Troy Lane Birklett (born February 24, 1966), known professionally as Lil' Troy, is an American rapper and songwriter.

Early life

Birklett was born in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Before his rapping career, Birklett was a

drug dealer A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalati ...

, who funded his music business with the money he earned from selling drugs.

Career

Early career

In 1987, Birklett founded Short Stop and joined the group Mass 187 in 1987. Mass 187's song "Gangsta Strut" was featured on local radio. He eventually was convicted of conspiracy and served eighteen months in prison, at a

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the seat of government of Jefferson County, within the Beaumont– Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston ( ...

, federal detention center.

''Wanna Be a Baller'' and later career

Lil' Troy, who featured in his songs many members of Houston's thriving rap scene of the late 1990s, managed to reach national audiences with his single " Wanna Be a Baller". The song reached No. 70 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and propelled his Shortstop/Me & Mine Entertainment debut album, ''

Sittin' Fat Down South ''Sittin' Fat Down South'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil' Troy. It was released by Lil Troy and Master P's former manager, Tobin "TC" Costen on June 23, 1998 under Short Stop/ Me & Mine Entertainment. A few months later he ...

'', to the Top 25 albums on the ''Billboard'' 200. After the success of the lead single, Lil' Troy was picked up by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

, which re-released his debut album in 1999 with a larger national distribution. The debut album was a success, as it certified Platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

selling 1.9 million copies in America. Lil' Troy released his follow up in 2001, titled '' Back to Ballin''. This album did not contain a charting single and did not fare nearly as well as his debut. He released his third and to date last album, ''Paperwork'', in 2006. “ Safety Man”. My daily life now is sitting back and letting them checks come in. And actually I work safety up at the oil refinery. I left a one billion-dollar industry and went to another billion-dollar industry. I work in oil and gas now. I go to safety meetings and talk to people and they sometimes they find out I’m Lil’ Troy, who they look up to. I figured it was time to make a career change. I ashaving fun, taking planes, doing shows, smoking weed. It was time for me to figure out what else I want to do in life. I sold drugs and did shows. I got tired. I had run a long way and gone to jail a couple times and I was like, “Man I’m tired of this. I’m done. Let me find another career to work in, make a life change for my family and lay back.” And that’s what I’ve done. Safety makes a bunch of money, and I’m in demand at all times.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

Lil' Troy
on YouTube * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lil Troy 1966 births Living people African-American male rappers American drug traffickers Rappers from Houston Underground rappers Businesspeople from Texas Place of birth missing (living people) Universal Records artists Southern hip hop musicians Gangsta rappers 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people