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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - Flame on. Waka Flocka turns 27 today (May 31) and he's following everyone who tweets #HappyBirthdayWaka. It's been trending nationwide for some time now, though, so whilst you wait for the follow back, let's take a moment to reflect on the Brick Squad repper's roller-coaster journey.(Photo: Leon/PictureGroup)

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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - Juaquin Malphurs was born May 31, 1986, in South Jamaica, Queens, New York. His family later relocated to Riverdale, Georgia. His mother is Debra Antney, former manager of Gucci Mane.(Photo: Jeff Daly/PictureGroup)

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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - How did Waka Flocka Flame get one of the funniest, most distinctive names in hip hop history? The name Waka was given to him by his cousin after the Muppets character Fozzie Bear's famous catchphrase, "Waka-waka." Meanwhile, Gucci Mane, who took Waka under his wing when he began rapping, bestowed him with "Flocka Flame."(Photos: Cindy Ord/Getty Images; Paras Griffin/Landov; Michael Germana/Landov)

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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - After appearing on Gucci's mixtapes and albums, Waka broke out on his own with the 2009 smash single "O Let's Do It," which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Diddy, Rick Ross and Gucci Mane jumped on the remix.(Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros. Records)

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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - "O Let's Do It" may have led the way for Waka, but his next single, "Hard in da Paint," became his — and every gutta man's — mission statement. Produced by Lex Luger, the song sums up Waka's raucous, bar-brawl style best.(Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros. Records)

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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - Waka followed up his wildfire mixtapes and club-rocking singles with his debut album, 2010's Flockaveli, which also produced the smash "Grove St. Party" and the gold-selling "No Hands."(Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros. Records)

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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - Unfortunately, Waka's become all too familiar with Biggie's "Mo Money, Mo Problems" mantra. The rapper was robbed and shot in January 2010, and in 2011 was caught up in a handful of public brawls. Hard in da paint, indeed.(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - Waka really shocked folks in 2011, however, when he showed off his nude, tattooed body in an ad for PETA that read, "Ink Not Mink."

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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - Waka may have come up as a member of Gucci Mane's 1017 Brick Squad, but their relationship has been rocky ever since he emerged as a star in his own right. Gucci fired long-time manager Debra Antney, Waka's mom, in 2010, and the two have exchanged words in the press at times. Still, Waka continues to rep Brick Squad, the pair released an album, Ferrari Boyz, together in 2011, and most recently both have said there is no beef.(Photos: Cindy Ord/Getty Images; Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - In 2011, Waka Flocka also had to deal with the death of his friend and musical affiliate Slim Dunkin, who was murdered in an Atlanta studio. The tragedy affected Waka deeply. "I don't accept it — period," Waka said in a 2012 radio interview. "That's my dog."(Photos: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images; Courtesy Facebook)

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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - In light of all the death and drama, Waka threatened to retire in 2011. "I'm tired of just going through what I go through and then at the end of the day, the forecast is always rain," Waka said. "It always rains on my world." By 2012, Waka deaded on the retirement talk, though. "I don't see myself quitting no more, it's over for that," he said in an interview.(Photo: John Ricard/BET)

Photo By John Ricard/BET

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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - Waka dropped his sophomore album, Triple F Life: Fans, Friends & Family, in June 2012. It debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and included singles "Round of Applause," featuring Drake, and "I Don't Really Care," with Trey Songz. The songs featured a more laid back, mature Waka — relatively speaking, at least.(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Waka Flocka Flame - Waka's next album, Flockaveli 2, is expected Oct. 5 with features from at least Timbaland and Wyclef Jean. The guests may be symbolic of Flocka's new lease on life. This year, the Atlanta native also signed up to help promote non-violence in Chicago, a city that has been plagued with shooting deaths as of late. (Photo: Courtesy Warner Music Group)