Chance the Rapper Just Turned 25. Here's What Your Fave Rappers Were Doing at That Age
Chance the Rapper just turned a quarter of a century and he's already made history. What were your favorite rappers doing by age 25? Here's what Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Jay Z, and Kanye West, among others were up to.
Image via Getty/Kevin Mazur for Firefly
Young Chancelor Bennett, better known as Chance the Rapper, is a cool 25 years old today, April 16. Clap for him—no, seriously. Thus far, Chance has accomplished a whole hell of a lot. Since kicking off his career with his debut mixtape 10 Day in 2012, the Chicago MC has made it a point to casually level up on us, constantly.
The heavily introspective and musically explorative Acid Rap was his true breakthrough in 2013, but Coloring Book, which came three years later, is where he broke records. It became the first album to chart on the Billboard Top 200 list through pure streaming—over 53 million streams, to be exact. It also earned him a few little awards called Grammys, making Coloring Book the first streaming-only album to win a Grammy, ever.
Chance doesn't know how to not boss up. On top of his music efforts, he's given a lecture at Harvard, been featured on Forbes' coveted 30 under 30 music list, and donated $1 million to Chicago public schools. Chance has lived a pretty full life up to now, and one can only imagine where he's headed next. But where were his contemporaries at this age? Where were his predecessors? If you've been wracking your brain trying to figure this out in the 2.5 seconds since I posed the inquiries, worry no more. Here are what 9 of your favorite rappers were (and in some cases, are) doing when they hit 25.
Jay Z
Born Shawn Carter, Jay Z turned 25 on December 4, 1994. He was initially known as Jazzy around his neighborhood, before shortening the name to the moniker we know today. He had yet to drop material for the masses at age 25; in fact, he wasn't yet signed to a major label. While unsigned, Jay would appear on features with his mentor Jaz-O. Eager to prove himself, he wound up in battles with LL Cool J in the early 1990s, and moonlighted as an intermission hype man during Big Daddy Kane performances.
Like many entrepreneurial rappers, Jay sold CDs out of his car, a marketing tactic that got the attention of Payday Records. It didn't take long for Jay to disagree with the label's business practices, leading to a buy-out that funded Roc-A-Fella Records. The independent label was co-founded in 1995, by Jay, Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Jay wouldn't release his debut album Reasonable Doubt until June 1996 when he was 26 years old.
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth turned 25 years old on June 17, 2012. But he was already off to the races in rap by age 16, releasing his first full-length project, Youngest Head Nigga in Charge, under the pseudonym K. Dot. The mixtape got the attention of Top Dawg Entertainment, and Kendrick has been repping TDE ever since.
After receiving a co-sign from Lil Wayne, Lamar released the mixtape C4 in 2009, a hat-tip to Wayne's Tha Carter III. That same year, he released the Kendrick Lamar EP, the first project under his actual name, and formed Black Hippy with his TDE labelmates ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Ab-Soul. The following year, Kendrick released Overly Dedicated, his breakthrough mixtape. By 2011, he had released the follow-up, Section.80, and was well on his way to critical acclaim. In August 2011, during a performance in L.A., Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and The Game christened Kendrick as the "New King of the West Coast," an honor that brought him to tears. In October 2012—four months after turning 25—Kendrick released his debut album, good kid, MAAD city, the first real peek at King Kendrick.
Drake
Drake turned 25 on October 24, 2011. The Boy had been through quite an evolution by that point. He started his career in the public eye at age 15 on Canadian teen drama, Degrassi: The Next Generation. He played the part of Jimmy Brooks, the awkward yet cool guy and basketball player who was (spoiler alert?) shot in the back by a disgruntled fellow student. In 2006, Drake followed his musical calling and dropped his first mixtape, Room for Improvement.
In 2007, Drake released the follow-up, Comeback Season, and was introduced to Lil Wayne by way of Houston plug Jas Prince; it quickly became all Young Money everything. By 2009, Drake was well on his way to dominating the rap game—his breakthrough mixtape So Far Gone launched him to the mainstream level, where he's been ever since. In 2010, Drake and his October's Very Own team assembled and executed the first of many OVO Festivals in Drake's hometown of Toronto; the inaugural event featured Eminem, Jay Z, Rick Ross, and Jeezy. Also in 2010 came Drake's debut studio album, Thank Me Later, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200. The album became the top-selling debut for any artist that year. In November 2011, a month after turning 25, Drake dropped Take Care, which went on to dominate the culture and win the Grammy for Best Rap Album.
Cardi B
Cardi B is 25 at this very moment, having hit the quarter of a century mark on October 11 of last year. She first gained attention circa 2013 because of her unfiltered takes on social media. (Ever heard the adage, "A hoe never gets cold"?) It didn't take long before the mastermind Mona Scott-Young at VH1 picked Cardi up as a cast member of Love & Hip-Hop, where her stock and her musical aspirations continued to rise.
In March 2016, Cardi released her first full-length project, Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1. By 2017, she was off Love & Hip-Hop and fully focused on her career as a rapper. She released the anthem "Bodak Yellow" in June of last year; by September, the song had claimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the second female rapper to ever accomplish the feat. In April 2018, Cardi dropped her highly anticipated debut album Invasion of Privacy and announced her pregnancy with fiancé Offset of the Migos.
