From 2010 to 2012 he released a whopping 38 mixtapes, with the controversial I’m Gay (I’m Happy) his crowning achievement.įor the past decade the prefix 'lil' has entrenched itself in the culture and become one of hip-hop’s longest lasting movements. Indie rapper Lil B also made an impact during this time, gaining a cult following with his unique delivery and merging of styles. Neither are great rappers, but they did provide us with hits Bow Wow (That’s My Name) and My Baby. Wayne and Jon weren’t the only 'lil' rappers making bank in the early '00s, with kiddie stars Lil Bow Wow (now just Bow Wow) and Lil Romeo (now just Romeo) continuing the legacy of 'lil' while battling it out for chart supremacy. A mainstay of the Houston hip-hop community, Troy featured on multiple projects throughout the early '90s and had a minor hit with banger Wanna Be A Baller. It would be eight years before another 'lil' made an impact, with drug dealer turned rapper Lil Troy landing on the scene in 1987. A member of rap group Funky 4 + 1, Cee featured on Funky 4 + 1’s minor hit, 1979's Rappin & Rocking The House. If they were your OG (original gangster), if they brought you up on the streets, you were like the second version of them.”īut it wasn’t until the late '70s when 'lil' crossed over from the streets into hip-hop with the arrival of New York spitter Lil Rodney Cee. In an interview with the ABC, host of triple j’s Hip-Hop Show Hau Latukefu explained, “Back in the day it was used by people that were coming up under someone.

It’s been well documented that 'lil' has been used as a nickname in a variety of cultures, particularly with American street gangs. So how did three simple letters become one of the most popular and long lasting trends in hip-hop? The new generation of rap stars have embraced the prefix, with the likes of Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby, Lil Pump and their “lil” contemporaries arguably becoming the face of modern hip-hop culture, for better or worse. Hip-hop is having a “lil” renaissance of late. L-R: Lil Spacely, Lil Kim, Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images Lil Peep, Photo by Edward Berthelot /Getty Images

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