Wired 25: The 25 Winners Of The Summer Of 2012 - Page 3

This week’s Wired 25 takes one last look at the Summer of 2012. After knocking out the best albums, mixtapes, and songs of the last three months; Hip-Hop Wired takes a look at the most influential figures of the Summer time.  Whether it happened to be a DJ, a personality, a label, a rapper, producer or athlete, the Summer was a time for winners; and there were plenty of them.

The good music (no pun intended) came in many forms. Kanye West and Rick Ross both staked their claims for their crews, 2 Chainz and Big Sean continued meteoric rises to success, and Gabby Douglas and LeBron James showed that “these ____ couldn’t hold them back.” Hit the jump and check out the 25 biggest winners of the past three months. 

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25. Peter Rosenberg

When Peter Rosenberg let his opinion of Nicki Minaj be heard at Hot 97’s biggest yearly event, Summer Jam, it had potential to become a disaster. Nicki, who was the show’s headliner, pulled out of the show along with her special guests of Cam’Ron, Lil Wayne, Foxy Brown and more. What resulted was a surprise performance from Nas, which included Lauryn Hill’s triumphant return to the stage. The aftermath included a back and forth between rival stations Power 105.1 and Hot 97. Although there were no clear victors, it was apparent that now more than ever, when the Jew speaks people listen. Rosenberg also jumped the broom at the end of the Summer and got married.

24. DJ Drama

DJ Drama has always been one of the hardest working men in Hip-Hop, but this Summer he put that into overdrive. Hosting projects from Lil Wayne to Meek Mill to Jeremih, Mr. Thanksgiving was talking his ish all over your favorite mixtapes this summer.

23. French Montana 

Although his album, Excuse My French, suffered a push back it didn’t stop French Montana from making an impact this summer. Frenchie had one of the hottest songs of the summer with “Pop That,” and toured the country with Drake performing their smash from Rich Forever, “Stay Schemin.”

22. Miguel

Miguel’s unorthodox approach to releasing his album was different but it hasn’t slowed the crooner’s momentum. The Kaleidoscope Dream included the breakout single “Adorn,” which is written, produced and performed by the singer. It is the fastest rising song on the Billboard charts.

21. Azealia Banks

She’s gotten on the nerves of every rapper you can think of, but it does not matter. Azealia Banks has been using her Hip-Hop/pop sound to garner major buzz not only from music industry heads, but fashionistas as well. Banks has been a muse for some of the most sought after designers in the world and debuted her own shade of lipstick from MAC at this past Fashion Night Out in New York City.

20. Meek Mill

Meek Mill’s ability to drop club anthems continued this summer as “Amen” featuring Drake and “Burn” featuring Big Sean were must-play selections at any party. Dreamchasers 2 continued to make its rounds and he followed the release of Self Made Vol. 2 with his very first headlining tour.

19. A$AP Rocky

It seems like every single musical festival in the summer had to have an appearance from A$AP Rocky. In addition to his single “Goldie,” A$AP was tapped by Rihanna to remix her hit single “Cockiness.” Rocky has also been tapped as one of the official spokesperson’s for Alexander Wang’s men’s line.

18. Pusha T 

Pusha T’s been on fire ever since he joined G.O.O.D. Music about two years ago. This summer, Push-A-Ton dropped scathing diss records apparently aimed at YMCMB’s Drake and Lil Wayne and also set the tone for the singles from Cruel Summer. “New God Flow,” “Mercy,” and “I Don’t Like (Remix)” were all blessed with Pusha’s personal stamp.

17. Wiz Khalifa

Young Khalifa is growing up right in front of our eyes. After admitting that Rolling Papers wasn’t his best work, he dropped the critically acclaimed Taylor Allderdice, and followed it up with the certified gold single “Work Hard, Play Hard” off of his upcoming album O.N.I.F.C. Wizzle is also now engaged and about to have a bouncing baby with his fiancee, Amber Rose.

16. Hit-Boy

The most sought after producer in the game has had his hands on every single big release this summer. Ranging from G.O.O.D Music’s “Cold,” and “Clique,” to A$AP Rocky’s “Goldie” and Justin Bieber’s “Right Here,” featuring Drake. Hit-Boy also dropped his first foray into rapping with HITstory, that included the favorites “Jay-Z Interview,” “Fan,” and “Old School Caddy,” featuring Kid Cudi.

15. Trey Songz

Trey Songz might have had the quietest #1 album in a long time. With his single “2 Reasons” burning up the charts with T.I., it’s hard to believe that Chapter V was Trey’s first album to debut at #1.

14. Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne delivered the fourth installment in his Dedication series as well as putting his clothing line TRUKFIT, in stores all over the country. Wayne’s foray into skateboarding also landed him an endorsement deal with Mountain Dew as well as his own sneaker line with SUPRA.

