Rappin' Granny

Vivian Smallwood (June 18, 1933 – July 22, 2017[1]), known by her stage name Rappin' Granny, was an American grandmother who performed hip-hop music. She lived in Castaic, California, near Los Angeles.

For the Howard Stern guest also called Rapping Granny, see Fruity Nutcake.
Rappin' Granny
Birth nameVivian Lee Smallwood
Born(1933-06-18)June 18, 1933
OriginCastaic, California, U.S.
DiedJuly 22, 2017(2017-07-22) (aged 84)
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)Musician
Actress
InstrumentsGuitar
Years active1989–2017

Outside of being known for portraying "Nano" Williams in Big Bad Beetleborgs, Smallwood was a contestant on the NBC television series America's Got Talent during the 2006 season.

Career

Rapping

Smallwood was employed as a postal worker and began rapping in the mid-1980s. She took first place in a rap contest at a South-Central Los Angeles roller rink with an anti-drug themed rap.[2] By 1988 she had formed a group with her son called Rappin' Granny and DJ Len.[3] She won a Granny of the Year contest in Pasadena in 1988, performing a rap version of the song "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena".[2][3] In 1989, she released a little-known, self-titled music video called "Rock-n-Soul".[4] Smallwood was signed to Tandem Records in 1992. She released the single "You Didn't Use Your Blinker Fool" as a response to the DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince song "You Saw My Blinker".[2] A brand of soda, Rappin Granny's Slammin Strawberry Hip Hop Pop, was named for her in 1995.[5]

Acting

Smallwood had been a working Hollywood actress since the mid-1990s. She has appeared in numerous television shows with small parts and a few feature films. Some of her credits are, Everybody Hates Chris, Malcolm in the Middle, The Shield, and The Ladykillers.[6] In Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996) she is credited as Vivian 'Rappin Granny' Smallwood.[7] She also played Roland Williams' grandmother "Nano" in Big Bad Beetleborgs, a show on the former Fox Kids network.

In 2012, she appeared on the How I Met Your Mother episode "The Magician's Code: Part 1".

Smallwood was featured in the Apollo Theater's Apollo Circus of Soul in 2007.[8]

America's Got Talent

Smallwood was a contestant on the NBC television series America's Got Talent[9][10] and qualified on the August 16, 2006 season finale for the one-million-dollar grand prize. 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. For the final round, Smallwood rode in on a motorcycle.[11] 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.

Personal life

Smallwood had 15 grandchildren[11] and 9 great-grandchildren.

Death

Vivian Smallwood died from natural causes at the age of 84 on July 22, 2017.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1996Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the HoodSister Williams
1996-1998Big Bad Beetleborgs"Nano" Williams46 episodes
2004The LadykillersTea Lady
2004GasBeatrice
2005Halfway DecentTom's Mom
2005-2008Everybody Hates ChrisOld Black Lady9 episodes
2009A Day in the LifeGranny
2010Dirty GirlShellie the Neighbor
2012Seeking a Friend for the End of the WorldSpeck's MotherUncredited, (final film role)

References
  1. "SAG-AFTRA-Spring Edition 2019, In Memoriam". SAG-AFTRA.
  2. Lacey, Marc (April 12, 1992). "'Rappin' Granny' Sends Message With a Youthful Beat". Los Angeles Times.
  3. "Granny raps to fight problems of youth". Star-News. June 26, 1988.
  4. Archived March 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Gertjegerdes, Carol (August 29, 1995). "Radio Personality Turns Hip Hop Pop Entrepreneur". Columbus Times. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
  6. Willis, John; Monush, Barry, eds. (2006). Screen World: 2005 Film Annual. New York: Applause. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-55783-668-7.
  7. Willis, John; Monush, Barry, eds. (1998). Screen World 1997. New York: Applause. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-55783-320-4.
  8. Collins, Glenn (November 24, 2007). "The Circus Is in Town. All Over It, in Fact, in Six Troupes". The New York Times.
  9. Slezak, Michael (July 27, 2006). "'America's Got Talent': The return of Rappin' Granny". Entertainment Weekly.
  10. Muir, John Kenneth (2007). TV Year: The Prime Time 2005-2006 Season. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-55783-684-7. Vivian Smallwood.
  11. Hope, Clover (2006). "Rapping Grandmother". XXL. Harris Publications. 10 (10).
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