Hopsin

At first, Hopsin was famous for his falling out with the pioneering label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ruthless%22">Ruthless</a>, but that became a footnote when the rapper, producer, and actor released the hit track "Sag My Pants" on his own in late 2010. Born Marcus Hopson, the Los Angeles native signed with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ruthless%22">Ruthless</a> in 2007, with his Gazing at the Moonlight album following on the label two years later. A battle in the press followed, with Hopsin claiming he had not authorized the album's release, while <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ruthless%22">Ruthless</a>' owner -- and <a href="spotify:artist:7B4hKK0S9QYnaoqa9OuwgX">Eazy-E</a>'s widow, Tomica Wright -- claimed he had, but the end result was a professional split. Self-promotion suited the then independent rapper as his "Sag My Pants" track lit up Internet video-sharing sites in 2010. It would be featured, along with some diss tracks directed at <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ruthless%22">Ruthless</a>, on his RAW mixtape, which was released that same year. By 2011, Hopsin's image included white contact lenses that made him look quite ominous, and when coupled with a positive message, the rapper had found himself a welcoming posse with <a href="spotify:artist:6UBA15slIuadJ8h2lPRPos">Tech N9ne</a> and his <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Strange+Music%22">Strange Music</a> roster. In 2012 it was announced that the two were working on tracks for Hopsin's 2013 album, Knock Madness. Pound Syndrome followed on the label in 2015, with guest appearances from <a href="spotify:artist:5YI7PJwny5JsO7djczHwhP">Jarren Benton</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1LrWZc2qPhRCHyr6XtpBxq">Dizzy Wright</a>. It debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200. Following the 2016 dissolution of <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Funk+Volume%22">Funk Volume</a>, the label he had founded in 2009 with business partner Damien Ritter, Hopsin launched a new label of his own, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Undercover+Prodigy%22">Undercover Prodigy</a>. His first effort for the fledgling label was a diss song to Ritter, "Ill Mind of Hopsin 8." Preceded by singles "The Purge" and "Happy Ending," he delivered his fifth album, No Shame, in November 2017. ~ David Jeffries