There are many ways to gain notoriety in Hip hop besides having a hit record (or two, if you’re lucky). For starters, it helps to have some type of natural talent, but thanks to Auto-tune and gifted ghost writers, that’s definitely not a requirement. Extensive jail records and broken homes are helpful, too- they always make for great song material. However, a sure-fire way to boost your level of fame (and potentially boost record sales) is to simply hurt yourself really, really badly. Bullets are optional.

Usually when we think of folks that made their injuries their claim to fame, one of the first characters that pops up in the mind is 50 Cent. After being shot god knows how many times and living to tell about it, he parlayed his story into a classic album and went on to become one of the most successful rappers ever. Now, although most people might not be that lucky (especially in regards to that surviving part) there is always potential to make an injury an infamous attribute to one’s career- especially in hip hop.

Case and point: Kanye West. Back in 2002, the rapper/produce found himself in a very bad car accident out in L.A. The mishap resulted in him having his entire jaw wired shut. Since he wasn’t very well-known at the time, he decided to use his calamity to his advantage and came up with his debut song, “Through the Wire”- recorded while his jaw was still wired shut and performed literally through the wire. Instant hit.

Mr. West isn’t the only one that got caught up in a serious car accident. In 2006, Philly rapper Cassidy was also involved in a very bad crash en route to a recording studio. The rapper suffered from a fractured skull and was hospitalized for several months after a U-Haul crashed into his SUV. Not only did he make a full recovery, his song, I’m a Hustla was one of the first songs to hit platinum status via ringtone sales.

Then there are the ones that inflicted injuries on themselves. A few years ago, R & B singer Houston decided to gouge out one of his eyes because he “found himself in the midst of a spiritual battle against the evil that runs rampant in the entertainment industry”… Although the singer didn’t exactly reach the pinnacle of his career because of the unfortunate event, many folks will always remember him as ‘The R & B singer who poked out his own eye because the devil told him to’.

Back in the day, pint-size rapper and Geto Boys member Bushwick Bill ended up getting one of his eyes blown out after a drunken, suicidal tryst. The story behind that has always been sketchy, but the album sales weren’t. The incident ended up being told on the 1991 single, “Mind Playing Tricks on Me”, which became the group’s only number one song to date.

Even newcomer Drake is getting in on the action. The Toronto rapper recently perfomed alongside Lil’ Wayne at the America’s Most Wanted tour stop out in New Jersey. During the performance, Drake somehow re-injured his already injured knee making him collapse onstage. A few hours later, someone conveniently created a Twitter account posing as Drake’s very own knee- rhymes and all. The amount of followers? 4,100. To some, it might not be much but for someone who still has yet to put out a debut album, 4,100 new fans following your knee means a lot.

So next time you end up in the emergency room for some forsaken reason like sawing off a limb, you might be inspired to consider a change in careers. Hey, you never know.

- Rachel McCain