Felicia Pearson
Encyclopedia
Felicia Pearson is an American actress, author, and rapper. She is best known for playing a character of the same name, Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, on The Wire
. She wrote a memoir titled Grace After Midnight
.
foster home. Born a premature crack baby and weighing only three pounds, she was not expected to live. She was so small she was fed with an eyedropper until she could be fed normally. According to her memoir, Grace After Midnight
, she met her biological parents very few times, her mother was a crack addict and her father a stick-up man, and decided to go by her foster family's surname; she was a tomboy
from a young age and came out as a lesbian at the age of 12.
Instead of attending school, Pearson worked as a drug dealer. At the age of 14, she was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a girl named Okia Toomer and sentenced to two eight year terms, to be served consecutively, at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in Jessup, Maryland
. She was released after 6.5 years.
Pearson said her life turned around at the age of 18 when Arnold Loney, a local drug dealer who looked out for her and sent her money in prison, was shot and killed. He was the one who gave her the nickname Snoop because she reminded him of Charlie Brown
's beagle Snoopy
in the comic strip Peanuts
. While in prison, she earned her GED
and was released in 2000. She landed a local job fabricating car bumpers, she says, but was fired after only two weeks when her employer learned she had a prison record.
On March 10, 2011, Pearson was arrested along with 60 others for alleged drug offenses. The arrest was made during a predawn raid at her home in Baltimore following a five-month DEA operation. Denying bail, Judge John Addison Howard reasoned: “Well, you can change your appearance, I’ve seen the episodes of The Wire in which you appear. You look very different than you do here today, and I’m not talking about the jumpsuit, I’m talking about your general appearance.” After a month in jail, Pearson was offered bail of $50,000 on April 8, 2011. In August, 2011, she pled guilty to the charges a day before her trial was to begin. She was sentenced to a suspended seven year prison term, with credit for time served, and given three years of supervised probation.
, who played Omar Little
on The Wire, in a Baltimore club. He invited her to come to the set one day. He introduced her to the writers and the producers, and after a subsequent audition, she was offered a role in the series, which became her big break.
and Mazaradi Fox. The music video for the song was inspired by The Wire. She is also on the verge of releasing her new mixtape, I Am the Feature and a collaboration mixtape with Numb3rs. Her first single is called "Im Famous." She was also good friends with rapper Rick Ross
and has been in his videos such as "The Boss
," "Here I Am
," and "Cash Flow
" by rapper Ace Hood
.
(Marlo Stanfield
). She says the aim of Moving Mountains is to stop youth violence, teach performing arts and help kids who really want to get off the streets and stay out of trouble." Pearson has also volunteered as a prison visitor and worked on anti-violence and literary campaigns for youths, and supported The Stay Strong Foundation.
The Wire (TV series)
The Wire is an American television drama series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States...
. She wrote a memoir titled Grace After Midnight
Grace After Midnight
Grace After Midnight: A Memoir is an American 2007 autobiography memoir by Felicia Pearson, with author David Ritz credited as a contributor and co-author. The book chronicles Pearson's life in East Baltimore, including her birth as a three-pound crack baby, her placement into foster care and her...
.
Biography
Pearson was born to two incarcerated drug addicts and raised in an East BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
foster home. Born a premature crack baby and weighing only three pounds, she was not expected to live. She was so small she was fed with an eyedropper until she could be fed normally. According to her memoir, Grace After Midnight
Grace After Midnight
Grace After Midnight: A Memoir is an American 2007 autobiography memoir by Felicia Pearson, with author David Ritz credited as a contributor and co-author. The book chronicles Pearson's life in East Baltimore, including her birth as a three-pound crack baby, her placement into foster care and her...
, she met her biological parents very few times, her mother was a crack addict and her father a stick-up man, and decided to go by her foster family's surname; she was a tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
from a young age and came out as a lesbian at the age of 12.
Instead of attending school, Pearson worked as a drug dealer. At the age of 14, she was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a girl named Okia Toomer and sentenced to two eight year terms, to be served consecutively, at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in Jessup, Maryland
Jessup, Maryland
Jessup is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland and Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The population was 7,865 at the 2000 census. The center of population of Maryland is located in Jessup. It was the location of Maryland House of Correction, which was one of...
. She was released after 6.5 years.
