Carlos Rico Walker (March 22, 1976 – September 21, 2016), better known as Shawty Lo, was an American rapper from

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. He initially came to prominence as a founding member of the

Southern hip hop Southern hip-hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip-hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip-hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee ...

group D4L, and in 2000 founded D4L Records. The group reached national status in 2006 when their single " Laffy Taffy" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and went on to be certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

twice by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). In 2007, Walker began pursuing a solo career with his debut single " Dey Know", which was included on his solo debut album '' Units in the City'', released in February 2008. On September 21, 2016, Walker died in a car crash. His second studio album, ''R.I.C.O.'', was released posthumously in March 2017.

Music career

2000–06: Career beginnings with D4L

In 2003, Shawty Lo formed the

group D4L, with fellow Atlanta-based

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

s Fabo, Mook-B and Stoney. Shawty Lo subsequently launched his

indie record label Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *Independent media, media free of influence by government or corporate interests *Indie art, fine arts made by artists independent of commer ...

D4L Records. Shawty Lo self-funded the group in its early days. He explained that the group's name stands for "Down for Life". The group signed to the indie label Dee Money Entertainment, which released the group's debut in conjunction with

Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/As ...

. D4L's debut album, titled '' Down for Life'', was executive produced by Shawty Lo and eventually certified gold by the

(RIAA). The album had spawned the

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

s " Betcha Can't Do It Like Me" and " Laffy Taffy". The latter of which attributed much to the group's success, as it broke records as the most downloaded song in the history of music according to the 2007 Guinness Book of the World Records. It was also a multi-platinum ring tone and scored a ASCAP award. The group debuted with "Betcha Can't Do It Like Me", which ''Billboard'' claimed to have popularized

snap music Snap music (also known as snap, ringtone rap or snap rap) is a subgenre of hip hop music derived from crunk that originated in southern United States in the 2000s, in Bankhead, West Atlanta, United States. It achieved mainstream popularity t ...

. In January 2006, D4L's single " Laffy Taffy", reached the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. As was another Atlanta-based hip hop group

Dem Franchize Boyz Dem Franchize Boyz was an American hip hop music, hip hop group from Atlanta, Georgia, Atlanta, signed to E1 Music. The group had four members: Parlae (born Maurice Gleaton), Pimpin' (Jamal Willingham), Jizzal Man (Bernard Leverette), and Buddie ...

, D4L was part of the snap music trend in 2006, which continued when

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

-based rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, came out with the number one hit single "

Crank That (Soulja Boy) "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" is the debut single by American rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. It served as the lead single from his debut studio album, '' souljaboytellem.com'' (2007) and accompanies the Soulja Boy dance. The song is recognized by its ...

", in 2007.

2007–08: Solo career and debut album

On December 4, 2007, Shawty Lo released " Dey Know", his solo commercial debut single. The single charted in the

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. On February 26, 2008, his solo debut studio album '' Units in the City'', was released. The album features

guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...

s from Shawty Lo's D4L cohorts, as well as

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Jeezy, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream a ...

, among others. ''Units in the City'' peaked at number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart and at number two on the

Top Rap Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart, selling over 160,000 copies to date. The album spawned two other singles, " Dunn Dunn" and the

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

to " Foolish". Shawty Lo also released a

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the album cut, "Got Em 4 da LO". The songs "Dey Know" and "Foolish", were both officially remixed, featuring new verses from several high-profile artists. These include

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...

Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music fo ...

, Plies, Lil' Wayne,

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (; born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ and record producer. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting high-profile music industry ar ...

, Birdman,

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...

and

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American cult leader, preacher and mass murderer who founded and led the Peoples Temple between 1955 and 1978. Jones and the members of his inner circle planned and orchestrat ...

. The "Foolish" music video also included cameo appearances from Pitbull,

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss (, ), is an American rapper who began his career in the 1990s and formed the hip hop trio the Lox alongside Styles P and Sheek Louch in 1994. The group signed w ...

and

Ace Hood Antoine Franklin McColister (born May 11, 1988), known professionally Ace Hood, is an American rapper. Born in Port St. Lucie and raised in Deerfield Beach, Florida, he was discovered by DJ Khaled and became the first act to sign with his rec ...

2008–2016: Mixtape circuit

In late 2008 Shawty Lo started working on a new album entitled ''Carlos''; artists that were to be featured on the album included

T-Pain Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...

Bun B Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the Southern rap duo UGK (Underground Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work wi ...

, Nate Butler,

Lyfe Jennings Chester Jermaine "Lyfe" Jennings (born June 3, 1978) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist. He plays the guitar, Double bass, bass, and piano which he integrates into his music. T ...

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), known professionally as Mýa, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress. She was born in Washington D.C. and studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Her ca ...

