This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2012.

Events

January

Cory Gunz Peter Cory Pankey, Jr. (born June 22, 1987), better known by his stage name Cory Gunz, is an American rapper from The Bronx, New York City.Jessica Koslow, "Interview: Cory Gunz: Youngest In Charge," February 1, 2005, found aHipHopDx website Acc ...

was arrested for possessing a loaded firearm. *

Azealia Banks Azealia Amanda Banks ( ; born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, she began releasing music through Myspace in 2008 before being signed to XL Recordings at age 18. In ...

signs to

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

February

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

won four

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s for Best Rap Song, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, while Jay-Z and Kid Cudi have won one each. * Philthy Rich and two more people are arrested for supposedly owning a stolen Bentley vehicle. *

Tyga Michael Ray Nguyen-StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson ...

's major label debut album, '' Careless World: Rise of the Last King'' was thought to be taken off the shelves due to an unauthorized usage of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s last speech. However, the issue is resolved and the released date would go as planned. * Bizarre has left

D12 D12 (an initialism for The Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of ''de facto'' leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swift ...

, leaving the group with five members.

March

* T.I. announces he signed

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea (), is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognitio ...

Chip Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a type of immunoprecipitation experimental technique used to investigate the interaction between proteins and DNA in the cell. It aims to determine whether specific proteins are associated with specific genom ...

and

Trae Tha Truth Frazier Othel Thompson III (born July 3, 1980), better known by his stage name Trae tha Truth (or simply Trae), is an American rapper and record executive from Houston, Texas. Embarking on a musical career in 1998, he soon established himself ...

Grand Hustle Records Grand Hustle Records (formerly Grand Hustle Entertainment), also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. Up until December 2012, the lab ...

. * An SUV that

Young Buck David Darnell Brown (born March 15, 1981), best known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. He heads his own record label, Cashville, and was a member of the former hip hop group G-Unit. Early life Brown was born in Nashville, T ...

was a passenger in, was shot at 11 times, but the rapper was not injured. * MTV announces that

Top Dawg Entertainment Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label founded in 2004, by CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Terrence "Punch" Henderson is president of the label. There are currently eleven artists signed to the label: the label's f ...

, a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

-based independent record label, have closed a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and economic risk, risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four rea ...

deal with Interscope Records and

Aftermath Entertainment Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre himself, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, ...

. Under the new deal, Black Hippy member Kendrick Lamar's debut studio album, '' good kid, m.A.A.d city'' will be jointly released via Top Dawg/Interscope/

Aftermath Aftermath may refer to: Companies * Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing * Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre * Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company * Aftermath Services, an America ...

while releases from the rest of Black Hippy ( Ab-Soul,

Jay Rock Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. (born March 31, 1983), better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Los Angeles. He signed to indie label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), in 2005. Under TDE, Rock secured a rec ...

and

Schoolboy Q Quincy Matthew Hanley (born October 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q (stylized as ScHoolboy Q), is an American rapper. In 2009, Hanley signed to Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and in late ...

) will be distributed via Top Dawg/Interscope. *

Tyga Michael Ray Nguyen-StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson ...

's tour bus was shot at several times in Omaha, Nebraska, but the rapper was not injured. *

Kon Artis Denaun Porter (born December 7, 1974), also known by the stage names Mr. Porter, Kon Artis, and more recently simply Denaun, is an American rapper and music producer. He was a member of Detroit hip hop group D12 until its disbandment in 2018. ...

has left

, leaving the group with 4 members. * March 9 marked the 15th anniversary of the death of

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

April

* Q-Tip has announced his signing to

's G.O.O.D. Music/ Def Jam. * At this year's

Coachella Music Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Col ...

, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg surprised the audience with a performance from

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

via hologram image. * Former

member Mr. Porter announced his debut album.

May

Adam Yauch Adam Nathaniel Yauch ( ; August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012), better known under the stage name MCA, was an American rapper, bass player, filmmaker and a founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys. Besides his musical work, he also directed ...

(known as MCA), one of the founding members of Beastie Boys, died on May 4 aged 47. *

will be heading to prison for two months for gun possession. *

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, a ...

was arrested for possessing a set of brass knuckles. * In the song "Exodus 23:1",

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 201 ...

insulted

Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip ...

, igniting a beef between him and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

. * Lupe Fiasco and Pete Rock's beef over the former remaking the latter's beat from "T.R.O.Y." for "Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)." * Eminem announced that he is working on his eighth studio album. *

Shawn Chrystopher Shawn Chrystopher Garrett II (born July 22, 1986) is an American rapper and music producer. He first gained major attention with the release of his debut mixtape ''I.W.G.: I Wear Glasses'' in 2008, which was sponsored by urban-clothing powerhouse ...

signs to Timbaland Productions.

