| Rappin' Granny | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | Vivian Lee Smallwood |
| Birth Date: | June 18, 1933 |
| Origin: | Castaic, California, U.S. |
| Instrument: | Guitar |
| Genre: | Hip hop |
| Occupation: | Musician Actress |
| Years Active: | 1989–2017 |
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.
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.
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. 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]
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]
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, but finished in the bottom half of the public vote.[11]
Smallwood had 15 grandchildren[11] and 9 great-grandchildren.
Vivian Smallwood died from natural causes at the age of 84 on July 22, 2017.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood | Sister Williams | ||
| 1996-1998 | Big Bad Beetleborgs | "Nano" Williams | 46 episodes | |
| 2004 | The Ladykillers | Tea Lady | ||
| 2004 | Gas | Beatrice | ||
| 2005 | Halfway Decent | Tom's Mom | ||
| 2005-2008 | Everybody Hates Chris | Old Black Lady | 9 episodes | |
| 2009 | A Day in the Life | Granny | ||
| 2010 | Dirty Girl | Shellie the Neighbor | ||
| 2012 | Seeking a Friend for the End of the World | Speck's Mother | Uncredited, (final film role) |