The Dopest Yearbook: #TBT From 90s Hip Hop to Now
Once upon a time, Kanye West, Jay Z, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Drake weren't huge rap stars. They were simply high school students trying to figure out how to make their marks on the world—much the lead character in the new movie, DOPE in theaters June 19th.
Once upon a time, Kanye West, Jay Z, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Drake weren't huge rap stars. Instead, they were simply high school students trying to figure out how to make their marks on the world—much like Malcolm, the lead character in the new movie, DOPE.
To celebrate the release of the film, we decided to take a look back at the hilarious yearbook photos of some of the most important MCs of the last 25 years. Who would have guessed that these guys would go on to rule the rap game?
The film DOPE hits theaters June 19th
The Rapper: Kanye West
Attended: Polaris High School (Oak Lawn, Ill.)
Fun High School Fact: He told his high school gym teacher that he was going to be the best rapper in the world one day. "OK, Kanye," Marilyn Gannon told him, according to an interview she did with CBS 2 in Chicago in 2013. "Now you can get in line."
How He Went On to Change the Rap Game: After high school, Yeezy spent time studying art and English at the American Academy of Art and Chicago State University. But he didn't last long and eventually dropped out of school altogether to focus on his music. It turned out to be a great decision as he made a big impact on the production side of things before segueing into a rap career that has seen him release six solo albums and countless hit records. He wasn't kidding when he told his gym teacher he wanted to be the best rapper on the planet.
The Rapper: Jay Z
Attended: George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Fun High School Fact: He attended high school with Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes and frequently battle rapped with Biggie and Busta in the school's cafeteria.
How He Went On to Change the Rap Game: Z never got around to graduating from high school. But he still managed to have a huge impact on hip hop thanks to the success of his independent debut, Reasonable Doubt. He has released 11 albums since then, served as the president of Def Jam, and launched a string of successful businesses. Most recently, he launched the streaming service called Tidal that's been making major headlines. Not bad for a guy who cut his teeth rapping in the lunchroom.
The Rapper: Snoop Dogg
Attended: Long Beach Polytechnic High School (Long Beach, Calif.)
Fun High School Fact: He attended school with his future rap partners Warren G and Nate Dogg and also remembers Cameron Diaz being a few grades behind him. "She was fly and she was hip," he told Yahoo! Music a few years ago, before denying that he ever tried to talk to her on a romantic level. "I never got at her like that because she was younger than me."
How He Went On to Change the Rap Game: Snoop's 1993 debut album, Doggystyle, was arguably the most important album of the West Coast's gangsta rap era. But Snoop didn't allow himself to be boxed in after releasing it. He carried the torch for the West for several years. But eventually, he also used his popularity to get involved in TV, film, and many other ventures. All the while, he has continued to release new music and has kept himself relevant even as he's gotten older.
The Rapper: Action Bronson
Attended: Bayside High School (Queens, N.Y.)
Fun High School Fact: He joined the football team in high school and worked in his father's restaurants part time, which fueled his love for cooking.
How He Went On to Change the Rap Game: By his own admission, Bronson was a problem child during his high school years. He regularly engaged in illegal activities like boosting high-priced items from stores, smoking weed, and tagging trains with graffiti. But he got his life together after getting caught stealing televisions from a Kmart and started cooking at restaurants in New York City. Then, he started rapping and has been one of the strongest voices on the New York City rap scene ever since then. He's still a relatively new rapper compared to some of the other MCs on this list. But if his most recent album, Mr. Wonderful, is any indication, he's going to have staying power for years to come.
The Rapper: Casey Veggies
Attended: Inglewood High School (Inglewood, Calif.)
Fun High School Fact: Even though he released a mixtape called Sleeping in Class in 2011, his former English teacher Shannon Kirk says he never actually caught any shuteye in school. "It's actually kind of ironic," she told MTV a few years ago, "because [sleeping] is the last thing he would do in class."
How He Went On to Change the Rap Game: Unlike just about every other rapper on this list, Casey spent his high school years building his rap career. He didn't take part in a lot of extracurriculars like other kids, because he was too busy releasing mixtapes like his debut, Customized Greatly Vol. 1, and trying to get his name out there. It worked, too, as he has released seven independent mixtapes over the years and laid a solid foundation for his future. His debut album, Live & Grow, is due out later this year.
