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 1996, Credle appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation
CD, America is Dying Slowly, alongside Biz Markie, Wu-Tang Clan,
and Fat Joe, among many other prominent hip hop artists. The CD,
meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American
men, was heralded as "a masterpiece" by The Source magazine.
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. The album featured
the single "Far From Yours", which peaked at #81 on the
Billboard Hot 100. This is O.C.'s highest charting single to date.
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. In 1998, O.C.
was featured on Pete Rock's "Respect Mine" from Pete
Rock's 1998 solo debut album "Soul Survivor".
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 a success).
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. 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.
Albums
Word...Life
* Released: October 18, 1994
* Billboard 200 chart position: -
* R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #34
* Singles: "Time's Up", "Born 2 Live"/"Let it Slide"
Jewelz
* Released: August 19, 1997
* Billboard 200 chart position: #90
* R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #16
* Singles: "Can't Go Wrong"/"Dangerous", "Far From
Yours"/"My World"
Bon Appetit
* Released: July 10, 2001
* Billboard 200 chart position: -
* R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #84
* Singles: "Half Good, Half Sinner"
Starchild
* Released: February 23, 2005
* Billboard 200 chart position: -
* R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: -
* Singles: "The Professional", "Getaway"/"Evaridae"
Smoke and Mirrors
* Released: November 1, 2005
* Billboard 200 chart position: -
* R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: -
* Singles: "Challenge Y'all"/"Guns & Butter"
Hidden Gems
* Released: March 27, 2007
* Billboard 200 chart position: -
* R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: -
* Singles: "The Inventor" b/w "Yes Sir" f/ Sadat X produced
by O.Gee
Oasis: Together Brothers (w/ A.G.)
* Released: November 24, 2009
* Billboard 200 chart position: -
* R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: -
* Singles: -
[edit] Appearances
* 1991: "Fudge Pudge" (w/ Organized Konfusion)
* 1992: "Back to the Grill" (w/ MC Serch, Red Hot Lover Tone, Nas & Chubb
Rock)
* 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))
* 1999: "Rollin'" (w/ Saukrates & Masta Ace, from the album The
Underground Tapes))
* 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)
* 2007: "16 Bars" (from the Lyrical C album Corporate Ameri3ka)
* 2008: "Conquer Mentally" (from the Presto album State of the Art)
* 2010: "Trouble Shooters" (from the Ill Bill album Kill Devil Hills)
* 2010: "Warsaw Outdoors" (from the HIFI Banda album 23:55)