The 10 Most Ridiculous Name Changes in Hip-Hop History
Over the years, there have been a number of different rappers who have changed their names. And, they've done it for lots of different reasons. Some rappers, like Lil Bow Wow who dropped the "Lil" and changed his name to just Bow Wow, have done it to signify their growth. Others, like Tity Boi who changed his name to 2 Chainz, have done it to appeal to a larger audience. And, a whole bunch, like Mos Def who changed his name to Yasiin Bey, have done it simply for the sake of change.
With all of that in mind, we really weren't all that surprised when we heard that Gucci Mane wanted to change his name earlier this week. What we were surprised about, though, was that he settled on "Guwop" for his new rap moniker. Gu-WHAT?! Needless to say, we didn't think it was a good career move.
Fortunately, we weren't alone. Thousands of Gucci's Twitter followers pleaded with him not to change his name and, within half an hour, he took to Twitter and announced that he was sticking with Gucci Mane. But, unfortunately, not all rappers have made the right call in his situation. There have been plenty of others who have changed their names to something silly and not changed it back. So, in light of Gucci Mane's situation, we decided to take a look back at The 10 Most Ridiculous Name Changes in Hip-Hop History. What in the world were these guys thinking?
With all of that in mind, we really weren't all that surprised when we heard that Gucci Mane wanted to change his name earlier this week. What we were surprised about, though, was that he settled on "Guwop" for his new rap moniker. Gu-WHAT?! Needless to say, we didn't think it was a good career move.
Fortunately, we weren't alone. Thousands of Gucci's Twitter followers pleaded with him not to change his name and, within half an hour, he took to Twitter and announced that he was sticking with Gucci Mane. But, unfortunately, not all rappers have made the right call in his situation. There have been plenty of others who have changed their names to something silly and not changed it back. So, in light of Gucci Mane's situation, we decided to take a look back at The 10 Most Ridiculous Name Changes in Hip-Hop History. What in the world were these guys thinking?
The Rapper: Ol' Dirty Bastard
What He Changed His Name To: Big Baby Jesus
Why It Was Ridiculous: C'mon, do we really need to explain this one? ODB tried to change his name several times—Dirt McGirt was another moniker that he came up with—despite the fact that he already had a rap name that was plenty ridiculous. No change was necessary.
What He Changed His Name To: Big Baby Jesus
Why It Was Ridiculous: C'mon, do we really need to explain this one? ODB tried to change his name several times—Dirt McGirt was another moniker that he came up with—despite the fact that he already had a rap name that was plenty ridiculous. No change was necessary.
The Rapper: Puffy
What He Changed His Name To: Puff Daddy (then P. Diddy, Diddy, and eventually—sigh—Swag)
Why It Was Ridiculous: Because he did it so many times. We just looked at the calendar and realized that we should probably expect another name change in 5, 4, 3…
What He Changed His Name To: Puff Daddy (then P. Diddy, Diddy, and eventually—sigh—Swag)
Why It Was Ridiculous: Because he did it so many times. We just looked at the calendar and realized that we should probably expect another name change in 5, 4, 3…
The Rapper: Noreaga
What He Changed His Name To: N.O.R.E. (then P.A.P.I.)
Why It Was Ridiculous: Back in the day, Noreaga was forced to change his name to N.O.R.E. because of an issue with his former label. So, we won't get on him too much for that change. But, P.A.P.I.? He claims he changed his name because everyone in his old neighborhood calls him that. But, he also tried to turn it into an acronym (Power Always Proves Intelligence) that just sounds a little bit too forced to us. Can we get N.O.R.E. back?
What He Changed His Name To: N.O.R.E. (then P.A.P.I.)
Why It Was Ridiculous: Back in the day, Noreaga was forced to change his name to N.O.R.E. because of an issue with his former label. So, we won't get on him too much for that change. But, P.A.P.I.? He claims he changed his name because everyone in his old neighborhood calls him that. But, he also tried to turn it into an acronym (Power Always Proves Intelligence) that just sounds a little bit too forced to us. Can we get N.O.R.E. back?
The Rapper: Young Dro
What He Changed His Name To: 3krazy
Why It Was Ridiculous: Dro must be "krazy." Although his former name wasn't the most family-friendly rap moniker we'd ever heard, he dropped one major label album using that name and it was pretty damn successful. Then, he released a slew of mixtape projects with it as well. And, he pretty much built his entire resume off the "dro" concept (his first album was called Best Thang Smokin'). So, why change it to something silly now?
