Lil Poppa is an up-and-coming rapper from Florida who gained massive popularity after the release of his underground mixtapes. After he started to gain popularity, people got curious about him, including his real name, age, and other personal details.
The rapper began writing songs at the age of 12. Eventually, his lyricism progressed, and he started posting his music on SoundCloud. His breakthrough single was titled ‘Purple Hearts,’ which was also included in his tracklist Under Investigation.
Lil Poppa’s Real Name and Early Life
According to Pianity, the rapper was born Alex Deaton in 1994. However, as per SiriusXM, his birth name is Janarious Mykel Wheeler.
Similarly, in the interview with DJ Booth, Lil Poppa talked about his growing success. The site reported that his birth name is Janarious Wheeler. While his real name varied from websites, he has not made a comment about the subject matter as of this writing.
Nevertheless, he was raised by a single mother in a low-income household. Information about his dad remains a mystery. Growing up, Lil Poppa switched between his mom’s home in Jacksonville’s Eastside and his aunt and grandma’s place in the West.
Further, Lil Poppa was exposed to the rap scene by his older cousins, which encouraged him to write his own lyrics and verses. Besides, he was inspired to rap by his older brother Chi Chi and performed his original songs at the neighborhood church.
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Lil Poppa Got His NickName From His Mother
The rapper delivers his thoughtful rhymes in a languid flow about the experiences he had in east Jacksonville. He took his stage name after a childhood nickname.
The musician got the name Poppa from his mother and added the Lil because the rapper used to hang around with older kids.
As aforementioned, Lil Poppa aspired to become a rapper at an early age. The artist traded spiritually themed bars with the Sunday School Kids at their church when he was 12 years of age. Later, he built a makeshift studio in his bedroom and started recording songs.
Lil Poppa used a Radio Shack mic and a vocal booth he set up in the closet and started taking music seriously.
Lil Poppa Suffered a Chronic Disease
The rapper’s drive to chase his dream came to a halt as he had to cope with a chronic blood disease. It led Lil Poppa to be bedridden until he fully recovered.
But, it did not stop him from creating songs that made waves in the music scene of his hometown. Eventually, Lil Poppa made his recovery and gained recognition from prominent musical artists like DJ Bigga Rankin.
He was the one who sponsored some of Lil Poppa’s first mixtapes and boosted his profile as an aspiring rapper. Besides, apart from the chronic disease, the artist also survived a drive-by shooting. The incident caused the death of one of his closest friends.
Lil Poppa recalled the incident and its aftermath in his song ‘Purple Hearts,’ which also helped him secure the Interscope deal. It was included in his 2018 mixtape Under Investigation and even charted the Billboard 200.
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A Breakout Star in the Rap Scene
Following Lil Poppa’s early mixtapes, he became a prodigy in the rap scene with his 2018 singles ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ and ‘Purple Hearts.’ Among the two, the latter became a hit and gained over million streams.
Besides, his song ‘Die For Me,’ was released in 2017. It helped him gain attention in the local scene and across the nation.
Eventually, he signed up with Interscope Records in 2019 and made his major-label debut. It included singles like ‘Dangerous’ and ‘Man of the Year.’
Further, the artist released his debut album, Blessed, I Guess, in 2021. The album reached 160 on Billboard 200 and was followed by the mixtape Under Investigation 3 a year later.
