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 in ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. Before his rapping career, Birklett was a
drug dealer, 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 county seat, seat of government of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, metropo ...
,
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 s ...
'', 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/o ...
selling 1.9 million copies in America.
Lil' Troy released his follow up in 2001, titled ''
Back to Ballin
''Back to Ballin'' is the second album by the southern rapper Lil' Troy, released in 2001.
The album peaked at No. 95 on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200.
Critical reception
''The Village Voice'' wrote that Lil' Troy's "squeaky voice smu ...
''. 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
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
”. 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' Troyon 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