Viper (rapper)
Viper | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lee Carter |
| Born | El Dorado, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1997-present |
| Labels | Rhyme Tyme |
Lee Carter, professionally known by his stage name Viper, is an American rapper, producer and entrepreneur[1] from Houston, Texas. Viper has been producing music since childhood, but received widespread attention online for his 2008 mixtape You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack. The prolific nature of Viper's work and his commitment to self-production have gained him a cult following as an outsider artist, with comparisons drawn to fellow rapper Lil B and Wesley Willis.[2][3]
Biography
Early life
Viper was born in El Dorado, Arkansas. At the age of 6, he relocated to the Hiram Clarke neighborhood of Houston, Texas. He began playing the piano at the age of 5 and started rapping at the age of 9. After graduating from The University of Houston in 2000, he became a real estate broker.[3]
Music career
While Viper was releasing mixtapes as early as 2006, he first gained attention for the record You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack, which was self-released in 2008. University of Notre Dame newspaper The Observer noted that the album became an "internet meme due to its shockingly upfront title and unique album cover."[4]
Despite the independent nature of the album, it received mixed to positive coverage in the music press. Sputnik Music wrote that the album fuses "a nostalgic and ethereal blend of cloud rap and vaporwave."[5] The Chicago Reader wrote that the album is "outsider-artist genius. People on the Internet are initially drawn to Viper because of his blatant disregard for grammar, outrageously violent and drugcentric lyrics, and how sonically bizarre he is in general."[2] Viper remains active, having produced almost an album per day on average in 2014, making his music available on Spotify and iTunes and giving interviews to the local music press.[1][4][6]
Style
Viper is noted for the prolific nature of his work, having released 347 albums in the year 2014 alone,[6] and the low-budget, DIY aesthetic present not only in his music but also its accompanying videos and album art, which frequently consist of simple self-portraits, clip art and his name and the album title superimposed in plain text.[7]
Musically, he is recognized for his deep voice, occasional use of Auto-Tune, and slowed-down, glitchy and ethereal production typical of cloud rap or the chopped and screwed subgenre native to Viper's Houston scene.[3] Many of his albums and singles are the same material as what he has already released, but are slowed down or stylistically reworked, as well as having a slightly changed name.
In addition to these identifying characteristics, much of Viper's work from late 2014 and onward incorporate greater self-awareness and irony with overtly political or anime-style music videos. Viper has also made visual reference and minor lyrical allusion to right-wing politics, fringe online movements, and other internet phenomena.
Partial discography
- Mixtapes
- Hustlin' Thick (2006)
- Ready and...Willing (2006)
- Heartless Hoodlum (2006)
- You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack (2008)
- Concrete Jungle (2010)
- Gleam (2010)
- Things Thugs Do (2010)
- A Hustler's Life (2010)
- Grind to Shine (2010)
- I Have The Best Piece and Chain Ever Made! (2013)
- Kill Urself My Man (2013)
- Evrythang I Do Is... (2014)
- Tha Top Malla (2015)
See also
References
- ^ a b c "An Interview with Viper". KRLX January 24, 2015 Jackson Hudgins. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ^ a b "12 O'Clock Track: "You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack" is outsider-hip-hop brilliance". Chicago Reader July 5, 2013 Luca Cimarusti. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ^ a b c "Meet Viper, The Genius Rapper Behind "You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack"". Noisey July 15, 2013 Jeremy Gordon. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ^ a b "Meet Viper, rap's Renaissance man". The Observer January 21, 2015 Jimmy Kemper. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ "Viper - You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack Review". Sputnik Music December 2, 2014 Robert Lowe. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ^ a b "This Rapper Has Released 347 Albums in 2014… So Far". Vocativ December 31, 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ "Viper is a Struggle Rapper who Released 333 Albums This Year". Pigeons & Planes December 12, 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2015.