Froggy Fresh Explained

Froggy Fresh
Birth Name:Tyler Stephen Cassidy
Alias:Krispy Kreme
Origin:Burton, Michigan
Occupation:Singer, songwriter, rapper

Tyler Stephen Cassidy, also known as Froggy Fresh (and previously Krispy Kreme), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. Cassidy became known after the comedy rap music video for his song, "The Baddest", became popular on YouTube.[1] He continued rapping until 2018, when Cassidy stepped away from his Froggy Fresh character and began a career as a singer under his real name. As of May 2023, Cassidy's FroggyFreshRap YouTube channel has over 806 thousand subscribers and 172 million video views,[2] while his Tyler Cassidy Music channel has over 365 thousand subscribers and 42 million video views.

Career

Krispy Kreme era (2012)

See main article: The Baddest (Froggy Fresh song) and Best Friends (Froggy Fresh song). Michigan-based Tyler Cassidy began rapping at 19. At 22, Cassidy began uploading videos as the character "Krispy Kreme". The first Krispy Kreme video uploaded was the music video for "The Baddest". Uploaded on April 20, 2012, it attracted attention from websites such as The Huffington Post.[1] Writing for The Stranger, Megan Seling noted that Krispy's deadpan delivery featured in "The Baddest" made many unsure if the video was authentic or satirical in nature.[3]

On May 14, Krispy Kreme released his follow-up single, "Haters Wanna Be Me", which also quickly became popular.[4] [5] [6] "Haters Wanna Be Me" was ranked as the No. 20 best music video of 2012, so far, by Complex.[7] Krispy's first two videos were noted by media outlets for their slow-witted and braggadocio lyrics.[1] [6] One oft-cited lyric featured Krispy boasting about supposedly having "400 cars, scars, guitars, houses (twice), and mouses."[8]

On May 31, Krispy released another song, "Best Friends",[9] [10] a more serious rap than the previous two, with the lyrics focusing on his friendship with Money Maker Mike and referencing the influential rapper Tupac Shakur towards the end of the song.[11] [12] On June 3, 2012, Kreme gave a motivational speech to his fans about chasing their dreams.[13] Krispy Kreme uploaded another song on July 6, 2012, titled "Stolen Bikes".[14] His seventh song, titled "The Fight", was uploaded on August 24, 2012.[15] Afterwards, on September 14, he released a song called "Denzel Washington", praising the actor.[16] Around this time, the rapper was also featured on the Comedy Central show Tosh.0.[17]

In November 2012, Krispy Kreme was featured in a Mashable article that listed fifteen people made famous by the internet.[18]

Froggy Fresh era (2012–2018)

On December 3, 2012, Froggy Fresh stated on his YouTube channel that his father received a call from the Krispy Kreme doughnut company telling him that his name was trademark infringement.[19] He also stated that he could not use any variation of the words 'Krispy' or 'Kreme' without facing legal problems. Krispy Kreme announced that he would be changing his rap name to one of the following, depending on viewer comments: Froggy Fresh, Candy Cane, Jelly Bean, Jelly Bean Jack, Lil Kuntry, or White Chocolate.[20] Though he was originally going to change his stage name to Jelly Bean Jack,[21] on December 18, the rapper announced he would go by Froggy Fresh.[22]

Money Maker (Reloaded)

Also in December 2012, Froggy Fresh released his debut album, Money Maker (Reloaded) on the iTunes Store. The album featured new songs in addition to existing ones already on his YouTube channel. On January 9, 2013, the music video for "Same Old Kid", the rapper's first song under the name Froggy Fresh, was released.[23] [24] On January 26, 2013, Money Maker (Re-Loaded), debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Comedy Album chart.[25]

Froggy Fresh deleted all his music videos that featured the moniker "Krispy Kreme", before re-posting the videos on February 15, switching "Krispy Kreme" to "Froggy Fresh". In February 2013, Froggy released an announcement video that also included a freestyle.[26] The music video for "Mike's Mom" was released on March 4, 2013.[27] In March 2013, John Cena spoke about Froggy Fresh, during an interview, praising the rapper.[28]

