Carlos Rico Walker (March 22, 1976 – September 21, 2016), better known as Shawty Lo, was an American rapper from

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. He initially came to prominence as a founding member of the

Southern hip hop Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memp ...

group

D4L D4L (an acronym of Down For Life) was an American hip hop group formed in 2003, composed of Atlanta-based rappers Fabo, Mook-B, Stoney, and Shawty Lo. They are best known for their 2005 hit single "Laffy Taffy", which peaked at number one o ...

, and in 2000 founded D4L Records. The group reached national status in 2005 when their single " Laffy Taffy" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and went on to be certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

thrice by the

Recording Industry Association of America 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/ ...

(RIAA). In 2007, Walker began pursuing a solo career with his debut single "

Dey Know "Dey Know" (sometimes called "They Know") is a song by American hip hop recording artist Shawty Lo, released on December 4, 2007, as his commercial debut single. The song also serves as the lead single from Shawty Lo's debut solo album, '' Units ...

", which was included on his solo debut album '' Units in the City'', released in February 2008. On September 21, 2016, Walker died in a car crash. His second studio album, ''R.I.C.O.'', was released posthumously in March 2017.

Music career

2000–06: Career beginnings with D4L

In 2003, Shawty Lo formed the

group

, with fellow Atlanta-based

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

s Fabo, Mook-B and Stoney. Shawty Lo subsequently launched his indie record label D4L Records. Shawty Lo self-funded the group in its early days. He explained that the group's name stands for "Down for Life". The group signed to the indie label Dee Money Entertainment, which released the group's debut in conjunction with

Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/Asylu ...

. D4L's debut album, titled '' Down for Life'', was executive produced by Shawty Lo and eventually certified gold by the

(RIAA). The album had spawned the

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

s "

Betcha Can't Do It Like Me "Betcha Can't Do It Like Me" is a song by Atlanta-based hip-hop group D4L from their debut album '' Down for Life''. It was their second and last single before disbanding in 2006. It was produced by Teriyakie Smith. It failed to match the succ ...

" and " Laffy Taffy". The latter of which attributed much to the group's success, as it broke records as the most downloaded song in the history of music according to the 2007 Guinness Book of the World Records. It was also a multi-platinum ring tone and scored a ASCAP award. The group debuted with "Betcha Can't Do It Like Me", which ''Billboard'' claimed to have popularized snap music. In January 2006, D4L's single " Laffy Taffy", reached the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. As was another Atlanta-based hip hop group

Dem Franchize Boyz Dem Franchize Boyz was an American hip hop group from Atlanta, signed to E1 Music. The group had four members: Parlae (born Maurice Gleaton), Pimpin' (Jamal Willingham), Jizzal Man (Bernard Leverette), and Buddie (Gerald Tiller). They were best ...

, D4L was part of the snap music trend in 2006, which continued when

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

-based rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, came out with the number one hit single " Crank That (Soulja Boy)", in 2007.

2007–08: Solo career and debut album

On December 4, 2007, Shawty Lo released "

", his solo commercial debut single. The single charted in the

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. On February 26, 2008, his solo debut studio album '' Units in the City'', was released. The album features

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

s from Shawty Lo's D4L cohorts, as well as

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeez ...

, among others. ''Units in the City'' peaked at number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart and at number two on the

Top Rap Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

chart, selling over 160,000 copies to date. The album spawned two other singles, " Dunn Dunn" and the

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

to " Foolish". Shawty Lo also released a

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

for the album cut, "Got Em 4 da LO". The songs "Dey Know" and "Foolish", were both officially remixed, featuring new verses from several high-profile artists. These include

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

, Young Jeezy, Plies, Lil' Wayne,

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper. Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station 99 Jamz, a ...

, Birdman,

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Diddy's Bad ...

and

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide ...

. The "Foolish" music video also included cameo appearances from Pitbull,

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

and

Ace Hood Antoine Franklin McColister (born May 11, 1988), better known by his stage name Ace Hood, is an American rapper. He was born in Port St. Lucie, Florida and raised in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He was signed to record producer DJ Khaled's label W ...

2008–2016: Mixtape circuit

In late 2008 Shawty Lo started working on a new album entitled ''Carlos''; artists that were to be featured on the album included

, T-Pain,

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of h ...

Bun B Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work wit ...

Nate Butler Nate Butler is an American songwriter, music producer, vocal producer, and recording artist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been a part of 45 plus million records sold worldwide at last count. Butler has worked with multi-platinum artists such ...

, Lyfe Jennings,

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...

