Rappin' Granny
Vivian Lee Smallwood (June 18, 1933 – July 22, 2017[1]), known by her stage name Rappin' Granny, was an American grandmother who performed hip-hop music. She lived in Castaic, California, near Los Angeles.
Rappin' Granny | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Vivian Lee Smallwood |
| Born | June 18, 1933 |
| Origin | Castaic, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 22, 2017 (aged 84) |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician Actress |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1989–2017 |
Smallwood was a contestant on the NBC television series America's Got Talent during the 2006 season.
Career
Rapping
Smallwood was employed as a postal worker and began rapping in the mid-1980s. She took first place in a rap contest at a South-Central Los Angeles roller rink with an anti-drug themed rap.[2] By 1988 she had formed a group with her son called Rappin' Granny and DJ Len.[3] She won a Granny of the Year contest in Pasadena in 1988, performing a rap version of the song "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena".[2][3] In 1989, she released a little-known, self-titled music video called "Rock-n-Soul".[4] Smallwood was signed to Tandem Records in 1992. She released the single "You Didn't Use Your Blinker Fool" as a response to the DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince song "You Saw My Blinker".[2] A brand of soda, Rappin Granny's Slammin Strawberry Hip Hop Pop, was named for her in 1995.[5]
Acting
Smallwood had been a working Hollywood actress since the mid-1990s. She has appeared in numerous television shows with small parts and a few feature films. Some of her credits are, Everybody Hates Chris, Malcolm in the Middle, The Shield, and The Ladykillers.[6] In Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996) she is credited as Vivian 'Rappin Granny' Smallwood.[7] She also played "Nano" in Big Bad Beetleborgs, a show on the former Fox Kids network. In 2012, she appeared on the How I Met Your Mother episode "The Magician's Code: Part 1".
Smallwood was featured in the Apollo Theater's Apollo Circus of Soul in 2007.[8]
America's Got Talent
Smallwood was a contestant on the NBC television series America's Got Talent[9][10] and qualified on the August 16, 2006 season finale for the one-million-dollar grand prize. In her audition, Rappin' Granny gave a performance that was very popular among the crowd and the judges, all of whom (Brandy, David Hasselhoff, and Piers Morgan) advanced her to the next round by way of a unanimous vote. Smallwood then returned for the semifinal episode that aired July 26, 2006. After another crowd-pleasing song, the judges again put her through to the next round, by another unanimous vote. For the final round, Smallwood rode in on a motorcycle.[11] However, the final round was not kind to Smallwood; not only did she not win the million-dollar prize, she finished in the bottom half of the public vote that determined the winner, as announced by host Regis Philbin.
Personal life
Smallwood had 15 grandchildren[11] and 9 great-grandchildren.
Death
Vivian Smallwood died from natural causes at the age of 84 on July 22, 2017.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood | Sister Williams | |
| 1996-1998 | Big Bad Beetleborgs | Nano / Nana Williams | 46 episodes |
| 2004 | The Ladykillers | Tea Lady | |
| 2004 | Gas | Beatrice | |
| 2005 | Halfway Decent | Tom's Mom | |
| 2005-2008 | Everybody Hates Chris | Old Black Lady | 9 episodes |
| 2009 | A Day in the Life | Granny | |
| 2010 | Dirty Girl | Shellie the Neighbor | |
| 2012 | Seeking a Friend for the End of the World | Speck's Mother | Uncredited, (final film role) |
References
- "SAG-AFTRA-Spring Edition 2019, In Memoriam". SAG-AFTRA.
- Lacey, Marc (April 12, 1992). "'Rappin' Granny' Sends Message With a Youthful Beat". Los Angeles Times.
- "Granny raps to fight problems of youth". Star-News. June 26, 1988.
- Archived March 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- Gertjegerdes, Carol (August 29, 1995). "Radio Personality Turns Hip Hop Pop Entrepreneur". Columbus Times. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
- Willis, John; Monush, Barry, eds. (2006). Screen World: 2005 Film Annual. New York: Applause. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-55783-668-7.
- Willis, John; Monush, Barry, eds. (1998). Screen World 1997. New York: Applause. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-55783-320-4.
- Collins, Glenn (November 24, 2007). "The Circus Is in Town. All Over It, in Fact, in Six Troupes". The New York Times.
- Slezak, Michael (July 27, 2006). "'America's Got Talent': The return of Rappin' Granny". Entertainment Weekly.
- Muir, John Kenneth (2007). TV Year: The Prime Time 2005-2006 Season. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-55783-684-7.
Vivian Smallwood.
- Hope, Clover (2006). "Rapping Grandmother". XXL. Harris Publications. 10 (10).