Awood Johnson Jr. (August 16, 1975March 1, 2013), better known by his stage name Magic (or Mr. Magic), was an American rapper from

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

No Limit Records No Limit Records is an American record company founded by Master P. The label's albums were distributed by Priority Records, Universal and Koch Records. The label included artists such as Snoop Dogg, Mercedes, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, M ...

in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Early life

Born and raised in the

Lower Ninth Ward The Lower Ninth Ward is a neighborhood in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. As the name implies, it is part of the 9th Ward of New Orleans. The Lower Ninth Ward is often thought of as the entire area within New Orleans downriver of the Indust ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, Awood Johnson first made his name in New Orleans' underground circuit performing in talent shows and in a local group. Magic first appeared on C-Murder's songs "Picture Me" and "Watch Yo Enemies" on his 1998 album '' Life or Death''. He was signed to C-Murder's label Tru Records, a sublabel to No Limit Records.

Career

Magic's released his debut solo studio album, '' Sky's the Limit'', in 1998, which reached #15 on the ''Billboard'' 200. In 1999, Magic released his second solo studio album ''

Thuggin' ''Thuggin is the second studio album by American rapper, Magic. It was released on August 31, 1999, on No Limit Records and Priority Records. ''Thuggin only found minor success compared to his previous album, peaking at number 53 on the ''Bil ...

'' which featured hit singles "That's Me" and "Ice on my Wrist" with

Master P Percy Robert Miller Sr. (born April 29, 1967), known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record executive, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the record label No Limit Records, which was relaunched as ...

, which had minor success, peaking at #30. Following poor sales of his third studio album, '' White Eyes'' (#147), in 2003, along with the departure of many of No Limit's marquee artists and the label's overall decline, Magic severed his relationship with No Limit. He released his fourth and final solo album, the non-charting '' On My Own'', on

Koch Records MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...

, just five months after his split from No Limit. Magic joined fellow New Orleans native Choppa and former

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

champion Roy Jones Jr. to form the group

Body Head Bangerz Body Head Bangerz is a hip hop group based in Pensacola, Florida and formed by former heavyweight boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. Originally consisting of Jones, Magic, Choppa, Snappa, and Bone Crusher the current roster includes Jones, SM Bu ...

, which released its only album in 2004, '' Body Head Bangerz: Volume One'', and had a minor hit with "

I Smoke, I Drank "I Smoke, I Drank", also known as "Do It Big", is the lead single from Body Head Bangerz's debut album, '' Body Head Bangerz: Volume One''. The original track features Lil' Boosie and Young Bleed but only the remix of the song, "I Smoke, I Dran ...

". Magic then secured a deal with

TVT Records TVT Records (Tee-Vee Tunes) was an American record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. Over the course of its 24-year history, the label released 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum releases. Its roster included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, ...

in 2006, but left without ever releasing any material. He formed his own label, Banx Entertainment, in 2011.

Death

On March 1, 2013, Johnson and his wife Chastity were killed in a traffic collision in

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the popul ...

. Their 12-year-old daughter was the lone survivor.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Sky's the Limit'' (1998) *''

'' (1999) *'' White Eyes'' (2003) *'' On My Own'' (2003)

Collaboration albums

*'' Body Head Bangerz: Volume One'' with Body Head Bangerz (2004)

References

External links

Magic
on Myspace
June 2011 interview
– YouTube 1975 births 2013 deaths African-American male rappers No Limit Records artists Rappers from New Orleans Road incident deaths in Mississippi Southern hip hop musicians TVT Records artists Gangsta rappers 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people {{US-hiphop-bio-stub