Today marks one year since we lost Shawty Lo. The rapper was a staple in Atlanta. While his solo career really started popping off in 2007, his career stems back to 2003 when he was part of the group D4L. The group charted on the Billboard's Top 40 with "Laffy Taffy". However, he really began making his mark after dropping today's #TBT "Dey Know".
"Dey Know" was a new beginning for Shawty Lo. The single was the first mark of his success as a solo artist. The song shows everything that was hot in hip hop around that era. The production to the song is reminiscent of the South's sound before it evolved into what it is today. The video is filled with long-tees, fitted caps and flexin' stacks of money held together with rubber bands. The video also helped start the wave of the "Shawty Lo Dance" a.k.a the "Run Off On The Plug" dance. "Dey Know" is a southern classic, from the production to it's infectious hook. The song was hard to escape once it was released. The single won "Track Of The Year" at the BET Awards in 2008 and was also nominated for "Club Banger Of The Year".
Shawty Lo was killed in a devastating car accident a year a go. The rapper went off of a guardrail, hit two trees with the vehicle ending up on fire. He was later taken out of the vehicle and pronounced dead. The hip hop community at large mourned his death, with artists like Beyonce, Gucci Mane, DJ Khaled, Future, G-Herbo and many more paying tribute to the rapper after the news broke.
R.I.P Shawty Lo.
Quotable Lyrics
Shawty Lo, ATL, I'm the mayor
Street nigga, but my gear be tailor
Every day and then, shawty might rock gators
Millionaire plus I got acres
Yeah, no more nosy-ass neighbors
Big ups to all my haters