, T.I.,

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

, and

. On December 8, 2008 Shawty Lo released a song from the album entitled "Supplier"; it featured vocals from

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, ''I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, ''Trey Day'', ...

and Lil Wayne. On March 9, 2009, Shawty Lo released a song titled "Roll the Dice"; the song is known for marking the end of the feud between him and fellow Atlanta-based rapper T.I. On March 23, 2009, Shawty Lo announced that he had changed his second album's title from ''Carlos'' to ''I Am Carlos'' and its release date would be June 3, 2009. On April 27, 2010 Shawty Lo would release a new single, titled "Atlanta, GA", which featured vocals from

and

The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, " Rid ...

. On June 10, 2011, during an interview, it was confirmed by both Shawty Lo and

AllHipHop AllHipHop is a hip hop news website founded by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur in 1998. History The website was founded in 1998 by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur. In 1997, Watkins registered the allhiphop.com domain to promote the artists on ...

that he had signed a new label deal with

G-Unit Records G-Unit Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group. Founded in 2002 by rapper 50 Cent, for the first eleven years of operation, G-Unit ran in conjunction with, and was distributed by, Interscope Records. In February 2014, ...

, after it was reported they were in talks.Daily News – : Exclusive: Shawty Lo Signs to G-Unit, Drops Mixtape 'B.H.F.' with DJ Greg Street
. Allhiphop.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-11. Shawty Lo said, "My new situation with G-Unit was just solidified and I got off the phone with 50 yesterday, I just signed a really large deal, as well as, It's like a new beginning and all I needed was someone behind me.

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

is a marketing genius and I got my new thing D4L and G-Unit and we going to be working the south and the rest of the world if need be." It was later clarified by Shawty Lo that he had not signed as an artist but instead he had signed his label D4L Records to G-Unit South a subsidiary record label of

. On July 27, 2011, Shawty Lo would announce that he had changed his second album's title from ''I Am Carlos'' to ''Still Got Units.'' On June 10, 2014, it was announced that Shawty Lo was working and prepping the release of his new mixtape entitled ''King of Bankhead,'' which was released on February 3, 2015.

D4L Records

D4L Records, is an

, Georgia-based record label founded in 2003, by Carlos "Shawty Lo" Walker. On June 22, 2011 it was announced that Shawty Lo had signed the label to a distribution deal with

's subsidiary label G-Unit South, for a worth of over $10 million. On January 15, 2015, during an interview, Shawty Lo would announce that he had signed the label to a new label deal with Grown Money Entertainment.

Controversies

Feud with T.I.

In 2008, Shawty Lo was involved in a highly publicized feud with another Atlanta rapper, T.I. The feud was characterized by Shawty Lo's track " Dunn Dunn", and T.I.'s reply "

What Up, What's Haapnin "What Up, What's Haapnin'" is a song by American rapper T.I., released on September 2, 2008, as the fifth single from his sixth studio album ''Paper Trail'' (2008). The song, which was produced by high-profile American record producer Drumma Boy, ...

". The song "Dunn Dunn" appears to question T.I.'s roots in

Bankhead, Atlanta Bankhead is a neighborhood located west of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. It is surrounded by Grove Park to the west, Washington Park and Hunter Hills to the south. To the east and northeast are Hills Park, Knight Park, English Avenue and Blan ...

. The music video for "What Up, What's Haapnin" was shot in Bowen Homes, Shawty Lo's neighborhood. In an interview, T.I. insisted that his song " No Matter What" was only partially aimed at Shawty Lo. The feud reached its climax at the November 2008 ''Dirty Awards'', where the entourages of both artists clashed during the ceremony, forcing it to be shut down. Two incidents forced police to use pepper-spray and evacuate the audience. The feud was publicly ended on March 7, 2009, when Shawty Lo and T.I. appeared on-stage together at Club Crucial in Bankhead, for T.I.'s farewell concert. After this performance, T.I. gave an interview to

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, in which he stated that the feud with Shawty Lo was exaggerated by the media, and was not a 'beef'. Shawty Lo also made a song titled "Roll the Dice", which samples

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...

's popular 2008 single "

Viva la Vida "Viva la Vida" (, ; ) is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their fourth album, ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'' (2008). The lyrics to the song contain historical and Christian refe ...

". "Roll the Dice" marked the end of the feud between Shawty Lo and T.I.

''All My Babies' Mamas''

His TV series, '' All My Babies' Mamas'' was set to air later in 2013 on the

Oxygen channel Oxygen (branded on air as Oxygen True Crime) is an American television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming unit of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast, through its Cable Entertainment Group subsidiary. The channel primar ...

