Little Vic

Strictly adhering to the classic boom-bap blueprint of early-'90s New York hip-hop, Long Island MC Little Vic made heads turn in underground rap with his DJ Premier-produced 12" debut, "The Exorcist," in 2005. Born Victor John Orena III in New York, Little Vic kept the momentum going into 2006 with the accompanying mixtape, For a Few Dollars More, mixed by his cousin DJ John John. Based on his mike skills and, of course, the DJ Premier co-sign, many mixtape slingers, like DJ Whookid, DJ Domination, and DJ Eclipse, sought out the Italian-American rapper for guest appearances. In 2007, Vic released his second 12" single, "Caked Up" b/w "The Evil That Men Do," which featured Kool G Rap on the A-side and production from D.I.T.C. beatsmith Buckwild on the B-side. His carefully handpicked collaborations paid off well, considering that his 12"s constantly enjoyed regular rotation on local college and underground radio as well as on the Internet. Containing all of his singles, the MC's 11-song EP, Each Dawn I Die, appeared in 2008 via his own Orena Records.