Omar Gerryl Credle (born May 13, 1971), better known by his
stage name, O.C., is an American
rapper and member of the group
D.I.T.C. He has been involved with several
underground hip hop groups, namely Crooklyn Dodgers '95, Luv NY, and Perestroika.
History
Recording career
Credle was born in
Brooklyn, May 13, 1971,[2] and raised in the
Bushwick section. O.C. cites legends like
Kool G. Rap,
Rakim,
Big Daddy Kane and
Slick Rick as his main influences.[3] In 1991, he made his recording debut on
Organized Konfusion's "Fudge Pudge".[2] One year later, he made an appearance on the remix of
MC Serch's "Back to the Grill" (which features a young
Nas) after meeting Serch on the inaugural Source tour. Following the tour, O.C. signed with
Wild Pitch Records in 1994 where Serch was vice president.[3] O.C. also met
Lord Finesse and
Buckwild on the first Source tour, marking his introduction to the D.I.T.C crew. After the tour he connected with Buckwild and started recording a demo that would become his debut album Word...Life.[3]
By 1994, he had finished the album Word...Life, which included everything from his demo, along with "Time's Up," the song that would go on to be his most notable single. "Time's up" was initially a record for
Pharoahe Monch from
Organized Konfusion.[3] Beyond a quick outro from
Prince Po, Word...Life does not have any guest appearances;
Nas was supposed to be on the album but never showed up to the studio for the recording session.[3]
In 1997, O.C. signed to Pay Day Records,[2] where he released his second album Jewelz, featuring collaborations with
DJ Premier,
Da Beatminerz and
Freddie Foxxx. The single "Far From Yours" peaked at #81 on the
Billboard Hot 100, making it his highest-charting single to date.
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 the only time the group has ever collaborated.
Ray's Cafe was released on Red Apples 45, a small label co-founded by A.G. and West. O.C. joined D.I.T.C. for their 2016 release Sessions which was preceded by the lead single "Rock Shyt".[4][5]