Lil Nation a.k.a. CPO Boss Hogg was one of the mainstays of the 1990s gangsta rap and West Coast Hip-Hop movement. However, the Compton, California native died this week at the age of 52.
Details are not public but the rapper had considerable health challenges in his life some of which were chronicled on his social media. Years ago, he survived congenital heart failure.
Lil Nation came to prominence as an understudy of NWA’s MC Ren as the lead rapper in CPO. He made a huge splash with To Hell And Black in 1990 with the lead song “Ballad of a Menace. CPO included Vince “Lil’ Nation” Edwards and DJ Clarence “D.J. Train” Lars, as well as producer Daron “Young D” Sapp. To Hell and Black reached No. 33 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Billboard charts. Later, Lil’ Nation, a man of a large stature, or called himself CPO Boss Hogg or just CPO, as a soloist.
Eventually, he signed to Death Row Records under the moniker CPO Boss Hogg but he never released an album on the label. He did, however, appear on the Above The Rim soundtrack in 1994, and Murder Was The Case. He even rapped with Tupac Shakur on “Picture Me Rollin.”
Condolences to family and friends of CPO Boss Hogg aka Lil Nation.