O.C.

Omar Credle (born in 1972 in Brooklyn, New York), known by his stage name, O.C., is an American rapper who has been involved with several renowned underground hip-hop groups and also released many solo albums.

Credle was born in Brooklyn and raised in the Bushwick section. In 1991, he made his recording debut on Organized Konfusion's "Fudge Pudge" and one year later he made a featuring on the remix of MC Serch's "Back to the Grill" (which also features a very young Nasty Nas). By 1994, he had signed with Wild Pitch Records and recorded the seminal classic Word...Life which featured his most notable single "Time's Up". The album was critically acclaimed and remains beloved in hip-hop circles.

In 1997, O.C. signed to Pay Day Records, where he released his second album Jewelz — another critically acclaimed effort that kept O.C. headed in the right direction and featured collaborations with DJ Premier, Da Beatminerz and Freddie Foxxx. By this time, he was a part of the underground rap act known as Diggin' in The Crates together with legends like Lord Finesse, Showbiz & A.G., Diamond D, Buckwild and Big L. In 2000 the crew released their self-titled debut album through Tommy Boy Records on which O.C. featured on the majority of the songs.

The 2001 release of Bon Appetit was met with very mixed reviews; the negative accused O.C. of selling out with a polished, shining and toned-down sound. This was although Buckwild produced the large bulk of the album with the only help coming from Lord Finesse and Ahmed (pretty much the same formula that made Word...Life'. After the disappointing release O.C. disappeared from the scene until 2005, when he released his fourth album with Grit Records; Starchild which only dropped as a very limited Japanese/European import and was met with great acclaim. Later that year, he signed with Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings and teamed up with Bronx-native producer Mike Loe, and dropped Smoke and Mirrors.

O.C. is also known for his feature on the Clockers soundtrack as part of the Crooklyn Dodgers, which also featured rappers Chubb Rock and Jeru the Damaja on the now classic DJ Premier produced "Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers". This is however the only time the group has ever collaborated.

Right now, O.C. is collaborating with fellow D.I.T.C. member A.G. for an album entitled Oasis which is set to be released on November 23 2009. The bulk of the album is produced by French beatsmith E-Blaze with additional tracks supplied by Lord Finesse, Statik Selektah and Showbiz who also acts as the executive producer of the album.

Discography

Albums

Appearances

• 1991: "Fudge Pudge" (w/ Organized Konfusion)
• 1992: "Live At The BBQ (Remix)" (w/ Main Source, released on 12" single)
• 1994: "Let's Organize" (w/ Organized Konfusion & Q-Tip, from the O.K. album Stress)
• 1995: "Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers" (w/ Jeru The Damaja & Chubb Rock)
• 1995: "Men V. Many" (w/ Mic Geronimo & Royal Flush, from The Natural))
• 1995: "You Won't Go Too Far" (w/ Organized Konfusion)
• 1996: "What I Represent" (from the America Is Dying Slowly compilation)
• 1996: "Metal Thangz" (w/ Street Smartz & Pharoahe Monch, 12" Single)
• 1997: "Your Life" (from the Soul In The Hole soundtrack)
• 1998: "Respect Mine" (w/ Pete Rock, from the album Soul Survivor))
• 2001: "King of New York" (12" Single featuring J-Love)
• 2001: "Half Good, Half Sinner" (12" Single)
• 2003: "Worst Nightmare" (from the Soul Supreme album The Saturday Nite Agenda)
• 2006: "Nuttin' To Lose" (from the El Da Sensei album The Unusual)
• 2007: "Love Child" (from the Buckwild album Diggin' In The Crates)
• 2007: "Marquee" (from the Marco Polo (producer) album Port Authority)
• 2007: "No Guts, No Glory" (w/ Rasco, Reef the Lost Cauze & Wordsworth, from the Snowgoons album German Lugers)
• 2008: "Conquer Mentally" (from the Presto album State of the Art)

External links

• Interview at HalftimeOnline
• Interview at Nobodysmiling.com
• Interview at Mvremix.com
• The Underrated Series on HHLO.net (Hip-Hop Lives)