13. Black Hippy

More than just Kendrick Lamar, this summer Black Hippy was a force to be reckoned with. Ab-Soul dropped controlSYSTEM, and Schoolboy Q dropped Habits and Contradictions, which featured the hit record “Hands On The Wheel” with A$AP Rocky. Jay Rock kept the momentum going by dropping gritty records repping for Watts, and Kendrick Lamar continued his climb towards stardom. “The Recipe” and “Swimming Pools (Drank)” were staples on many radio stations.

12. Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean came out of the closet and broke out on the charts this Summer. After he penned his heart out about his life on Tumblr, Ocean dropped Channel Orange to rave reviews and huge album sales on only one day’s notice. Ocean remains one of the most intriguing acts in all of music.

11. Drake 

Although he didn’t drop an album, it was hard to miss Drake this summer. He hit the country on the “Club Paradise” tour and were featured on Summer smashes “Pop That,” and “Amen.” He’s also made noise by being named an Executive Producer for the posthumous Aaliyah album, and then there was that whole Chris Brown thing that we are sure nobody has heard about.

10. Rick Ross

Rick Ross backed up his boasts this summer by delivering on almost all of his promises. As the leader of Maybach Music Group, he dropped the group’s second album, Self Made Vol 2. He also signed Omarion out of obscurity and he’s shined on every song since. He’s credited with the rise of Gunplay and to top it all off his latest album, God Forgives, I Don’t, debuted at #1 and is now RIAA-certified Gold.

9. Gabby Douglas

She didn’t have to spit a bar to inspire all of Hip-Hop. This smiling and dynamic gymnast put America on her back as a part of the “Fabulous Five” U.S. gymnastics team and brought home the gold.

8. Jay-Z 

Even in a relatively quiet year, Jay-Z still manages to make boss moves. After demolishing “3 Kings,” off of God Forgives, I Don’t, he announced and delivered on one of the summer’s biggest music festivals Made In America. Jigga is at the top of his game, but all he wants to do is raise his beautiful bouncing baby girl, Blue Ivy…and we all want to watch.

7. Dr. Dre 

Dr. Dre racked up with his multi-million dollar headphone company, Beats By Dre. Not only did he top the annual Hip-Hop Cash Kings list by raking in $100 Million by doing business with HTC, but Dre brought Tupac Shakur back to life…sort of. He kicked off the summer at Coachella by performing with a holographic Tupac Shakur, that is still one of the most talked about moments in music.

6. 2 Chainz

Tity Two Necklaces continues his rocket ship ride to stardom. 2 Chainz dropped his new Def Jam debut, Based On A T.R.U. Story, and topped the charts at #1. He topped single charts with “No Lie” featuring Drake and “Mercy” with G.O.O.D. Music and he also continues to be the most sought after feature artist in Hip-Hop today.

5. LeBron James

The King finally got his crown by getting the monkey off his back and bringing at second championship to the Miami Heat. He also took home his third NBA MVP trophy as well as leading the United States Olympic team to another gold medal. LeBron’s Jordan-esqe run won’t quell the unfair comparisons between the two, but now it is all starting to look more and more legitimate.

4. Big Sean

Big Sean has taken a step from Kanye’s little man to bonafide star this summer. After taking over song’s like “Burn,” and “Mercy,” he’s also commanded crossover appeal appearing on Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me,” and Cris Cab’s “Good Girls Don’t Grow On Trees.” He was specifically tapped by Jay-Z and Kanye West to remain on the song “Clique,” which reportedly every G.O.O.D. Music member recorded over. Sean also dropped one of the best project of the year, Detroit, which is leaps and bounds ahead of his first album, Fianlly Famous. What’s next for the Detroit player?

3. Kanye West

“Kanye to the” continues to win on all fronts. Even though Cruel Summer, is sounding more like a cruel autumn, Yeezy’s “Clique,” “Cold,” and “Mercy” have all topped iTunes and Billboard charts respectively. He’s been tabloid fodder since linking up with the queen of the headlines, Kim Kardashian, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s rapping with more passion than ever before. Yeezy, Yeezy, how you do that, huh?

2. Nas 

Let’s be honest, Nas’ was a synonym for losing for way too long. On his new album, Life Is Good, he delivered his best album since Stillmatic. Once more, he didn’t jeopardize his legitimacy at all and he still manged to sell a ton of records. Records like “Nasty,” “The Don,” “Cherry Wine,” “Bye Baby” and more have turned Nas’ kiss off to his ex-wife to an instant classic. Life is good, for real.

1. Def Jam Records

Def Jam Records owned the summer of 2012. Plain and simple. Under new president, Joie Manda, Def Jam saw it’s best period in over a decade with top albums from Rick Ross, Frank Ocean, Nas, and 2 Chainz. The G.O.O.D. Music crew also delivered with an album waiting in the wings and artists such as Ludacris, Fabolous, Rihanna, Gunplay, Kanye West and many more are waiting in the wings to keep the momentum going. #DefJamBack.