Lil' Troy

Lil' Troy
Birth name Troy Lane Birklett
Born (1966-02-24) February 24, 1966
Origin Houston, Texas, United States
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper
Years active 1988–2007
Labels Short Stop Records
Website www.myspace.com/liltroywannabeaballer

Troy Lane Birklett (born February 24, 1966),[1][2] better known by his stage name Lil' Troy is an American rapper from Houston, Texas.

Life and career

Before his rapping career, Birklett was a drug dealer, who funded his music business with the money he earned from selling drugs. In 1988, he founded Short Stop Records and joined the group Mass 187 in 1995. Mass 187's song "Gangsta Strut" was featured on local radio.[3] He eventually was convicted of "using a communications device to commit a felony" and was sentenced to eighteen months in prison, although served only nine months in Beaumont, Texas, federal detention.[4][5]

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" produced by Bruce "Grim" Rhodes.[6] The song reached #70[1] on the Billboard Hot 100, and propelled his debut album, Sittin' Fat Down South, 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, 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 selling 1.9 million copies.[4][7] 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.

Discography

Albums

Year Title Chart positions[8] Certifications
US US R&B US Ind
1998 Sittin' Fat Down South 20 6 –
2001 Back to Ballin
  • Released: September 11, 2001
  • Label: Koch
 95 24 4
2006 Paperwork
  • Released: February 14, 2006
  • Label: Short Stop
 – – –

Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
US[10] US R&B[11] US Rap[11]
1999 "Wanna Be a Baller" (featuring Fat Pat, Yungstar, Lil' Will, and H.A.W.K.) 70 40 31 Sittin' Fat Down South

References

  1. 1 2 Birchmeier, Jason (2008). "Lil' Troy > Biography". allmusic. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  2. ↑ Family Tree Legends search
  3. ↑ O'Connor, Christopher (October 27, 1999). "Label Head Lil' Troy Turns Rapper". MTV News. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Baker, Soren (October 8, 2001). "Lil' Troy, Free From Prison, Is Back To Ballin'". MTV News. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  5. ↑ Mariani, Anthony (October 16, 2001). "Never Surrender". Village Voice. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  6. ↑ http://www.mtv.com/news/519361/label-head-lil-troy-turns-rapper/
  7. ↑ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  8. ↑ "Lil Troy Billboard albums". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  9. ↑ http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database
  10. ↑ "Lil' Troy Chart History (R&B)". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  11. 1 2 "Lil' Troy Billboard singles". Allmusic.com. Retrieved January 22, 2012.

External links

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