Dream Team

On May 21, 2013, Froggy Fresh released the single, "Dunked On", which Froggy previously revealed would appear on his second album.[29] The album, confirmed to be titled Dream Team, was released in October 2014, on iTunes.[30]

Froggy released a non-album single, as well as its music video, titled "Jimmy Butler Is Your Father".[31] The song's lyrics center on praising Chicago Bulls basketball player Jimmy Butler, as well as the entire Bulls franchise, and dissed the Cleveland Cavaliers and their star small forward, LeBron James.[32] [33] Froggy would release the track and music video on May 9, 2015, one day after the Chicago Bulls defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the third game of their Eastern Conference Semi-finals series.[33] However, the Bulls would lose their following game and end up losing their best of seven series against the Cavaliers.

On February 21, 2017, Cassidy uploaded a video on YouTube, which has since been removed from his channel, explaining the story behind the Krispy Kreme/Froggy Fresh project.[34] In the 23-minute video, Cassidy revealed that Froggy Fresh was indeed a comedic character created after years of struggling to gain attention as a serious rap artist.[34] Despite stating that he truly enjoyed the five years of making videos, Cassidy revealed that it eventually became boring for him and that the friends who populated his videos had gone in different directions in their respective lives.[34] He also expressed his interest in becoming a comedic actor.[34]

Tyler Cassidy era (2018–2023)

After releasing Escape from Hood Mountain and going on a tour, Cassidy dropped the Froggy Fresh character and persona; he additionally stopped posting to the Froggy Fresh YouTube account. Cassidy began uploading his new music onto an eponymous YouTube account that was registered in January 2018.[35] [36] He would go on to upload original and cover songs on the channel.[36] Shortly thereafter, Cassidy once again became popular on the Internet, as his original "Junkie" song attracted attention on the Reddit r/videos subreddit forum.[36]

In June 2019, Creative Loafing wrote, "with soft piano melodies and honestly pretty offensive lyrics, Cassidy's internet presence today walks a drunk line between music, comedy and cringe."[37] In October, Cassidy released a non-album track titled "Amber Guyger", named after and criticizing the police officer found guilty of murdering Botham Jean.[38]

On October 30, 2019, Cassidy released Renee, his first post-Froggy Fresh album.[39]

Retirement from music (2023)

On November 20, 2023, Cassidy made an announcement on his Instagram and Facebook stating that he was retiring from his music career, and started selling items used in previous music videos.[40] On December 4, Cassidy opened up a Cameo account where he, as his Froggy Fresh character, would make short songs based on stories that fans would submit in for a request.[41]

Other ventures

He was scheduled to fight Chris Ray Gun at the then-upcoming Creator Clash 2 on April 15, 2023.[42] However, he was removed from the fight card shortly prior to the event, causing some of his fans to boycott the event.[43]

Discography

Albums

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;"
Album detailsPeak chart positions
US
Comedy
Money Maker (Reloaded) 3[45]
Dream Team
  • Released: October 3, 2014[46]
  • Formats: CD, digital download[47]
—
Escape from Hood Mountain
  • Released: February 15, 2018[48]
  • Formats: Digital download
—

