James Lloyd (born August 20, 1977), better known by his
stage name Lil' Cease, is an American
rapper and member of hip hop group
Junior M.A.F.I.A.. Cease released his first album,
Conspiracy, with Junior M.A.F.I.A. in 1995, and gained mainstream attention with a memorable verse on "
Player's Anthem", the album's highest charting single. Frequent name dropping from mentor and cousin
The Notorious B.I.G. throughout Cease's career helped keep the young rapper in the spotlight. Cease also featured on the
Def Jam-released soundtrack for the 1997 comedy film
How to Be a Player alongside
LeVert,
Cam'ron and fellow
Harlem rapper
Mase. He is also known for being a featured artist on
Lil' Kim's record
Crush on You from her debut album
Hard Core, which was a number 1 hit on the
Hot Rap Songs chart. Rapper
Cam'ron revealed that his pen was behind the original rendition of the song
Crush on You. After making guest appearances on other artists' albums, Cease released his debut and only studio album
The Wonderful World of Cease A Leo in 1999. It peaked at #26 on the
Billboard 200 and #3 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and features
Jay Z,
Lil' Kim and Bristal. In 2005, Lil' Cease, Banger and MC Klepto reunited Junior M.A.F.I.A. and released the group's second album,
Riot Musik. In January 2009, Lil' Cease released "Letter to B.I.G.", which sampled "Letter to B.I.G." by
Jadakiss from the
soundtrack to the film
Notorious.