Waka Flocka Flame

In October of 2010, Waka Flocka Flame burst onto the scene with his debut album, Flockaveli, which was dubbed as "the most anarchic rap album of 2010." Led by the #1 single and triple-platinum "No Hands" featuring Wale and Roscoe Dash, Flockaveli debuted at #6 with over 300k copies sold, and was both praised and criticized for its abandonment of lyrical prose for menacing, adrenaline-fused production. The New York Times cited Flockaveli as "one of the most bracing and unforgiving hip-hop releases in recent memory. Almost single-handedly, and without context, it rediscovers hip-hop's pugnacity in an era of extreme melodic sophistication, an idiosyncratic anomaly." On June 13, 2012, Waka released his follow-up record Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family which debuted at #10 on the Billboard Top 200. Led by the singles “Round of Applause” featuring Drake and “I Don’t Really Care” featuring Trey Songz, the personal sophomore album is dedicated to Waka’s influences and “displays exactly what a sophomore album is supposed to: growth” (XXL Magazine).

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Waka’s 2008 mixtape, Salute Me or Shoot Me, Vol. 1, featured the trap anthem, “O Let’s Do It,” a song that caught on instantaneously and quickly spread to other parts of the country. It allowed Waka to take his show on the road and also earned him a coveted slot in Gucci Mane’s 1017 Brick Squad clique. But all the sudden success also took its toll on Waka. In January 2010, he was shot several times at a car wash in Atlanta during an alleged robbery attempt. The following month, legendary East Coast artist Method Man spoke out against Waka, criticizing the lack of lyricism involved in crafting his style of music. He also endured a short rift in his relationship with Gucci Mane after the rapper parted ways with his mother’s management company. The incidents earned Waka a reputation as one of the most controversial artists in the industry—a reputation that he doesn’t feel he deserves. “People have definitely gotten the wrong impression of me so far,” says Waka. “I don’t know why they think I’m so controversial. I guess people just don’t know the real me yet. It’s up to me to change their minds.”

He spent the better part of 2010 doing exactly that, while put the finishing touches on his debut album, Flockaveli—the first released through So Icey/Asylum/Warner Bros. Records. By naming it Flockaveli, Waka—who calls 2Pac his favorite rapper of all-time—did more than just being controversial for the sake of being controversial. “2Pac introduced me to a guy named Machiavelli,” says Waka. “His back was always to the wall and people threw sticks and stones at him and he had to keeping blocking them. When I recorded this album, that’s how I felt.” And if anyone doesn’t like it? “I don’t care,” says Waka. “I’m just going to keep on making my music.”   For a guy who claims he never wanted to be a rapper, he’s certainly come around to the idea.