See also "Gunplay on His Swastika Tattoo, Escort Agency, and Rebranding Himself as Don Logan."

As recently as a year ago, Miami rapper Gunplay was better known for a clip of him snorting cocaine outside a restaurant in Medellín than he was for his music.

In recent months, however, the co-founder of Rick Ross's Carol City Cartel (AKA Triple C's) has flipped his image as an unhinged goon. His exuberant work on "Cartoon and Cereal" by emotive Los Angeles MC Kendrick Lamar as well as "Power Circle" from Maybach Music Group's recent Self Made, Vol. 2 are among the year's most compelling rap cameos, featuring big, blustery, eminently quotable verses that totally and completely overshadow those of his better-known collaborators.