Pastor Troy

Recognized for the introspective lyricism, introspective depth, and genuine tone he brought to conventional Dirty South rap, Pastor Troy distinguished himself from the wave of aspiring Southern MCs seeking national exposure during the early 2000s. Micah LeVar Troy entered the world on November 18, 1977, in Atlanta’s College Park suburb of Georgia, where his father Alfred Troy—an exacting Haitian-American ex-drill instructor who later became a pastor—exerted a formative influence. Rap music and street life likewise shaped the teenager’s outlook while he attended Creekside High School and later Payne College.

His first recording, the 1999 underground release We Ready - I Declare War on Madd Society Records, introduced him to listeners. The track “No Mo Play in G.A.,” a pointed rebuke of Master P, generated early notice and established his initial reputation. Two further underground efforts, Book I and Pastor Troy for President, both issued in 2000, prepared the ground for his major-label bow, Face Off, which arrived via Universal Records in 2001. Fronted by the non-charting single “This tha City,” the album also recycled earlier material such as “No Mo Play in G.A.” That same year, the affiliated crew DSGB—Down South Georgia Boyz—debuted with The Last Supper on Khaotic Generation Records.

Universal Soldier, Pastor Troy’s 2002 follow-up for the label, proved his most commercially potent work. Comprising entirely fresh recordings, it featured several Timbaland productions, among them the single “Are We Cuttin’,” alongside Lil Jon’s contributions to “Who, What, When, Where,” “For My Hustlaz,” and “If They Kill Me.” The album reached number 13 on the Billboard 200, while “Are We Cuttin’” climbed to number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking career peaks. The subsequent By Any Means Necessary (2004) and its lead single “Ridin’ Big” failed to replicate that performance, prompting the dissolution of his Universal partnership.

Resuming independent status, Pastor Troy accelerated his output with Face Off, Pt. 2 and Hood Hustlin': The Mix Tape, Vol. 1 in 2005, followed in 2006 by Stay Tru, By Choice or by Force, Down South Hood Hustlin, and Atlanta 2 Memphis, then Tool Muziq in 2007.