Rappin' Granny
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| Rappin' Granny | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Vivian Smallwood |
| Born | 1933 |
| Origin | Castaic, California, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician Actor |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1989–present |
Vivian Smallwood (born 1933), known by her stage name Rappin' Granny, is a grandmother who performs hip-hop music. She lives in Castaic, California, near Los Angeles.
Smallwood was a contestant on the NBC television series America's Got Talent who qualified August 16, 2006 season finale for the one-million-dollar grand prize.
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[edit] Background
In 1989 she released a little-known, self-titled music video called "Rock-n-Soul". The video can be seen here. [1]
[edit] Acting credits
Smallwood has been a working Hollywood actress since the mid '90s. She has appeared in numerous television shows with small parts and a few feature films. Some of her credits include, Everybody Hates Chris, Malcolm in the Middle, The Shield, and The Ladykillers. In Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996) she is even credited as Vivian 'Rappin Granny' Smallwood. [2] Also to her credit, she has played "Nano", in Big Bad Beetleborgs, a show on the former Fox Kids network.
[edit] Rapping
According to an interview that aired on America's Got Talent, Smallwood began rapping at the insistence of her son, who noticed her dancing across the room while hip-hop music was playing in the background. After a number of private performances in front of family members, Smallwood auditioned for the new talent contest co-created by famous music executive Simon Cowell.
[edit] America's Got Talent
In her audition, Rappin' Granny gave a performance that was very popular among the crowd and the judges, all of whom (Brandy, David Hasselhoff, and Piers Morgan) advanced her to the next round by way of a unanimous vote.
Smallwood then returned for the semifinal episode that aired July 26, 2006. After another crowd-pleasing song, the judges again put her through to the next round, by another unanimous vote.
However, the final round was not kind to Smallwood; not only did she not win the million-dollar prize, she finished in the bottom half of the public vote that determined the winner, as announced by host Regis Philbin.
[edit] Family
Smallwood has 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
[edit] Sources
- Vivian Smallwood at the Internet Movie Database
- Fresno Bee article
- San Jose Mercury News article
- Columbus times article
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