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A Brooklyn-born rapper and member of the Diggin in the Crates Crew, Omar Credle–known as O.C.–has a decades-long career as a solo artist and collaborator, and has long been considered one of rap’s more gifted storytelling lyricists.
Born in Brooklyn in 1973, Credle moved to Queens when he was 11, living in a house across the street from Pharoahe Monch. When Monch formed Organized Konfusion with Prince Poetry, O.C. kept in contact with the group and contributed a verse to the song “Fudge Pudge” from their self-titled debut. By 1994, O.C. had a deal of his own, though Wild Pitch Records had little money to promote his now-classic album debut, Word…Life. He refused to record again for the label and they parted ways.
He appeared on Organized Konfusion’s second LP, Stress: The Extinction Agenda, and the Crooklyn soundtrack, but it was almost two years before O.C. was signed again, this time by Payday Records (a subsidiary of PolyGram/EMI). O.C.’s second album, Jewelz, was released in August 1997. The LP featured work by DJ Premier, Da Beatminerz, and Freddie Foxxx, with “Far from Yours” becoming his highest-charting Billboard single to date. Bon Appetit appeared four years later; his fourth efforts, Starchild and Smoke and Mirrors were released in 2005.
In 2008, Credle issued a collaborative album with fellow New York rapper and DITC crew member A.G. Oasis featured production by Statik Selektah, Lord Finesse, and E-Blaze. Another collaborative effort — Trophies with Apollo Brown — arrived in 2012. After a pair of Ray’s Cafe albums with Ray West arrived in 2014, Credle returned to his solo work with Same Moon Same Sun, a free digital release that featured production from familiar faces like Lord Finesse, Showbiz, Motif Alumni, and Gwop Sullivan.
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