Troy Ave

Nicknamed after the street on which he grew up — in the Crown Heights neighborhood of New York City’s Brooklyn borough — rapper Roland Collins started a prolific run of mixtapes toward the end of the 2000s. In 2009, he made his debut as Troy Ave with I’m in Traffick. By the time he was selected as a member of XXL magazine’s 2014 Freshman Class, his BSB label had well over a dozen of his releases in its discography. The biggest release was New York City: The Album, Collins’ first proper full-length, for many the introduction to the rapper’s ruthless hustling narratives. Aided by appearances from Raekwon, Prodigy, and Pusha T, it appeared on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Another set regarded as an album, Major Without a Deal, arrived in 2015 and peaked at number 14 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart. In May of the following year, Collins was arrested for illegal weapon possession and attempted murder in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred at a T.I. concert in Manhattan. Collins, who was shot during the incident, claimed self-defense, and a mixtape, Free Troy Ave, was issued while he was remanded without bail. Eventually released on bond, Collins quickly returned with another 2016 tape, Roland Collins. The following year found him busy with two more releases, Dope Boy Troy and Album of the Summer. ~ Andy Kellman