his output to a minimum, but "Just What I Am" gave listeners high hopes for his next project. And that 2 Chainz affiliation doesn't hurt, either.
You couldn't talk about music this summer with bringing up G.O.O.D. Music.
3. Jay-Z Is Still A Business, Man
Jay- Z has been holding it down for 16 summers. This is nothing new, but summer 2012 was still remarkable for someone this far along in his career. Hov threw one of the dopest events of the season, the Made in America Festival, which featured performances by Drake, Rick Ross, G.O.O.D. Music, Jay Electronica, and even had Jay rocking out with Pearl Jam for “99 Problems."
Jay also gained some new sponsors, showing up in Duracell and Budweiser ads, and he sold out eight concerts for the opening of the Brooklyn Barclays’ Center. He even helped design the logo for the Nets and persuaded the NBA to approve the unorthodox all black uniforms. Then he jumped on this little track called “Clique.”
Another year, another hot summer for Jay-Z.
2. Dr. Dre Gets Richer Off Headphones
Dre has been a hip-hop king with plenty of paper for years now, but this summer Beats by Dre made him a financial mogul. He made a reported $110 million off the ubiqutious brand. No wonder he's out here buying $13 million dollar cribs. With guap like that, Detox is probably never going to drop, and we can't blame him.
1. Def Jam Back
Back in March, Def Jam named Joie “Joey I.E.” Manda the new president of Def Jam. Since then, the label has seen a turnaround of epic proportions. Label artists Nas, 2 Chainz, Rick Ross, and Frank Ocean each saw their summer releases hold down No. 1 spots on the Billboard charts, and it's likely the label will score another chart topper when Cruel Summer hits stores next week. With a track record like that, it's clear the house that Russell built is as powerful as ever.