2012 has been a year filled with both tragedy and triumph within the entertainment industry. This year we lost legends an discovered new stars, K-Pop found its way into America’s mainstream thanks to Psy’s Gangnam Style, and a new genre of music completely dominated the industry, blurring the genre lines between hip hop and top 40. 2012 has definitely been one to remember! Here is ShesNotFamous’ top 12 moments from this past year!
12. Planet of the (2) Chainz
2 Chainz (formally known as Tity Boi) made a massive return to the hip hop game this year. After being apart of Playaz Circle, a southern hip hop duo that was signed to Ludacris’ Disturbing tha Peace imprint, 2Chainz released his debut studio album Based on a T.R.U Story in March of this year. Since then 2Chainz has dominated hip hop with hit after hit and feature after feature. He performed on just about every major award show this year and his debut ended up with a Grammy nod for Rap Album of the Year. Much props to 2chainz! He definitely worked hard for his success in 2012.
11. Frank Ocean and Channel Orange
What a year this Cali kid has had! Frank has been in everyone’s minds, hearts, and iPods since he released Channel Orange in the summer of 2012. So much so that the recording academy nominated the newcomer for 6 Grammy Awards, most of which are in major categories. Now we can all debate whether or not his now infamous tmlr post confessing his love for another man was just a publicity stunt, the fact of the matter is that (1) if it WAS a PR stunt then it worked and (2) you can not deny that Frank Ocean is an amazingly talented songwriter and artist. “Thinking About You” stayed in heavy rotation and at the top of the charts this year and his take over is only just beginning!
10. Chief Keef
Whether you love Sosa or not…this kid was rap music’s hottest ticket this year, thanks to the powers that be over at Interscope. In one year the Keefster has made headlines, been on worldstar more times I can count, threaten to smack a fellow Chicago emcee damn near causing him to retire, and has even managed to get himself caught up with the murder of a rival Chicago teen rapper, all before releasing his debut album. I personally hope we leave Chief Keef in 2012, but for some reason people love Sosa!
9. The Rihanna, Chris Brown, and Karate Kick Saga
These 3 might as well have had a reality show this year because they continued to put their business out there for the world to see via Instagram, Twitter, and whatever other social media platform you can possibly think of. Never has a love triangle been so heavily reported, you could not go a DAY without hearing about Chris Brown and his ill-fated reunion with Rihanna or his relationship with Karacater. All parties have definitely used the press to their advantage. Rihanna is still yodeling her way to the top of the charts. Breezy has had a successful year as well, and Kray Kray is….here.
8. Kimye Wesdashian
Another relationship that the media forced down our throats this year was Kanye West and his personal manikin Kim Kardashian. The majority of the year we saw Kanye use Kim as his fashion guinea pig, causing her to have the biggest fashion fails of 2012. At this year’s BET Awards, Kimye was the talk of the night. Whether you like to admit it or not, this chick and her entire family know how to keep their 15 minutes going. Musically, Kanye had a decent year although his G.O.O.D music collective debut Cruel Summer received mixed reviews. The big question on my mind though is “Will Kim Kardashian FINALLY divorce that basketball player in 2013?”
7. Opan Gangnam Style
Everyone’s favorite guilty pleasure this year was Psy’s Gangnam Style. With almost a billion hits on Youtube to date, Psy became a household name all across the globe. He performed on every award show and even brought back the Hammer pants back into today’s fashion. It’s safe to say that Gangnam Style is going to stay in 2012, but Psy and his hammer pants will have a special place in pop culture history and will be remembered for years to come.
6. The Mystery Disappearance of KJ
The world watched as the late great Michael Jackson’s siblings completely disrespected this man’s legacy and children this year. The Jacksons proved to be a family divided when it comes to the authenticity of the KOP’s will, with only a handful of the siblings signing a scathing letter denouncing its legitimacy, including baby sister Janet. Following that incident the family Matriarch Katherine Jackson reportedly…(I can’t believe i’m about to type this s!%t!) went missing! What makes this story even more juicier is that the Jackson 2 Prince and Paris both took to their twitter accounts and criticized their uncles and aunts, even posting receipts!!!! (screenshots of text messages they received.) Come to find out it was all one big false alarm and KJ was actually playing UNO with her nephew in Arizona completely ignoring her grandchildren’s phone calls. Whatever the series of events were, that little stint cost KJ her full guardianship rights of the King’s kids. SMH and people thought Michael was the crazy one…
5. Love, Peace, and Soul!
In 2012 we said farewell to Soul Train’s conductor and creator Don Cornelius. Like Dick Clark, Don was an entertainment and cultural ICON. Soul Train became the long running music program and the brand still continues to ring in the hearts of African American audiences. The soul train line is performed at just about every black function you have ever been to in your entire life. Thanks to TV One and Centric, we can still enjoy classic Soul Train episodes and relive those childhood moments of Love, Peace, and Soul! Thank you Don!
4. The EDM Takeover
Electronic Dance Music made its way to the forefront of the industry this year, forcing the recording academy to make a category for it at next years Grammy ceremony. This year in music the motto seemed to be “If you want to be a crossover hit, make an EDM track!” Everyone in urban music from Neyo to Ludacris abandoned their origins and turned EDM this year. It worked out well for some but not so well for others. Either way with its current track record of top ten hits, EDM has proved that its a genre thats here to stay.
3. All Gold Everything
Say what you want about this yuk mouth emcee but Trinidad James’ “All Gold Everything” is EVERYTHING in hip-hop music right now. He has only been rapping for 10 months and he put out a better project than your favorite has probably put out in the last 5 years and he has got the entire hip hop community in their feelings. His image may be outlandish but who HASN’T used over the top imagery to get ahead in this industry (Please don’t make me name names people!) Dont be S.A.F.E garnered rave reviews and earned James a 2 million dollar record deal from Def Jam. It’s safe to say we will be seeing alot more of Trinidad James in 2012!
2. Lupe Fiasco vs. Pete Rock
Another public display of the hip hop community getting in their feelings, specifically the old heads of the community was the beef between Lupe Fiasco and Pete Rock over Lupe’s remake of Pete’s infamous T.R.O.Y for his single “Around My Way”. When Pete Rock heard Lupe’s single, he took to twitter and publicly criticized Lupe and his producers and in 160 characters or less, he went on emotional rant about his disapproval of the remake and claimed he had no knowledge of it being done. Instead of Fiasco firing back on twitter, a very angry Lupe Fiasco called into Sway in the Morning and told his side of the story. Now it was obvious to many what Lupe’s intentions were with the record and I believe that deep down Pete knew too. Pete ended up getting his 15 minutes back in the spotlight and Lupe’s Food and Liquor II came and went way to quickly.
1. We Will Always Love You! The Death of Nippy
The voice that is Whitney Houston was forever silenced in 2012, leaving us on the eve of music’s biggest night. Houston’s sudden and tragic death was by far this years biggest celebrity tragedy and her presence will be greatly missed in the industry. In 2012, Whitney was preparing to make her comeback in the entertainment industry. She had a role in the remake of Sparkle, which hit theaters in August and she was set to record another studio album. Following Whitney’s passing, the Houston family starred in their own reality show “On Our Own” that featured Whitney’s daughter Bobbi Kristina. Probably the most tragic situation to come out of Whitney’s passing this year is that the world had been forced to sit through dozens of award show tributes to the late singer featuring artist that just do not do her music any justice. Whitney Houston was truly one of a kind and her voice was heaven sent. Nippy, we will always love you!
There you have it folks my top 12 of 2012. What are some of your favorite moments? Leave them in the comment section and I will see you all in 2013!
© 2012, @BWyche. All rights reserved.
