Background and career
James Lloyd, better known by his stage name Lil' Cease, (; born August 20, 1977) is an American rapper. Born in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, he is best known for being a former member of hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A.
As part of Junior M.A.F.I.A., Cease's first album Conspiracy was released in 1995. He 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 featured on Def Jam's soundtrack for the 1997 comedy film How to Be a Player alongside LeVert, Cam'ron and 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 he wrote 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 feature film Notorious.
Lil' Cease is portrayed in the feature film Notorious, the biopic of the Notorious B.I.G., by Marc John Jefferies.
The Wonderful World of Cease A Leo (1999)
Conspiracy with Junior M.A.F.I.A. (1995) Riot Musik with Junior M.A.F.I.A. (2005)
Junior M.A.F.I.A.: The Lost Files (2009) Everything Is Hard Body Vol. 1 (2010) Lil Cease & the Mafia Dons: Riding for the King with Mafia Dons (2014)
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