The Rapper: Pharrell
Attended: Princess Anne High School (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Fun High School Fact: He played the drums in his school band and had nothing but nice things to say about his former band director Alan Sharp when he visited his alma mater last year. "He never gave up on me," he said. "Whenever I messed up, I had to take a lap around the track."
How He Went On to Change the Rap Game: Pharrell has literally done it all. As one half of The Neptunes, he's helped create classic songs for fellow artists like Jay Z, Noreaga, and Gwen Stefani. He's ventured out on his own and released successful solo songs and albums. And he's made a major impact in the fashion world by transforming himself into a style icon. The possibilities seem to be endless for him, and it's hard to imagine him stopping anytime soon. He’s also found his way as a mentor in the entertainment and music industry in many ways. He’s the founder of i am OTHER, a creative collective specializing in music, film, television, fashion and technology, a partner on DOPE. At the film’s press junket in LA June 7th, rapper Kap G who plays Fidel X in the film said that “Pharrell is like a mentor and big brother.”
The Rapper: 2 Chainz
Attended: North Clayton High School (College Park, Ga.)
Fun High School Fact: He was the second smartest kid in his entire graduating class and earned an athletic scholarship to play basketball at Alabama State University.
How He Went On to Change the Rap Game: Although a lot of his early work with the group Playaz Circle was under-appreciated, the artist formerly known as Tity Boi more than made up for it when he changed his name to 2 Chainz and launched a successful solo career. His mixtape, T.R.U. REALigion, was the turning point in his career and catapulted him to the top of the game, and his solo albums, Based on a T.R.U. Story and B.O.A.T.S.: Me Time, solidified him as one of the most popular artists in the South. He's been relatively quiet on the music front for most of the last year. But he launched his own label The Real University in early 2015 and looks like he's going to be around for a long time because of it.
The Rpper: Ice Cube
Attended: William Howard Taft High School (Woodland Hills, Calif.)
Fun High School Fact: He wrote his first raps during keyboarding class while attending George Washington Preparatory High School in Los Angeles. His parents later forced him to transfer to Taft to get an education in a better community.
How He Went On to Change the Rap Game: From his work with N.W.A. to his work as a solo artist to his successful movie career, Ice Cube has gone through a number of transformations over the years. But regardless of what he's done, he's done it at a very high level and is widely considered to be one of the most important rappers of all time—both on the West Coast and in the entire world. It's been a long ride for him, but he hasn't slowed down and continues to push the boundaries of what a rapper can do.
The Rapper: A$AP Rocky
Attended: Bayard Rustin High School for the Humanities (New York, N.Y.)
Fun High School Fact: He was more worried about girls and fashion than he was about getting good grades. "I'ma be honest," he told MTV in 2013, "we used to come to school to get girls and show off our outfits—that's all we used to come to school for back in the day."
How He Went On to Change the Rap Game: All rappers have their own unique style. Hip hop has been pushing the boundaries of fashion for years now. But few rappers have impacted the fashion world as much as Rocky. He's as comfortable walking the streets of Harlem as he is hobnobbing with VIPs during fashion weeks. And while he obviously has one eye on style at all times, he's also released three successful solo albums that have allowed him to maintain his presence in the rap community. He's the best of both worlds when it comes to rapping and staying stylish. Producer Mimi Valdes at a DOPE press junket in LA spoke highly of Mr.Rocky. “He understands his potential and what he can be,” she said.
The Rapper: Drake
Attended: Forest Hill Collegiate Institute (Toronto)
Fun High School Fact: He dropped out of high school to pursue an acting career and eventually landed a role in the TV show, Degrassi. But Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari encouraged him to get his degree in 2012. "When Coach Cal asked me to come out here for the first Midnight Madness [in 2009], it just really gave me…a sense of school, a sense of love, a sense of belonging to something," he told Kentucky's CN2 at the time. "That's why I'm graduating high school this month. I'm definitely inspired by UK."
How He Went On to Change the Rap Game: Is he a singer? Is he a rapper? Is he both? When Drake first came out, people didn't know what box to put him in. And even though he's released several albums now, they still don't know exactly what he is. He's switched up his styles on multiple occasions and maintained his standing as one of the best rappers—and one of the best singers—in the game. And to think, it all started with him dropping out of school and acting. Go figure.
