Lil’ Troy

Troy Lane Birklett (born February 24, 1966), known professionally as Lil' Troy, is an American rapper and songwriter. Birklett was born in Houston and grew up there. In 1987, Troy Birklett founded Short Stop and joined the group Mass 187 in 1987. Mass 187's song "Gangsta Strut" was featured on local radio. He was arrested in November 1999 and sent to a federal detention center in Beaumont, Texas west of Orange. He was there nine months. In the late 1990s, Lil' Troy featured many of Houston's rappers in his songs. He reached national audiences with his single "Wanna Be a Baller". The song reached No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100, and propelled Sittin' Fat Down South, his debut album on his Shortstop/Me & Mine Entertainment label, to the Top 25 albums on the Billboard 200. After the success of the lead single, Lil' Troy was picked up by Universal Music Group, which re-released his debut album in 1999 with national distribution. The debut album was a success; it was certified Platinum by the RIAA selling 1.9 million copies in the US. Lil' Troy released a follow up in 2001, titled Back to Ballin. The album did not have a charting single and did not fare nearly as well as his debut. He released his third album, Paperwork, in 2006. Lil' Troy later became a truck driver, forming Birklett Trucking Company in Missouri City, Texas west of Pearland. Birchmeier, Jason (2008). "Lil' Troy > Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2010. "Free Family Tree, Genealogy, Family History, and DNA Testing". Myheritage.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019. O'Connor, Christopher (October 27, 1999). "Label Head Lil' Troy Turns Rapper". MTV News. Retrieved January 21, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) Baker, Soren (October 8, 2001). "Lil' Troy, Free From Prison, Is Back To Ballin'". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2001. Retrieved January 17, 2010. Mariani, Anthony (October 16, 2001). "Never Surrender". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2010. "Label Head Lil' Troy Turns Rapper". MTV News. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2019. "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved March 27, 2012. Conner, Briana (December 8, 2021). "Houston rapper Lil' Troy survives 18-wheeler fire on I-10: 'I thank God'". ABC13 News. Retrieved August 20, 2023. "Lil Troy Billboard albums". AllMusic. Retrieved January 22, 2012. "Gold & Platinum". Riaa.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019. Lil' Troy on YouTube Lil' Troy at IMDb v t e