At 30, Hopsin is one of second-generation Hip Hop’s old guard, a genre veteran for nearly half his life who has used devices both fresh (white contact lenses that give him the appearance of an extra in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video, YouTube promotion, a positive spin in his lyrical message) and time-tested (artist feuds, label conflicts, a fake retirement announcement, run-ins with the law, an acting career) to widen his exposure.
That strategy has resulted in gold singles, extensive national and international tours and increasing success on Billboard’s various album charts, including a Top-20 debut for this past summer’s Pound Syndrome.
Born Marcus Hopson in Los Angeles, Hopsin was a skilled skateboarder at age 12 who shifted to Hip Hop at 16. As a teenager, Hopsin performed as a film/television extra, appearing on That’s So Raven, Lizzie McGuire and Malcolm in the Middle, among other programs; he also played a rapper in the 2009 film reboot of Fame.
In 2002, Hopsin ramped up his musical ambitions, recording an album’s worth of self-produced tracks that eventually became 2003’s Emurge, his limited-release debut. In 2007, Hopsin signed with famed Hip Hop label Ruthless Records, but his label debut, 2009’s Gazing at the Moonlight, received almost no support. Subsequently, he started his own label, Funk Volume, and petitioned for his release from Ruthless.
In 2010, Hopsin dropped his Funk Volume debut Raw, which featured “Sag My Pants,” a track that jabbed at Drake, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Soulja Boy; the video is closing in on 38 million YouTube views. Since then, Hopsin has feuded with Tyler the Creator, released 2013’s Knock Madness, made a prank retirement announcement, signed a Warner Brothers distribution deal and dropped his acclaimed Pound Syndrome, which has spawned successful singles like “Crown Me” and “Fly.”
Even as Hopsin has charted a somewhat by-the-book course in his career, he has also publicly denounced the use of alcohol and drugs and attempted to maintain a positive perspective in his lyrics, even as he explores heavy subjects like his lost religious faith and continues his battles with his fellow artists. There’s no denying that, in a genre crowded with too many like-minded musicians, Hopsin has carved a unique niche for himself.
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This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2015.