T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

, and

. On December 8, 2008 Shawty Lo released a song from the album entitled "Supplier"; it featured vocals from

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and songwriter. After being discovered by record producer Troy Taylor (record producer), Troy Taylor in 2003, Songz ...

and Lil Wayne. On March 9, 2009, Shawty Lo released a song titled "Roll the Dice"; the song is known for marking the end of the feud between him and fellow Atlanta-based rapper T.I. On March 23, 2009, Shawty Lo announced that he had changed his second album's title from ''Carlos'' to ''I Am Carlos'' and its release date would be June 3, 2009. On April 27, 2010 Shawty Lo would release a new single, titled "Atlanta, GA", which featured vocals from

and

The-Dream Terius Adamu Ya Gesteelde-Diamant ('' né'' Youngdell Nash; born September 20, 1977), known professionally as The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for having written or co-produced songs for artists in ...

. On June 10, 2011, during an interview, it was confirmed by both Shawty Lo and

AllHipHop ''AllHipHop'' is a hip-hop news website founded by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur in 1998. History The website was founded in 1998 by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur. In 1997, Watkins registered the allhiphop.com domain to promote the artist ...

that he had signed a new label deal with

G-Unit Records G-Unit Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group. Founded in 2003 by rapper 50 Cent, the label was operated by Interscope Records until February 2014. Thereafter, distribution of G-Unit operated under Caroline Records a ...

, after it was reported they were in talks.Daily News – : Exclusive: Shawty Lo Signs to G-Unit, Drops Mixtape 'B.H.F.' with DJ Greg Street
. Allhiphop.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-11. Shawty Lo said, "My new situation with G-Unit was just solidified and I got off the phone with 50 yesterday, I just signed a really large deal, as well as, It's like a new beginning and all I needed was someone behind me.

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

is a marketing genius and I got my new thing D4L and

G-Unit G-Unit (short for Guerilla-Unit). was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released ...

and we going to be working the south and the rest of the world if need be." It was later clarified by Shawty Lo that he had not signed as an artist but instead he had signed his label D4L Records to G-Unit South a subsidiary record label of

. On July 27, 2011, Shawty Lo would announce that he had changed his second album's title from ''I Am Carlos'' to ''Still Got Units.'' On June 10, 2014, it was announced that Shawty Lo was working and prepping the release of his new mixtape entitled ''King of Bankhead,'' which was released on February 3, 2015.

D4L Records

D4L Records, is an

, Georgia-based record label founded in 2003, by Carlos "Shawty Lo" Walker. On June 22, 2011 it was announced that Shawty Lo had signed the label to a distribution deal with

's subsidiary label G-Unit South, for a worth of over $10 million. On January 15, 2015, during an interview, Shawty Lo would announce that he had signed the label to a new label deal with Grown Money Entertainment. The label became defunct following Walker's death.

Controversies

Feud with T.I.

In 2008, Shawty Lo was involved in a highly publicized feud with another Atlanta rapper,

The feud was characterized by Shawty Lo's track " Dunn Dunn", and T.I.'s reply " What Up, What's Haapnin". The song "Dunn Dunn" appears to question T.I.'s roots in Bankhead, Atlanta. The music video for "What Up, What's Haapnin" was shot in Bowen Homes, Shawty Lo's neighborhood. In an interview, T.I. insisted that his song " No Matter What" was only partially aimed at Shawty Lo. The feud reached its climax at the November 2008 ''Dirty Awards'', where the entourages of both artists clashed during the ceremony, forcing it to be shut down. Two incidents forced police to use pepper-spray and evacuate the audience. The feud was publicly ended on March 7, 2009, when Shawty Lo and T.I. appeared on-stage together at Club Crucial in Bankhead, for T.I.'s farewell concert. After this performance, T.I. gave an interview to

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, in which he stated that the feud with Shawty Lo was exaggerated by the media, and was not a 'beef'. Shawty Lo also made a song titled "Roll the Dice", which samples

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

's popular 2008 single "

Viva la Vida (, ; ) is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their fourth album, ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'' (2008). The lyrics contain historical and Christian references (King Louis XVI of ...

". "Roll the Dice" marked the end of the feud between Shawty Lo and T.I.

''All My Babies' Mamas''

His TV series, '' All My Babies' Mamas'' was set to air later in 2013 on the

Oxygen channel Oxygen (branded on air as Oxygen True Crime) is an American cable and digital multicast television network owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group unit of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast. The network primarily airs true crime television series ...

. On January 15, 2013, Oxygen Media cancelled the show, stating in a press release that "as part of our development process, we have reviewed casting and decided not to move forward with the special." However, on February 26, 2013, Shawty Lo announced that there were other television networks that were interested in the reality show.

Personal life

By the age of 17, Walker had fathered his first child. On June 16, 2011, Walker announced that he had

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

. Walker had a total of 11 children: nine daughters and two sons from 10 women.

Death and funeral

On September 21, 2016, Walker was killed in a single-vehicle accident in

Fulton County, Georgia Fulton County is a county in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,066,710, making it the state's most populous county. Its county seat and most ...

. The crash happened around 2:20 a.m. when Walker's Audi A7 went over a guardrail, hit two trees, and caught on fire; he was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Two female passengers in the vehicle experienced non-life-threatening injuries. Shawty Lo's funeral was held on October 1, 2016 at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church in Atlanta. Following the service, the funeral procession proceeded to The Blue Flame Lounge, one of the rapper's favorite

strip club A strip club (also known as a strip joint, striptease bar, peeler bar, gentlemen's club, among others) is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease and other erotic dances including lap dances. St ...

s, where a large group of patrons and mourners honored his casket with a moment of silence "filled with just the glow of the candles, and the lights from the strip club". Shawty Lo was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in

College Park, Georgia College Park is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton and Clayton County, Georgia, Clayton counties, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, adjacent to the southern boundary of the city of Atlanta. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

. Artists who paid tribute to Shawty Lo after his death include

, Lil Marlo,

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

, Leslie Pace

Vince Staples Vincent Jamal Staples (born July 2, 1993) is an American rapper. Born in Compton, California and raised in Long Beach, California, he first became known for his appearances on projects by Odd Future members—''Earl (mixtape), Earl'' by Earl Sw ...

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ex ...

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

, Dej Loaf,

Joe Budden Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American broadcaster and former rapper. He first gained recognition with his 2003 single " Pump It Up", which peaked in the top 40 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and preceded the release of h ...

DJ Drama Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978), known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I., and continued to gai ...

, Jon Connor,

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams II (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern hip hop music, hip hop and trap music ...

Soulja Boy DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to prominence with his self-released 2007 debut single, "Crank That ...

, Mack Maine,

Tony Yayo Marvin Bernard (born March 31, 1978), better known by his stage name Tony Yayo, is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of G-Unit, a hip hop group he formed with his childhood friends, 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. Yayo released his debu ...

Young Scooter Kenneth Edward Rashad Bailey (March 28, 1986 – March 28, 2025), better known by his stage name Young Scooter, was an American rapper. He was one of the first acts to sign with fellow Atlanta rapper Future (rapper), Future's record label, Free ...

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon ( ), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success following the release of the ...

Kid Ink Brian Todd Collins (born April 1, 1986), known professionally as Kid Ink, is an American rapper and singer from Los Angeles, California. His debut studio album, ''Up & Away (Kid Ink album), Up & Away'' (2012), was released independently and peake ...

CeeLo Green Thomas DeCarlo Callaway-Burton (born May 30, 1975), known professionally as CeeLo Green (or Cee Lo Green or simply Cee-Lo), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Green came to initial pr ...

Pastor Troy Micah LeVar "Pastor" Troy (born November 18, 1977) is an American rapper from Augusta, Georgia. He is best known for his 2002 single "Are We Cuttin'" (featuring Ms. Jade), which entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The year prior, he signed wi ...

ILoveMakonnen Makonnen Kamali Sheran (born April 12, 1989), better known by his stage name iLoveMakonnen (often stylized as ILOVEMAKONNEN), is an American rapper and singer. He is best known for his 2014 single " Tuesday", which initially gained recognition ...

, Mistah F.A.B.,

Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper. Regarded as a pioneering artist in the Chicago-based hip-hop subgenre drill music, he is often considered the subgenre's most commercially suc ...

Latto Alyssa Michelle Stephens (born December 22, 1998), known professionally as Latto (formerly known as Mulatto), is an American rapper and singer-songwriter from Atlanta. She first appeared on Jermaine Dupri's reality television series ''The Rap G ...

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...

and Girl Talk.

Discography

* '' Units in the City'' (2008) * ''Rico'' (2017)

Awards and nominations

*BET Hip Hop Awards **2008, Rookie of the Year on'' **2008, Track of the Year, " Dey Know" on'' *Ozone Awards **2008, Best Rap Album, '' Units in the City'' ominated**2008, Breakthrough Artist on'' **2008, Club Banger of the Year, " Dey Know" ominated**2008, Best Mixtape/Street Album, "I'm Da Man 2" with DJ Scream ominated

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shawty Lo 1976 births 2016 deaths 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers American businesspeople convicted of crimes American drug traffickers American music industry executives American people convicted of assault American people convicted of drug offenses Businesspeople from Georgia (U.S. state) G-Unit Records artists Prisoners and detainees of Georgia (U.S. state) Rappers from Atlanta Road incident deaths in Georgia (U.S. state) Southern hip-hop musicians 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American businesspeople