252 Lico is an artist unlike no other hailing from Pamlico, North Carolina. His hit single with Grammy-nominated megastar DaBaby – titled “Just Want”- served as a catalyst to introduce Lico to mainstream media.
Since then, he has expanded his popularity and managed to develop a strong online presence, showing much promise of being a force within Carolina’s mushrooming soundscape. “It would be a lie if I didn’t say I’m the next biggest artist outta North Carolina,” Lico avows in confidence. Growing up, life was the furthest thing from normal for Lico. While his father served in the navy, day-to-day life in Pamlico came with its fair share of struggle: crime-ridden communities and a ravaged homeland depleted of resources and opportunity. With hardly anyone to cling to for insight, Lico’s survival skills were tested. His back was against the wall but he didn’t fold, he never compromised the vision, even if that meant taking risks just to make it another day.
It’s this very same frame of mind that has enabled Lico to remain hungry for success because he knows what it feels like to come from nothing. With the debut of his self-titled project 252 Lico, the Pamlico rep superseded expectations by creating impact beyond mere streams. The effort taunts a feature with acclaimed radio host DJ Scream (Big Facts Podcast) and has amassed over 1 million streams across platforms since its release (2020). Fan favorite cuts like “Coronavirus” have cited over 100K views on YouTube in one month’s time, a testament to his unparalleled work ethic. Candidly speaking, it’s evident that 252 Lico is writing his legacy and cementing his position within the music industry, and he’s just getting started.

Born in New Bern, North Carolina, 252 Lico was born Damian Joseph Norman, at Carolina East Medical Center to Myra Stokes and Joseph Norman. Growing up in Pamlico, after graduating high school, a young Lico soon found himself on the wrong side of the law. He would wind up incarcerated at the Craven and Pamlico County Correctional Facilities, respectively.

After being in prison for a year, following a long list of charges, including Felony Forgery, Common Law Uttering, Property by False Pretense, Breaking & Entering, and many others, he began making attempts to change. A year later, one more felony charge, illegal possession of mushrooms, was enough for him to commit to the changes. He served five years of probation and then began to focus on music.

252 Lico did not seem to want to slow down at all, soon after he released "Catch A Case" cracking 100,000 views. 252 Lico dropped his Who Want It project, which has amassed 50,000 Spotify streams, and counting. Later, he followed this with the release of his single, “Huntin,” with Setitoff83, featuring Clatt, which would cross 150,000 views. This is when 252 Lico saw things really change for him, going viral on TikTok, getting verified on Instagram, and doing a video with popular comedian, I’m Tyrone, which has also crossed 100,000 views.

Currently 252 Lico is establishing himself as the first rapper from Pamlico, North Carolina, and even the first celebrity from the town. Most recently, 252 Lico dropped his self-titled project, 252 Lico: The Album, which has singles blowing up, and he has a collaboration with DJ Scream to his name, as well. With so much going on, 252 Lico is the Eastern North Carolina rap star.

After dropping off his latest single “Big Stepper” earlier this year we spoke with North Carolina rapper 252 Lico about his new deal with Empire, how he's working to help out the youth in North Carolina, working with Da Baby, Project Pat + more!

252 Lico has been steadily putting out music independently for some time now but the rapper has recently announced that he will be partnering up with Empire to distribute some new singles as well as possibly a project coming down the line.

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