Notes and References

  1. News: Jauregui. Andres. Rapper Krispy Kreme's 'The Baddest' Isn't (Just) Funny (VIDEO). Huffington Post. May 1, 2012. May 23, 2012.
  2. Web site: FroggyFreshRap − YouTube about page. FroggyFreshRap. YouTube. May 11, 2022.
  3. Web site: Seling. Megan. Parody or Sincerity: Krispy Kreme the Rapper . The Stranger. August 8, 2012. September 19, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120812001915/http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/08/08/parody-or-sincerity-krispy-kreme-the-rapper. August 12, 2012.
  4. Web site: Toucher & Rich: Rapper Krispy Kreme Addresses The Haters. CBS Boston. May 23, 2012. May 23, 2012.
  5. News: Stabus. Austin. The Viral Video Conundrum: Riff Raff, Kitty Pryde and Krispy Kreme Walk Into a Bar. Dallas Observer. May 30, 2012. July 7, 2012. July 3, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120703051431/http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/2012/05/viral_goes.php. dead.
  6. Martin. Andrew. Watch Krispy Kreme's Hilarious New Viral Rap Video. Complex. May 14, 2012. June 8, 2012.
  7. The Best 25 Music Videos of 2012 (So Far). Complex. July 11, 2012. October 3, 2012.
  8. Web site: O'Bryan. Ryan. Viral Star Krispy Kreme Unleashes His Special Brand of Rap on the World [VIDEO]]. KISS 106. June 2, 2012. October 5, 2012.
  9. Martin. Andrew. Video: Krispy Kreme Saves Money Maker Mike In "Best Friends". Complex. June 1, 2012. July 10, 2012.
  10. News: Johnston. Maura. Maura Johnston . In Honor of National Donut Day, The Trollgaze Index Sizes Up Krispy Kreme (The Rapper, That Is). Village Voice. June 1, 2012. July 1, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120705032826/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2012/06/krispy_kreme_best_friend.php. July 5, 2012.
  11. Web site: Kiefer . Halle . Krispy Kreme's "Best Friends" Video Is Pretty Much Friendship 101 . VH1 . June 1, 2012 . June 1, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131203084001/http://www.vh1.com/celebrity/2012-06-01/krispy-kremes-best-friends-video-is-pretty-much-friendship-101/ . December 3, 2013 .
  12. Web site: Stepen. Surfer. Krispy Kreme "Best Friends:" Surfer Stephen's Viral Video Of The Day. CBS Local. 97.1 AMP Radio. June 4, 2012. June 7, 2012.
  13. Web site: James. Jason. This Is My Rifle: Krispy Kreme, Jason James & Big K.R.I.T., The Common Thread. Refined Hype. June 6, 2012. September 26, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121009055639/http://www.refinedhype.com/hyped/entry/this-is-my-rifle-krispy-kreme. October 9, 2012. dead.
  14. Web site: Rapper 'Krispy Kreme' tracks down stolen bikes in new vid. https://archive.today/20130129041954/http://now.msn.com/entertainment/0706-krispy-kreme-bikes.aspx. dead. January 29, 2013. MSN. July 7, 2012. July 10, 2012.
  15. News: Krispy Kreme's 'The Fight': The Internet's Best/Worst Rapper Gets in Playground Brawl (VIDEO). Huffington Post. August 27, 2012. August 28, 2012.
  16. News: Denzel Washington Gets Rap Tribute By Krispy Kreme (VIDEO). Huffington Post. September 17, 2012. September 19, 2012.
  17. Web site: Koyer. Kayln Oyer. A Q&A with YouTube parody rap sensation Froggy Fresh . The Post and Courier. October 5, 2017. September 14, 2020. June 1, 2023.
  18. Web site: Erickson. Christine. 15 People Made Famous by the Internet in 2012. Mashable. November 15, 2012. December 4, 2012.
  19. News: Hoffberger. Chase. Donut company forces rapper Krispy Kreme to find a new name. The Daily Dot. December 4, 2012. December 22, 2012.
  20. Web site: gotta get a new rap name. FroggyFreshRap. YouTube. December 3, 2012. December 4, 2012.
  21. News: Luippold. Ross. Krispy Kreme Changes Name: Rapper Says Donut Company Claimed Copyright Infringement (VIDEO). Huffington Post. December 11, 2012. December 23, 2012.
  22. News: Jaworski. Michelle. YouTube rapper Krispy Kreme is now Froggy Fresh. The Daily Dot. December 19, 2012. December 22, 2012.
  23. Web site: 'Froggy Fresh--Same Old Kid':YouTube Rapper's Latest Video Gets Mass Approval From Redditors [VIDEO]]. International Digital Times. January 9, 2013. January 10, 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130114201334/http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articles/14390/20130109/froggy-fresh-same-old-kid-youtube-rappers.htm. January 14, 2013.
