Vivian Smallwood (June 18, 1933 – July 22, 2017), known by her stage name Rappin' Granny, was an American

grandmother Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic gra ...

who performed hip-hop music. She lived in

Castaic, California Castaic () (Chumash: ''Kaštiq''; Spanish: ''Castéc'') is an unincorporated community in the northwestern part of Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 19,015. For statistical purposes the Census Bureau h ...

, near

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. Outside of being known for portraying "Nano" Williams in ''

Big Bad Beetleborgs ''Big Bad Beetleborgs'' (later ''Beetleborgs Metallix'') is an American live-action superhero television series by Saban Entertainment and was co-produced with Renaissance-Atlantic Films, Toei Company and Bugboy Productions. Two seasons aired ...

'', Smallwood was a contestant on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

television series '' America's Got Talent'' during the 2006 season.

Career

Rapping

Smallwood was employed as a postal worker and began rapping in the mid-1980s. She took first place in a rap contest at a South-Central Los Angeles

roller rink A roller rink is a hard surface usually consisting of hardwood or concrete, used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, roller derby, and individual recreational skating. Roller rinks can be located ...

with an anti-drug themed rap. By 1988 she had formed a group with her son called Rappin' Granny and DJ Len. She won a Granny of the Year contest in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

in 1988, performing a rap version of the song "

The Little Old Lady from Pasadena "The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)" is a song written by Don Altfeld, Jan Berry and Roger Christian, and recorded by 1960s American pop singers, Jan and Dean. Singer/songwriter P.F. Sloan sings the falsetto part usually sung by Dean Torrence, ...

". In 1989, she released a little-known, self-titled music video called "Rock-n-Soul". Smallwood was signed to Tandem Records in 1992. She released the single "You Didn't Use Your Blinker Fool" as a response to the

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of rapper Will Smith (the Fresh Prince) and disc jockey Jeff Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff). Active full time from 1986 to 1994 and occasion ...

song "You Saw My Blinker". A brand of soda, Rappin Granny's Slammin Strawberry Hip Hop Pop, was named for her in 1995.

Acting

Smallwood had been a working Hollywood actress since the mid-1990s. She has appeared in numerous television shows with small parts and a few feature films. Some of her credits are, ''

Everybody Hates Chris ''Everybody Hates Chris'' is an American television semi-autobiographical sitcom that is inspired by the memories of the teenage years of comedian Chris Rock. The show is set from 1982 to 1987, although Rock himself was actually a teenager from ...

'', '' Malcolm in the Middle'', ''

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'', and '' The Ladykillers''. In ''

Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood ''Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood'' (or simply ''Don't Be a Menace'') is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Paris Barclay in his feature film directorial debut, and produced by Keenen Ivory Way ...

'' (1996) she is credited as Vivian 'Rappin Granny' Smallwood. She also played Roland Williams' grandmother "Nano" in ''

'', a show on the former Fox Kids network. In 2012, she appeared on the '' How I Met Your Mother'' episode " The Magician's Code: Part 1". Smallwood was featured in the Apollo Theater's Apollo Circus of Soul in 2007.

''America's Got Talent''

Smallwood was a contestant on the

television series '' America's Got Talent'' and qualified on the August 16, 2006 season finale for the one-million-dollar grand prize. In her audition, Rappin' Granny gave a performance that was very popular among the crowd and the judges, all of whom ( Brandy,

David Hasselhoff David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...

, and

Piers Morgan Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (; né O'Meara; born 30 March 1965) is a British broadcaster, journalist, writer, and television personality. He began his Fleet Street career in 1988 at ''The Sun (United Kingdom), The Sun''. In 1994, aged 29, he was ...

) advanced her to the next round by way of a unanimous vote. Smallwood then returned for the semifinal episode that aired July 26, 2006. After another crowd-pleasing song, the judges again put her through to the next round, by another unanimous vote. For the final round, Smallwood rode in on a motorcycle, but finished in the bottom half of the public vote.

Personal life

Smallwood had 15

grandchildren Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...

and 9 great-grandchildren.

Death

Vivian Smallwood died from natural causes at the age of 84 on July 22, 2017.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Rappin' Granny performance on America's Got Talent

Fresno Bee article

San Jose Mercury News articleLos Angeles Times article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Granny, Rappin 1933 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American actresses Actresses from California African-American rappers American women rappers American television actresses America's Got Talent contestants Guitarists from Los Angeles People from Castaic, California Rappers from Los Angeles 20th-century American women guitarists African-American guitarists 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people