Lil' O | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Oreoluwa Mitchell Magnus-Lawson |
| Born | (1977-11-22)November 22, 1977 (age 47) Lagos,Nigeria |
| Origin | Houston,Texas |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation | Rapper |
| Years active | 1990's - present |
| Labels | Game Face Entertainment |
Lil' O (bornOreoluwa Mitchell Magnus-Lawson; November 22, 1977 inLagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian-Americanrapper, raised inSouthwest Houston, Texas.[1] He is an original member ofDJ Screw'sScrewed Up Click. He was also known asO orDa Fat Rat Wit Da Cheeze. His name references his height, at 5 feet tall.[2]
His father was adoctor and Lil' O and his four brothers and one sister had a middle class upbringing. His mother died fromovarian cancer when Lil' O was 13 and suddenly his father's strict Nigerian upbringing began to chase him to rebellion.[1]
Soon after his mother's death, Lil' O began hanging in the streets with friends who were in the drug game, and he became addicted to the fast money thatdrug dealing brought in. "I got street fame, women, and a lot of money quickly and easily", he says. Eventually he got collared. After his arrest, his father kicked him out of the house and Lil' O fell deeper into the lure of the drug game. While out on bond, he continued to sell drugs and was caught again. This time he attempted to swallow the evidence before the police could arrest him. He swallowed an ounce-and-a-half ofcrack cocaine, and act which caused his lungs to collapse. He was put onlife support and his father was told to prepare for his death. "It's really a miracle that I woke up at all", says Lil' O. "I was breathing through tubes on my deathbed and I looked down and saw that my ankles were cuffed to the bed. I realized, if I recovered I was going to jail, and if I didn't I was going to die".[1]
He went toXavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, where he studied business. Away from the drugs and the street life of Southwest Houston, Lil' O also began to dabble in one of his first loves – hip hop. "Man, when I was growing up,LL Cool J came out with 'Radio' and that was it, I was hooked. I never thought about rapping as a career because I was making so much sellingdrugs, plus the money came faster than it does in the rap game", says O. While at Xavier, in 1997, he recorded "Can't Stop" – featuring vocal contributions from the ladies that would go on to earn renown asDestiny's Child. The track soon became Lil' O's debut single and went on to be an instant local hit. Regardless, Lil' O eventually found himself out of school and back inTexas, again exposed to the same lifestyle he'd tried to leave behind. In 1999, he then signed with the Houston-based indie label Game Face Entertainment, but also began selling drugs again.[1] His debut album,Blood Money, sold 20,000 copies but he was unable to promote it due to spending time in jail.[3]
After being released from prison, Lil' O left the drug game behind for good and focused on his music completely. He also enrolled at theUniversity of Houston–Downtown and majored inbusiness. "Some days I wouldn't feel like going to class, and then I would look across the street at the county jail and remember how I felt when I was in there. That would be all the motivation I would need to get myself to class", says Lil' O with a hearty laugh.[1]
In 2001, his albumDa Fat Rat wit da Cheeze[4] sold over 75,000.[1] He collaborated withBig Hawk on the hit single "Back Back", that led him back to a nationwide deal withAtlantic Records, which he left in 2003.[5]
| Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Can't Stop"(featuringDestiny's Child) | — | 87 | 22 | Greatest Hits |
| 2001 | "Back Back"(featuringBig Hawk) | — | 62 | — | Da Fat Rat wit da Cheeze |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
