Fans do crazy things when confronted with their heroes. Last year, we covered in depth the pattern of young white males hopping up on stage with Action Bronson, knowing well that he would hurl them back into the audience in a corpulent rage. For some, brushes with fame can provide a thrill like few other earthly pleasures.
2016 has been a banner year for fans doing crazy things. Click through the image gallery for a run-down of the craziest hip hop fans of the year to date.
The dude who tried to jump on Chance the Rappers's back
This happened last night. A fan rushed the stage at Chance the Rapper's show in Miami. The fan's intentions are unclear, and it's possible that he had not fully thought through his actions before he decided to run on stage. He placed his hands on Chance's back, as if preparing to leapfrog him or hop up for a piggyback ride, but Chance was ready. He whirled around and took the kid kid down like Brian Urlacher.
.@chancetherapper handled that real quick pic.twitter.com/KHwZBz4G7x
The dude who tried to climb up on Kanye West's floating stage
Kanye West has been roving across the nation on a floating stage as a part of his "Saint Pablo" tour. Unlike most concerts, the area in the center of the arena offers one of the worst views in the house.
One enterprising fan positioned thusly attempted to improve his vantage point by climbing up onto Kanye's stage with a boost from his friends. He almost succeeded, had not Kanye sent him back into the void with a force push.
A dude really tried climbing on stage with Kanye @TeamKanyeDaily pic.twitter.com/JepTYs3gPm
The dude who challenged T.I. to an anti-gravity hat contest
This guy, Twitter user @KriegLaFlare, makes the list because he was crazy for thinking he could dethrone T.I. as the anti-gravity king. The audacity!!!!!
Since the beginning of his career, Tip has amazed fans with his ability to balance his caps at gravity-defying angles. His dominance in the field was unquestioned, until one fateful day in January, when Krieg La Flare posted a selfie with his black UnderArmour hat dangling off his left ear at an impressive tilt. "I challenge you to an anti gravity hat off Clifford," he wrote. "You have 24 hours to respond or I am the new King."
T.I. soon replied with a hat-tilt self -- a vintage performance -- with the caption, "How dare he @KriegLaFlare! Like my son startin to golf today& callin out Tiger.Be gone FROM my presence, mere peasant."
To be fair, K. La Flare came pretty close here. He have may have even dethroned Clifford. But he's crazy for trying in the first place.
I challenge you to an anti gravity hat off Clifford. You have 24 hours to respond or I am the new King @Tip pic.twitter.com/NDn0YIl3zX
How dare he @KriegLaFlare!Like my son startin to golf today&callin out Tiger.Be gone FROM my presence, mere peasant. pic.twitter.com/C4ZObwbqVD
The Drake stans who ran up on Joe Budden
This summer's Joe Budden-Drake beef reached a climax after Budden's fourth diss track when a gaggle of young Drake stans ran up on Budden's house in New Jersey to find the rapper sitting in his car in his driveway. "It's Joe Budden!" they said excitedly. Budden hopped out and angrily yelled "What are y'all fuckin' crazy?"
The next point of documented footage finds Budden in hot pursuit of the troublemakers in his car. He caught up with them at a stoplight and menaced them through the sunroof, clenching a fistful of rocks.
It so happens that Budden was also filming during the chase. "I keep saying these lil Internet games gon get one of you niggas killed," he said while driving. "Come on my fucking block again, I'm gonna kill one of you lil niggas."
Despite Budden's threats of death, one of the kids tells Budden to follow him on Twitter as a parting shot.
Nah Joe Budden is on one pic.twitter.com/Wp2yOPUCFe
"JOE BUDDEN....RUUUUNNNNN" pic.twitter.com/SPVECPZonw
Pull up on @JoeBudden at your own riskhttps://t.co/GkwKHVDaas
Lil Uzi Vert fans
In the past ten weeks, Lil Uzi Vert has found himself running away from hordes of fans trying to tackle him, or simply bask in his glow, on three separate occasions.
It happened first in early August, when Uzi found himself in the general admission of a festival and looking for shelter. The crush of fans forced him to flee in the direction of a tall chain-link fence, which he hopped with ease.
It happened again less than two weeks later, at Orange County's Day N Nite Festival. Uzi wasn't so lucky this time. Fans took him down like a pack of rabid zombies in World War Z.
the highlight of this weekend was when I got on video lil uzi vert getting attacked while running to the stage pic.twitter.com/ia8PICTXU1
It happened again on the first weekend September, at Made in America in Uzi's hometown of Philly. By this point, it was clear was making himself vulnerable to zealous fans because he wantaed the attention. Here, he trots along through the grass like Mo Farah leading the pack in the 10,000 meters before dashing up on stage to galvanize the crowd. In a blink of an eye, he is gone once more -- in pursuit of his next chase.