June

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated Flow (rapping), flow in her rapping, alter e ...

was pulled from performing at New York's Hot 97 Summer Jam because on-air DJ

Peter Rosenberg Peter Elliot Rosenberg (born July 23, 1979)Chris Richards''Washington Post'', May 31, 2013. is an American radio disc jockey, television show host, and professional wrestling personality, who is signed to WWE where he is a one-time WWE 24/7 C ...

called her song " Starships" bullshit, wack and corny. *

Lil Phat Melvin Vernell III (July 25, 1992 – June 7, 2012), better known by his stage name Lil Phat, was an American rapper. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Vernell began rapping as a teenager and was signed to Trill Entertainment in 2007 when he w ...

died on June 7 after he was shot multiple times in Atlanta. * MTV is reporting that on June 16, Chicago rapper Chief Keef signed with Interscope Records. * At W.i.P. nightclub the scuffle between Chris Brown and

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

continues to be under investigation, though both artists are saying they had nothing to do with the violent incident that left many bloodied and injured. Now Philly rapper

Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, ...

, who was also present during the late night fight, has come forward to back up their claims that they did not instigate the bottle-throwing brawl. *

Funk Volume Funk Volume was an American independent record label founded by American rapper Hopsin. The label was home to artists Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton, SwizZz, and producers DJ Hoppa and Kato. The label is defunct due to a feud between co-founders ...

signs

Jarren Benton Jarren Giovanni Benton (born October 26, 1981), is an American rapper from Decatur, Georgia. In early 2012, he signed to rapper Hopsin's independent record label Funk Volume and released a mixtape titled, ''Freebasing with Kevin Bacon'' in June ...

July

* Member of

OFWGKTA Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF, was an American Hip hop music, hip-hop Musical collective, music collective formed in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. The original members were Ty ...

Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...

published an

open letter An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter addressed to an indiv ...

on his

Tumblr Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...

blog on July 4, recounting unrequited feelings he had for a man when he was 19 years old, citing it as his first true love. Members of the hip hop industry generally responded positively to the announcement. Business magnate Russell Simmons wrote a short congratulatory article in ''Global Grind'', and support was voiced by Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

Tyler, The Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future. Okonma self-released his debut mixtape ' ...

also tweeted his support for Ocean, along with other members of OFWGKTA. * Rockie Fresh signs to Maybach Music Group.

August

* Philthy Rich is shot 3 times but is released from a hospital the day after the shooting. * Hip Hop executive Chris Lighty, founder of Violator and who managed and worked with artists like 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes, was found dead due to possible suicide. *

Freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

signs to

Babygrande Records Babygrande Records is an American independent record label based in New York City, founded by Chuck Wilson. Babygrande is distributed by The Orchard and represented by the Creative Artists Agency in Hollywood. History Babygrande Records wa ...

. *

Max B Charley Wingate (born May 21, 1978), better known by his stage name Max B (short for Max Biggaveli), is an American rapper and singer. He is best known for his solo ''Public Domain'' and ''Million Dollar Baby'' series of mixtapes, and introduc ...

's appeal from his 75-year prison sentence that occurred in 2009 was denied. *

Rittz Jonathan Matthew McCollum (born August 16, 1980), better known by his stage name Rittz, is an American rapper. His debut album ''The Life and Times of Jonny Valiant'' was released on April 30, 2013, rising to number 8 on ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip ...

signs to

Strange Music Strange Music is an American independent record label specializing in hip hop music and founded by Tech N9ne and Travis O'Guin in 1999. History In 2009 Skatterman & Snug Brim fulfilled their commitment to Strange Music and left the label. In ...

. * Caskey signs to Cash Money

September

has officially passed Rock n Roll legend

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

with the most appearances on the Billboard 100 with 109 (42 as a solo artist, 67 as a featured artist). * Jay-Z announced the opening of the Barclays Center with a concert, including a hologram of Notorious B.I.G. and a new verse. * 50 Cent and Fat Joe have ended their feud, appearing on stage together at the 2012 BET Hip Hop Awards. Also on BET Hip Hop Awards, 50 Cent and his crew

G-Unit G-Unit (short for Guerilla Unit) was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released t ...

have been involved into a fight with Maybach Music Group's member Gunplay.

October

*After all problems at BET Hip Hop Awards, 50 Cent started a beef with French Montana after Bad Boy's rapper commented negatively about 50 Cent's career.

's boss responded on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

calling French Montana a "hoe". *50 Cent appeared in a video wearing Gunplay's chain of Maybach Music Group while bowling. * Nelly was detained in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

after cops find heroin and 10 pounds of weed on his tour bus. *

P. Diddy Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...

suffered injuries to his neck, ribs, and collarbone, following a car accident on October 24. *

suffered multiple seizures on a flight to Texas.

December

*Both

Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...

's label CTE (Corporate Thugz Entertainment) and Rick Ross's Maybach Music Group merge with Atlantic Records. *Both Jay-Z and

each have six Grammy nominations for the 2013 Grammy Awards, Nas has four,

and

each have three, Andre 3000,

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

, and

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 20 ...

each have two. *

Autopsy was leaked by the Los Angeles Police Department and published by TMZ. The Los Angeles Police Department apologized for the leaked to Voletta Wallace and Biggie's Family. *On December 24, 2012, it was announced that Capital STEEZ, a close friend of

Joey Badass Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pr ...

and founder of Pro Era, died from a suspected suicide.

Released albums

Highest first-week sales

Highest-charting singles

Highest critically reviewed albums

Metacritic

AnyDecentMusic?

References

{{List of years in hip hop music 2010s in hip hop music Hip hop Hip hop music by year

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

December

Released albums

Highest first-week sales

Highest-charting singles

Highest critically reviewed albums

Metacritic

AnyDecentMusic?

See also

References