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Music / Film & TV

King Gordy

born 1977American · rapper, singer

Detroit battle rapper and singer of the Fat Killahz, who played “Big O” in 8 Mile and made his debut album with production by Eminem.

Portrait of King Gordy
Photo: Worraker at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Born

Detroit, Michigan
age 49
Birth name
Waverly Walter Alford III
Also known as
Big O
Detroit years
1977–2000s
Field
Music, Film & TV

01 / The Detroit story

The Detroit story

Waverly Alford III was raised in Detroit, the son of a Chrysler worker and a school-board employee. After a youthful arrest and nine months in the Wayne County jail, he entered the city's underground rap scene around 2000 as a battle rapper. In 2001 he joined Fatt Father, Marv Won and Shim-E-Bango in the Fat Killahz as the group's only singing MC, and signed with the Bass Brothers' Web Entertainment, the label that had released Eminem's first album. He played the fictional rapper “Big O” in 8 Mile (2002), and his debut solo album The Entity (2003) featured production by Eminem. The Fat Killahz opened D12's 2004 US tour and released Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? in 2005. Gordy went on to a prolific horrorcore career, with the supergroup How to Gag a Maggot, the duo Last American Rock Stars with Bizarre of D12, and his own label, King of Van Dyke Entertainment, named after the east-side avenue.

Highlights

  1. Played “Big O” in the film 8 Mile (2002).
  2. Debut album The Entity (2003) with production by Eminem.
  3. Member of the Fat Killahz, who opened D12's 2004 US tour.
  4. Half of Last American Rock Stars with D12's Bizarre.