Viper (rapper)
| Viper | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lee Carter |
| Also known as | Rapper Viper |
| Born | El Dorado, Arkansas, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop Outsider music |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instruments |
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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 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.
Viper was born in El Dorado, Arkansas. He began playing the piano at the age of five. At the age of six, he relocated to the Hiram Clarke neighborhood of Houston, Texas and started rapping at the age of nine. In 1998 he was an actor in the film Fifth Ward. After graduating from the University of Houston in 2000, he became a real estate broker. He also became a member of 5-9 Piru, a sub-group of the Bloods, which is mostly a street gang.
In an interview with Ell Umbra, Viper revealed he had two felonies convictions, one for breaking and entering into a college residence and another for providing misinformation on a government document related to the breaking and entering felony. Viper uses his mugshot from his conviction as the album cover for These Rappers Claim They Hard When Them Fags Ain't Ever Seen the Pen (2010).
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".
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