Pearson said her life turned around at the age of 18 when Arnold Loney, a local drug dealer who looked out for her and sent her money in prison, was shot and killed. He was the one who gave her the nickname Snoop because she reminded him of Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
's beagle Snoopy
Snoopy
Snoopy is an fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly conventional dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character—and among the most recognizable...
in the comic strip Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
. While in prison, she earned her GED
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
and was released in 2000. She landed a local job fabricating car bumpers, she says, but was fired after only two weeks when her employer learned she had a prison record.
On March 10, 2011, Pearson was arrested along with 60 others for alleged drug offenses. The arrest was made during a predawn raid at her home in Baltimore following a five-month DEA operation. Denying bail, Judge John Addison Howard reasoned: “Well, you can change your appearance, I’ve seen the episodes of The Wire in which you appear. You look very different than you do here today, and I’m not talking about the jumpsuit, I’m talking about your general appearance.” After a month in jail, Pearson was offered bail of $50,000 on April 8, 2011. In August, 2011, she pled guilty to the charges a day before her trial was to begin. She was sentenced to a suspended seven year prison term, with credit for time served, and given three years of supervised probation.
Acting career
Pearson met Michael K. WilliamsMichael K. Williams
Michael Kenneth Williams is an American actor known for his portrayal of Omar Little on the HBO drama series The Wire, and of Albert "Chalky" White on HBO's Boardwalk Empire.-Early life and career:...
, who played Omar Little
Omar Little
Omar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, portrayed by Michael K. Williams. Omar is a renowned stick-up man who lives by a strict moral code and never deviates from his rules, foremost of which is that he never robs or menaces people who are not involved in "the game"....
on The Wire, in a Baltimore club. He invited her to come to the set one day. He introduced her to the writers and the producers, and after a subsequent audition, she was offered a role in the series, which became her big break.
Music career
Pearson was featured in the song "It's a Stick Up" with Tony YayoTony Yayo
Marvin Bernard , better known by his stage name Tony Yayo, is a Haitian American rapper and member of the hip hop group G-Unit...
and Mazaradi Fox. The music video for the song was inspired by The Wire. She is also on the verge of releasing her new mixtape, I Am the Feature and a collaboration mixtape with Numb3rs. Her first single is called "Im Famous." She was also good friends with rapper Rick Ross
Rick Ross (rapper)
William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...
and has been in his videos such as "The Boss
The Boss (Rick Ross song)
"The Boss" is the second single from Rick Ross's second studio album Trilla. It samples the song "Paul Revere" by Beastie Boys. It is produced by J. R. Rotem...
," "Here I Am
Here I Am (Rick Ross song)
"Here I Am" is the third single from Rick Ross's second album Trilla. It features Nelly and Avery Storm. This song, produced by Drumma Boy, contains an interpolation of Stevie Wonder's "Lately." Video appearances made are DJ Khaled, Birdman, Pitbull, Dre, Felicia Pearson, Ace Hood and others....
," and "Cash Flow
Cash Flow (song)
"Cash Flow" is the debut single off rapper Ace Hood's debut album Gutta. It is produced by The Runners and features DJ Khaled with a quick intro, T-Pain and Rick Ross.-Music video:The music video was released on May 1, 2008...
" by rapper Ace Hood
Ace Hood
Antoine McColister, better known by his stage name Ace Hood, is an American rapper. He is signed to DJ Khaled's label We the Best Music Group and Def Jam Recordings...
.
Philanthropy
Pearson founded a youth drama organization named Moving Mountains with her former Wire co-star Jamie HectorJamie Hector
Jamie Hector is an Haitian-American actor who is known for his portrayal of Marlo Stanfield on the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire.- Biography :...
(Marlo Stanfield
Marlo Stanfield
Marlo "Black" Stanfield is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Jamie Hector. Stanfield is a young, ruthless and ambitious player in the Baltimore drug trade who gains control of West Baltimore and is the head of his own drug crew.-Character background and plot...
). She says the aim of Moving Mountains is to stop youth violence, teach performing arts and help kids who really want to get off the streets and stay out of trouble." Pearson has also volunteered as a prison visitor and worked on anti-violence and literary campaigns for youths, and supported The Stay Strong Foundation.
Sources
- All Hip Hop News. "The Wire Week: Felicia Pearson (Snoop)", AllHipHop.com. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
- jasmynecannick.com