Nas
Nas turned 25 on September 14, 1998. His musical career started seven years earlier, in 1991. He was featured on Main Source's "Live at the Barbeque," and spit a verse so potent it was hard to not pay attention. His debut album Illmatic dropped in April 1994, when he was 20 years old. It received five mics from The Source, one of the most prestigious honors in hip-hop at the time. Illmatic is now universally considered as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.
Nas' follow-up, It Was Written, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 in July 1996; it went on to go double platinum in two months. The album also featured the debut of The Firm, a supergroup made up of Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Cormega, who was later replaced by Nature. In October 1997, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment released their debut album, which got mixed reviews despite going platinum. Nas bounced back with a starring role in Hype Williams' feature film, Belly, which came out in November 1998, just two months after his 25th birthday.
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette Elliott turned 25 on July 1, 1996. In the late 1980s, Missy formed an all-female R&B group, ultimately called Sista. For the group's production, she recruited her neighborhood friend Timothy Mosley, better known as Timbaland. By 1991, Missy and her crew corralled the attention of Jodeci member and producer DeVante Swing. Missy soon moved to New York City and signed to Elektra Records through DeVante's Swing Mob imprint. When the deal dissolved, Missy returned to Virginia to work on material for a rising starlet by the name of Aaliyah.
When Missy signed to Elektra Records again in 1996, she was given her own record label, The Goldmind Inc. Then-CEO Sylvia Rhone encouraged Missy to try out a solo career. Supa Dupa Fly, Missy's landmark debut album, was released on July 15, 1997, two weeks after she turned 26.
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill turned 25 on May 26, 2000. In high school, Hill was approached by Pras Michel to start a band; shortly after, Wyclef Jean joined and the trio became The Fugees. We all know Hill best for her musical prowess, but while she was building a career as a singer/rapper, she was also focused on acting. As a teenager, she had a recurring role on the soap opera As the World Turns. In 1993, at age 18, she co-starred alongside Whoopi Goldberg in the cult classic Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
But back to the music: The Fugees' 1994 debut Blunted on Reality may have missed the mark, but The Score, their follow-up two years later, put the Fugees and Hill on the map. It hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200, sold 6 million copies in the U.S., and more than 17 million copies worldwide—and won the Grammy for Best Rap Album. The standout track "Killing Me Softly" would earn Hill and the Fugees the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
By 1998, Hill had moved on to release her critically acclaimed solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It debuted at No. 1 and included the single "Doo Wop (That Thing)," which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first time a female rapper sat atop the chart. Ahead of the 1999 Grammys, Hill became the first woman to be nominated in 10 categories in a single year. Miseducation went on to earn her five Grammys in one night, a record-breaking accomplishment for women artists. By 2000, Hill—a living legend by 25—had already retreated from the public eye.
Tyler, the Creator
Tyler, the Creator turned 25 on March 6, 2016. Tyler started his crew, Odd Future, in 2007 in Los Angeles. On Christmas Day, 2009, at the age of 18, he self-released his debut mixtape, Bastard, a polarizing but promising project. In February 2011, Tyler dropped the music video for "Yonkers," the first single from his first studio album, Goblin. Featuring cockroaches, pupil-less black eyes, and a hanging, the video received immediate attention from media outlets, putting Tyler on the map.
In 2011, Tyler guest starred in both animated and IRL TV shows, like Regular Show and Workaholics. That year, Tyler also founded Odd Future Records and started the clothing company Golf Wang. The following year, he launched his now annual music festival, Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. From 2012 to 2014, Tyler and members of Odd Future had their own skit-based comedy show called Loiter Squad. Throughout this time, Tyler was also directing his own music videos. His second album, Wolf, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 in April 2013. His third album, the punk-centric Cherry Bomb, was released in 2015 and featured Kanye West, Charlie Wilson and Tyler’s idol, Pharrell Williams. Not a bad lead up to his 25th birthday the following year.
Kanye West
Kanye West turned 25 on June 8, 2002. A decade earlier, he received his first sampler at age 15 and learned how to use it from fellow producer No I.D. His first official production credits came at age 19 when he produced eight tracks for the debut album of a local Chicago rapper named Grav.
After graduating from high school, Kanye was awarded a scholarship to attend Chicago's American Academy of Art in 1997, but transferred to Chicago State University to study English. It wasn't long before he came to the conclusion that school was affecting his ability to work on music, so he dropped out of college at age 20. In 1999, Kanye was a founder, member and producer of a Chicago rap group named The Go-Getters; the crew released its first and only studio album World Record Holders in 1999.
West kicked the door down musically in 2000, when he started producing for Roc-A-Fella Records. In particular, West became known for impacting Jay Z's career via his contributions to The Blueprint in 2001. He eventually became an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella, making beats for artists like Beanie Sigel, Cam'ron, and Freeway.
West's aspiration to be a rapper and his importance to Roc-A-Fella as a producer led to him being signed to the label (despite Jay Z and Damon Dash's reluctance). In October 2002, a 25-year-old Kanye was driving home after working late at an LA studio when he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed. The near-fatal accident left 'Ye with a shattered jaw, which had to be wired shut. He wound up recording his debut single "Through the Wire" the following month.