  24. Web site: Seling. Megan. Krispy Kreme Is Now Froggy Fresh. The Stranger. January 15, 2013. January 17, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130203050248/http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/01/15/krispy-kreme-is-now-froggy-fresh. February 3, 2013. dead.
  25. January 26, 2013 Comedy Albums. Billboard. January 26, 2013. November 23, 2013.
  26. Web site: Jarvis. Sam. Looks Like It's Froggy Fresh Freestyle Friday!. Comedy Central. Tosh.0. February 15, 2013. April 19, 2013.
  27. Web site: Froggy Fresh 'Mike's Mom': YouTube Video Sensation Offers An Awesome New Rap. International Digital Times. March 5, 2013. March 9, 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130315093119/http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articles/15723/20130305/froggy-fresh-mikes-mom-youtube-video-sensation.htm. March 15, 2013.
  28. JOHN CENA Message for FROGGY FRESH. YouTube. Machinima. March 11, 2013. October 30, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20140304170019/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osaOrz-O4pY. March 4, 2014.
  29. Web site: Devine. Dan. Froggy Fresh, Money Maker Mike, '90s Bulls-Knicks unis + lowered rims: This is 'Dunked On'. Yahoo! Sports. Ball Don't Lie. June 5, 2013. June 8, 2013.
  30. Web site: Dream Team. Apple. iTunes. October 8, 2014. June 1, 2023.
  31. News: Gomez. Luis. Around town: Vince McMahon open to another Chicago Wrestlemania; LeBron James sighting. Chicago Tribune. May 14, 2015. May 18, 2015.
  32. Machir. Troy. YouTube legend Froggy Fresh to LeBron James: 'Jimmy Butler is your father'. Sporting News. May 11, 2015. May 18, 2015. May 13, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150513024221/http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2015-05-10/froggy-fresh-youtube-rap-jimmy-butler-lebron-james-bulls-cavaliers-nba-playoffs-2015. dead.
  33. Web site: Thele. Kyle. Froggy Fresh posts new video calling out LeBron James. Sun-Times Media Group. May 11, 2015. May 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150925145629/http://national.suntimes.com/national-sports/nba/7/72/1098217/froggy-fresh-lebron-james-jimmy-butler/. September 25, 2015. dead.
  34. Cassidy. Tyler. TOURING + THE TRUE STORY OF FROGGY FRESH. FroggyFreshRap. YouTube. February 21, 2017. February 22, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170222050115/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az-7JUSlqqI. February 22, 2017.
  35. Web site: Tyler Cassidy Music – YouTube about page. Tyler Cassidy Music. YouTube. December 23, 2019.
  36. Web site: Illuminati. Chris. Froggy Fresh has a shockingly good YouTube dedicated to piano ballads. The Daily Dot. August 21, 2018. December 23, 2019.
  37. Web site: Witmer. Emma. Tyler Cassidy, 'the baddest of them all,' is coming to Tampa this summer. Creative Loafing: Tampa Bay. June 11, 2019. December 23, 2019.
  38. Web site: Gravley. Garrett. Viral YouTuber Tyler Cassidy Puts His Own Touch On Dallas' Most-Watched Trial In The Form Of A Song About Convicted Murderer Amber Guyger.. Central Track. October 28, 2019. December 23, 2019.
  39. TylerSCassidy. 1189657744053350401. October 30, 2019. My new album "Renee" is available on all streaming platforms now..
  40. Web site: Cassidy. Tyler. I'm ready to walk away from music.. Instagram. November 20, 2023. June 5, 2024.
  41. Web site: Opened up a Froggy Fresh cameo. Link in the bio. Instagram. December 4, 2023. June 5, 2024.
  42. Web site: Polhamus. Blaine. Creator Clash 2 releases stacked 12-bout fight card. Dot Esports. January 24, 2023. April 14, 2023.
  43. Web site: Tolentino. Daysia. YouTubers square off in the boxing ring for Creator Clash 2. NBC News. April 11, 2023. May 27, 2023.
  44. Web site: Money Maker (Reloaded). Last.fm. June 12, 2013.
  45. Froggy Fresh Chart History. Billboard. November 23, 2013.
  46. Web site: Dream Team. Apple Music. June 1, 2023.
  47. iAmFroggyFresh. 520035900332707840. October 8, 2014. NOTE: Dream Team Albums (Physical - Autographed) will be available at http://FroggyFresh.com near the end of October for $11.99..
  48. Web site: Escape from Hood Mountain. Apple Music. June 1, 2023.

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