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Born: 19 August 1989
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana
Genre: Rap
Period: 2000s
Biography:
One of the more curious entries into the early-2000 teen pop explosion, Lil` Romeo shot straight to the top of the Billboard charts with his first single at the unheard-of age of only 11. Alongside Lil` Bow Wow, Romeo proved that a substantial market existed for clean-cut preteen rappers with cute looks and PG-rated rhymes. Of course, the young rapper didn`t break into the rap game alone. Just as Jermaine Dupri had masterminded Bow Wow`s success, Romeo owed much to his father, notorious rap mogul Master P. Given his father`s reputation as a savvy businessman, it was perhaps no surprise when a substantial buzz surrounded the youngster before his debut single even hit the airwaves.
With a father and two uncles -- Silkk the Shocker and C Murder -- who were all superstars during No Limit`s mid- to late-`90s reign, Romeo couldn`t help growing up in a rap-centric environment. In fact, his father even had him contribute cameos to No Limit albums, such as 504 Boyz`s Goodfellas, long before he considered launching his son`s career. It wasn`t until 2000 that Master P first seriously considered catapulting his son into the spotlight. Around this time, Master P`s No Limit empire had quickly crumbled; not only had most of the label`s roster been dismissed, but sales were undeniably dismal. It was clear that Master P needed a new direction -- even if that meant moving away from the gangsta motifs that had initially made the label famous. At this same moment in time, a young preteen rapper by the name of Lil` Bow Wow was monopolizing the airwaves with his innocent raps and cute looks. Master P did what he has always done best: find what sells, create a generic version, release it on a new imprint without No Limit`s tarnished reputation, and market the hell out of it.
Though many, no doubt, scoffed at Master P`s questionable choice to propel his son into the spotlight, it worked better than anyone could have expected. First came the expected media-targeted hyperbole, with Master P comparing Romeo to Michael Jackson. Next came the lead single, "My Baby," a song that took no shame in its overt interpolation of the Jackson 5`s "I Want You Back." Then came the results: the song quickly rose to the top of the Billboard charts, most notably lodging itself atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, before the full-length album even hit the streets. Suddenly, Master P seemed relevant once more, thanks to his son, with an album that didn`t even warrant a parental advisory sticker, once again proving that even if the Southern entrepreneur`s reputation had been built through exploitation rather than aesthetics, he was surely one of rap`s craftiest businessmen. Duplicate entry '' for key 1
Discography: Discography
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