As the year draws to a close, we present to you our first-ever digital-only issue, the 5th Annual Rookie of the Year/Man of the Year Issue, featuring our cover stars: 2015 Rookie of the Year Fetty Wap, and our Men of the Year, co-MVPs Kendrick Lamar and Future.
2015 was a breakout year for Fetty Wap, who began bubbling over in 2014 and exploded out of the gates at the top of this year, dropping two follow-up singles to “Trap Queen,” the 2014 love ballad that drew the attention of everyone from Kanye West to Lyor Cohen, both of which landed in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10; “Trap Queen” was the most successful of the bunch, peaking at #2 and being certified platinum. As the year progressed and the follow-up hits–“My Way” (which was remixed by Drake) and “679”–dominated both the charts and radio, the obsession with the Paterson, New Jersey native continued to grow. Taylor Swift brought him out to perform for 60,000 people; Chris Brown brought him along on tour. He was blossoming into a star right before our eyes, all before his debut album hit. By the way, when his debut album, Fetty Wap, did hit, it debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Not too shabby, right? He sat with us for an introspective and insightful interview to commemorate an awesome year.
Kendrick Lamar and Future both had excellent years, and the different but lasting impacts they left on 2015 has earned them co-MVP honors. After scarcely releasing music in the years since 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city, Kendrick returned with To Pimp A Butterfly, an important and timeless opus that affirmed his status as one of the best young rappers alive, and a revered voice for young people nationwide. Not to mention, the Compton native once again put big numbers up on the board, debuting at #1 on Billboard and racking up 11 Grammy nominations, just one short of Michael Jackson‘s record 12. When one of your singles becomes the unofficial theme song of an important civil rights movement, you know you’re doing something right.
Future, the other Man of the Year, also had a year to remember, thanks to one of the most prolific wire-to-wire runs in Hip Hop history. After his star-studded sophomore album provided middling sales results, Future returned with a critically-acclaimed and instantly popular string of mixtapes–Monster, Beast Mode, 56 Nights–and two #1 albums, DS2 and a joint LP with Drake, What A Time To Be Alive, all the while racking up more hits than most could keep track of. His fan base grew cult-like, and his impact was felt nationwide, not just in Atlanta. In 2015, he proved that counting him out is never a good idea, and his inspiring perseverance has earned him co-MVP honors.
Also inside our 2015 Man of the Year/Rookie of the Year issue are exclusive chats with breakout R&B singer Bryson Tiller, and outtakes from our Holiday Issue, featuring candid conversation Rick Ross, Jadakiss and (Pastor) Jeezy. We’ll also be looking back at the year that was, bringing you the best in sports, culture and movies, counting down the best albums and songs of the last 12 months, and preparing you for 2016 with the Her Source guide to next year’s red carpet. All this and much more!
The first 1,000 subscribers get our 2015 Man of the Year/Rookie of the Year Digital-Only issue free! Just click here, and enter this code: SOURCEDIGITAL
