Lil Wayne was signed to Cash Money Records at age 9 after calling Birdman's hotline and freestyling.

Jay-Z served prison time for drug dealing before his rap career took off.

Jay-Z co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records with Damon Dash and Kareem 'Biggs' Burke in 1995 after major labels passed on signing him.

Eminem failed the 9th grade three times before eventually dropping out of Lincoln High School.

Kanye West left Chicago State University without graduating to pursue his music career, despite having a full scholarship.

Kanye West's mother, Donda West, was the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to manage his career.