What He Changed His Name To: 3krazy
Why It Was Ridiculous: Dro must be "krazy." Although his former name wasn't the most family-friendly rap moniker we'd ever heard, he dropped one major label album using that name and it was pretty damn successful. Then, he released a slew of mixtape projects with it as well. And, he pretty much built his entire resume off the "dro" concept (his first album was called Best Thang Smokin'). So, why change it to something silly now?
The Rapper: Malice
What He Changed His Name To: No Malice
Why It Was Ridiculous: We get that Pusha T's brother had a spiritual awakening and doesn't want to promote violence anymore. But, adding a "No" onto your old name and trying to run with it is a no-go.
What He Changed His Name To: No Malice
Why It Was Ridiculous: We get that Pusha T's brother had a spiritual awakening and doesn't want to promote violence anymore. But, adding a "No" onto your old name and trying to run with it is a no-go.
The Rapper: Baby
What He Changed His Name To: Birdman
Why It Was Ridiculous: The Cash Money CEO is 44 years old and he goes by the names "Baby" and "Birdman." He went from really ridiculous to really, REALLY ridiculous. What more can we say?
What He Changed His Name To: Birdman
Why It Was Ridiculous: The Cash Money CEO is 44 years old and he goes by the names "Baby" and "Birdman." He went from really ridiculous to really, REALLY ridiculous. What more can we say?
The Rapper: Kwame
What He Changed His Name To: K1 Mil
Why It Was Ridiculous: For awhile, Kwame had us all fooled. He changed his name for one simple reason—he caught a lyrical L from Biggie back in the day and didn't want it to ruin his career forever. But, in the early 2000s, everyone eventually caught on and realized that it was him. He didn't really think he could fool us forever, did he?
What He Changed His Name To: K1 Mil
Why It Was Ridiculous: For awhile, Kwame had us all fooled. He changed his name for one simple reason—he caught a lyrical L from Biggie back in the day and didn't want it to ruin his career forever. But, in the early 2000s, everyone eventually caught on and realized that it was him. He didn't really think he could fool us forever, did he?
The Rapper: The Game
What He Changed His Name To: Game
Why It Was Ridiculous: When he dropped the "The" from his name, he said he did it because he wanted to feel "like I got a new haircut." He must have gotten one of those haircuts that no one really notices, though, because this name change was so minor that we're really not even sure why he bothered to take the time to do all the paperwork that must have come along with doing it.
What He Changed His Name To: Game
Why It Was Ridiculous: When he dropped the "The" from his name, he said he did it because he wanted to feel "like I got a new haircut." He must have gotten one of those haircuts that no one really notices, though, because this name change was so minor that we're really not even sure why he bothered to take the time to do all the paperwork that must have come along with doing it.
The Rapper: Peedi Crakk
What He Changed His Name To: Peedi Peedi
Why It Was Ridiculous: We can understand why Peedi wouldn't want the "Crakk" attached to his rap name. It's bad for business. But, if you're gonna drop the "Crakk," why not just drop it and go by Peedi? Peedi Peedi just sounds unnecessarily redundant. Word to Gudda Gudda.
What He Changed His Name To: Peedi Peedi
Why It Was Ridiculous: We can understand why Peedi wouldn't want the "Crakk" attached to his rap name. It's bad for business. But, if you're gonna drop the "Crakk," why not just drop it and go by Peedi? Peedi Peedi just sounds unnecessarily redundant. Word to Gudda Gudda.
The Rapper: Snoop Dogg
What He Changed His Name To: Snoop Lion
Why It Was Ridiculous: Last year, Snoop went through a personal transformation and wanted to document it by transforming his name. Cool. But, no matter what he says or does—and no matter how many reggae song he records!—he'll always be the S-N-Double O-P D-O-Double-Giz-Eeeee to us.
What He Changed His Name To: Snoop Lion
Why It Was Ridiculous: Last year, Snoop went through a personal transformation and wanted to document it by transforming his name. Cool. But, no matter what he says or does—and no matter how many reggae song he records!—he'll always be the S-N-Double O-P D-O-Double-Giz-Eeeee to us.
