There is a new pint-sized rapper ready to join the teen pop cavalcade of stars: Lil' Romeo.
Lil' Romeo is actually the son of powerful rap mogul Master P, the man behind the New Orleans-based label No Limit. He joins a stable of rap talent that includes uncles Silkk the Shocker and C-Murder, as well as Snoop Dogg and a number of other folks who make you say "unnnggggh."
Lil' Romeo is more than just the latest in a long line of successful No Limit rappers. He's also the latest member of a new musical fraternity: pre-teen rappers. He follows in the footsteps of Snoop Dogg protégé Lil' Bow Wow and the milquetoast, family-friendly Aaron Carter. Lil' Bow Wow is 14, and Aaron Carter is 13, but Lil' Romeo is a whopping 11 years old. At this rate, the top-selling rap artist of 2004 will be a fetus.
Like his dad, who played a season of minor-league hoops, Lil' Romeo also fancies himself a basketball player. A year ago he played in the AAU national championship game, and he has been named MVP of Michael Jordan?s basketball camp.
Searches for Lil' Romeo have gone from practically nonexistent to huge in just three weeks. Last week, he received 44 percent as many queries as Lil' Bow Wow, and 84 percent as many queries as Aaron Carter. That's as many searches as Latin pop star Ricky Martin or TV sensation The X-Files.
Lil' Romeo's debut album Soulja Boy is due in stores on June 5 and his debut single "My Baby," which rips a sample off of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," is all over radio. The record was produced by another rap svengali, Jermaine Dupri, who was the brains behind the early 90's pre-teen rap duo Kris Kross. The album includes a duet with Lil' Bow Wow as well as a song called "Little Soldiers Need Love."
I'm a bit concerned about an 11 year-old calling himself a "little soldier," but it seems to work in Gaza and Liberia, so to each their own.
TOMORROW: Gimme some money.
SPECIAL ADDED BONUS: Check this page and scroll down to the third item to check out a review of Master P's little-known WCW wrestling career.
