Lil' Romeo

As a young whodie growing up in the Calliope projects, Lil' Romeo witnessed the struggle of his father and uncles to make their mark in the world of hip hop. The boy was only six-years old when his father, No Limit CEO and entrepreneur Master P, as well as his Uncle C and Uncle Silkk the Shocker, were ballin' out of control as representatives of hip hop's most successful independently-owned label. It was therefore inevitable that the family game would fuel Romeo's career aspirations, and one day he would follow in the footsteps of the Miller boys who rocked the mics before him.

"I think he took a lot from everybody," says P of the family influence on his son. "He took a lot of our style, put it together and came up with his own style. He also has a lot of game that the average 11-year old wouldn't have."

P first learned of his son's microphone skills when he arrived home from a business trip to realize that Romeo had written a rap. "I found it amazing just to come home and find out that he had the talent that he had. He would always play around and rap with his cousins. But this is something that he never had to do, so to hear what he wrote--I just thought it was incredible."

"I've been on my dad's records since I was four years old," says Romeo who did many of the intros on TRU and Master P records from the beginning.

At Lil' Romeo's request, P put him in the studio with Diesel of Soulja Music Productions and C-Los Beats "They'd be making songs," says P. "I asked to hear one of 'em and was like, 'Oh yeah, this kid is ready.'"

The first single, "My Baby," features a recreated loop from the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" sitting under Lil' Romeo's fun tale of yearning to remain single amidst crazy female adoration. Also on the album are the Spanish-flavored "The Girlies," and the street-influenced "ABC's."

It's teenage music, but it's also adult appealing. Romeo writes songs for his generation that people don't normally get a chance to hear, which is a No Limit song from a kid's perspective.

Not only does he show exceptional skill as a rapper, but Lil' Romeo may be an even better basketball player. He's the best 11-year old hoopster in the country. Romeo went to the AAU national championship last year with enough game to play in the 12-year old bracket. He was also the MVP of the Michael Jordan basketball camp, impressing some of NBA's premiere guards. "Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury seen him and said the kid has incredible ball handling skills," boasts P. "Like he says in 'My Baby,' he can go from high school straight into the pros."

While balancing music and basketball, Lil' Romeo also manages to pull straight A's in his 5th grade class. "I am enjoying doing music and going on the road, but I know that my education comes first," explains Lil' Romeo. His father echoes the sentiment and also makes sure his son is in church every Sunday. Just two years ago, Lil' Romeo was in a car crash that saw the death of his cousin, Lance. Romeo was inspired to pursue rap in memory of Lance, who also took a special interest in hip hop.

With Lil' Romeo ready to drop this summer, and the single "My Baby" already generating a buzz, Lil' Romeo is prepared for the onslaught of fan frenzy befitting a youngster who is just as talented as he is handsome.

The son of hardcore Southern rap mogul Master P, Romeo enjoyed a number one R&B/rap hit with his debut single, "My Baby," released in 2001, when the rapper (then known as Lil' Romeo) was only 11 years old. "My Baby" came close to topping Billboard's all-inclusive Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at number three. Along with Lil' Bow Wow, who was also enjoying remarkable debut success as the time, Romeo proved that a sizable market existed for clean-cut preteen rappers with cute looks and PG-rated rhymes. In subsequent years, he established himself as an actor on Nickelodeon and also proved a talented basketball player.

Born Percy Romeo Miller, Jr., on August 19, 1989, in New Orleans, Romeo grew up in a family defined by rap music. Not only was his father, Master P, a mogul -- he was the founder and most popular act of No Limit Records, one of the most astounding commercial success stories of the recording industry during the late '90s (if critically lambasted) -- two of his uncles (Silkk the Shocker and C-Murder) were also well-known rappers. Romeo's debut album, Lil' Romeo (2001), was released shortly after the No Limit empire had fallen into a state of shamble, and though it alone couldn't salvage the label's declining fortunes, it was a windfall success, spawning a Top Three hit single ("My Baby," an interpolation of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back"), going platinum in a week's time, and going on to sell roughly two million copies. A follow-up album, Gametime (2002), followed a year later and outsold its predecessor (selling roughly two and a half million) despite peaking at only number 33 on the Billboard album chart and spawning no major hits.

Romeo's next album, Romeoland (2004), included material from his TV show, Romeo!, and sold only a fraction (i.e., a quarter million) of what his previous album had. Greatest Hits (2006) followed, bringing his days as Lil' Romeo to an unceremonious close; he would thereafter go solely by the name Romeo. A pair of albums, Lottery and God's Gift, were also released in 2006, the former Internet-only; neither proved commercially significant, spawning no charting singles (though videos were produced for a few songs, including "U Can't Shine Like Me"). In 2007 Romeo collaborated with his father on the album Hip Hop History, billed to the Miller Boyz; previously he had collaborated with his brother Young V and cousins Lil' D and C-Los on the album Young Ballers: The Hood Been Good to Us (2005), billed to the Rich Boyz. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide