O.C.

An American rapper and member of the Diggin in the Crates Crew, Omar Credle — known as MC O.C. — has a decades-long career as a solo artist and collaborator with the Crooklyn Dodgers '95, Luv NY, and Perestroika. An early friend with the boys from Organized Konfusion, O.C. appeared in the video for the duo's 1991 single "Fudge Pudge" and earned a record deal for his smooth, intelligent raps. Born in Brooklyn in 1973, Credle moved to Queens when he was 11, living in a house across the street from Pharoahe Monch. When Monch formed Organized Konfusion with Prince Poetry, O.C. kept in contact with the group and contributed a rap to "Fudge Pudge" from their self-titled debut. By 1994, O.C. had a deal of his own, though Wild Pitch Records had little money to promote his album debut, Word...Life. He refused to record again for the label and they parted ways.

He appeared on Organized Konfusion's second LP, Stress: The Extinction Agenda, and the Crooklyn soundtrack, but it was almost two years before O.C. was signed again, this time by Payday Records (a subsidiary of PolyGram/EMI). O.C.'s second album, Jewelz, was released in August 1997. The LP featured work by DJ Premier, Da Beatminerz, and Freddie Foxxx, with "Far from Yours" becoming his highest-charting Billboard single to date. Bon Appetit appeared four years later, but failed to have an impact. Credle would not return until 2005. His fourth effort, Starchild, recaptured some of the critical acclaim lost with Bon Appetit, and resulted in a new deal with Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings. That same year, he released his fifth album, Smoke and Mirrors.

In 2008, Credle issued a collaborative album with fellow New York rapper and DITC crew member A.G. Oasis featured production by Statik Selektah, Lord Finesse, and E-Blaze. Another collaborative effort — Trophies with Apollo Brown — arrived in 2012. After a pair of Ray's Cafe albums with Ray West arrived in 2014, Credle returned to his solo work with Same Moon Same Sun, a free digital release that featured production from familiar faces like Lord Finesse, Showbiz, Motif Alumni, and Gwop Sullivan. ~ John Bush & Neil Z. Yeung