. On January 15, 2013, Oxygen Media cancelled the show, stating in a press release that "as part of our development process, we have reviewed casting and decided not to move forward with the special." However, on February 26, 2013, Shawty Lo announced that there were other television networks that were interested in the reality show.

Personal life

By the age of 17, Walker had fathered his first child. On June 16, 2011, Walker announced that he had

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

. Walker had a total of 11 children: nine daughters and two sons from 10 women.

Death and funeral

On September 21, 2016, Walker was killed in a single-vehicle accident in

Fulton County, Georgia Fulton County is located in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,066,710, making it the state's most-populous county and its only one with over one million inha ...

. The crash happened around 2:20 a.m. when Walker's Audi A7 went over a guardrail, hit two trees, and caught on fire; he was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Two female passengers in the vehicle experienced non-life-threatening injuries. Shawty Lo's funeral was held on October 1, 2016 at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church in Atlanta. Following the service, the funeral procession proceeded to The Blue Flame Lounge, one of the rapper's favorite

strip club A strip club is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease or other erotic or exotic dances. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, and can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style ...

s, where a large group of patrons and mourners honored his casket with a moment of silence "filled with just the glow of the candles, and the lights from the strip club". Shawty Lo was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in

College Park, Georgia College Park is a city in Fulton and Clayton counties, Georgia, United States, adjacent to the southern boundary of the city of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,930. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is p ...

. Artists who paid tribute to Shawty Lo after his death include

, Lil Marlo,

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

Vince Staples Vincent Jamal Staples (born July 2, 1993) is an American rapper and singer. Staples was once a close associate of Odd Future, Mike G and Earl Sweatshirt in particular. He is currently signed to Motown and Blacksmith Records. Staples rose to ...

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that current ...

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

, T.I.,

Dej Loaf Deja Monét Trimble (born April 8, 1991), better known by her stage name Dej Loaf (stylized as DeJ Loaf), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. She began her music career in 2011, and released her debut single "Jus ...

Joe Budden Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American media personality and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 top 40 single " Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In ...

DJ Drama Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978), professionally known as DJ Drama, is an American DJ, record executive and music promoter. He is the co-founder (with Don Cannon) of Generation Now, an Atlantic Records imprint with artists including ...

, Jon Connor,

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

Soulja Boy DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence, after his self published debut single " Crank That (Soulja Boy)" peak ...

Mack Maine Jermaine Anthony Preyan (born July 28, 1982), better known by his stage name Mack Maine, is an American record executive, songwriter, and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. Mack Maine has been the president of Young Money Entertainment since 2 ...

Tony Yayo Marvin Bernard (born March 31, 1978), better known by his stage name Tony Yayo, is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of G-Unit, a hip hop group he formed with his childhood friends 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. Yayo released his debu ...

Young Scooter Kenneth Edward Bailey (born March 28, 1986), better known by his stage name Young Scooter, is an American rapper who is affiliated with Freebandz and 1017 Brick Squad Records and CEO of his own label Black Migo Gang. Scooter grew to prominence ...

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Kid Ink Brian Todd Collins (born April 1, 1986), known professionally as Kid Ink, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles. He released his debut independent album ''Up & Away (Kid Ink album), Up & Away'' in 2012, f ...

, CeeLo Green,

Pastor Troy Micah LeVar "Pastor" Troy (born November 18, 1977) is an American rapper and record producer. He is also a member of the hardcore rap group D.S.G.B. (Down South Georgia Boyz). In 2020, he made several homophobic statements against Lil Nas X tha ...

, ILoveMakonnen,

Mistah F.A.B. Stanley Petey Cox (born January 23, 1982), better known by his stage name Mistah F.A.B. (backronym for Money Is Something To Always Have–Forever After Bread), is an American rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, community organizer and activist. ...

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Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

and Girl Talk.

Discography

* '' Units in the City'' (2008) * ''Rico'' (2017)

Awards and nominations

*BET Hip Hop Awards **2008, Rookie of the Year on'' **2008, Track of the Year, "

" on'' *Ozone Awards **2008, Best Rap Album, '' Units in the City'' ominated**2008, Breakthrough Artist on'' **2008, Club Banger of the Year, "

" ominated**2008, Best Mixtape/Street Album, "I'm Da Man 2" with DJ Scream ominated

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shawty Lo 1976 births 2016 deaths 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American rappers African-American businesspeople African-American male rappers American businesspeople convicted of crimes American drug traffickers American music industry executives American people convicted of assault American people convicted of drug offenses Businesspeople from Georgia (U.S. state) G-Unit Records artists Prisoners and detainees of Georgia (U.S. state) Rappers from Atlanta Road incident deaths in Georgia (U.S. state) Southern hip hop musicians 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American musicians