E-40
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| E-40 | |
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 In September 2007.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Earl Stevens |
| Born | November 15, 1969 Vallejo, California, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop, Hyphy |
| Occupations | Rapper |
| Years active | 1987 – present |
| Labels | Sick Wid It/Jive (1987–2004) Sick Wid It/BME/Warner Bros. (2005–present) |
| Associated acts | The Click, Lil Jon, Turf Talk, T-Pain, Too Short, 2pac, Snoop Dogg, brokeNCYDE |
| Website | http://www.e-40.com |
Earl Stevens, (born November 15, 1969) better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper from Vallejo, California. He is also part of the Bay Area rap group The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. His solo debut album, Federal, was released in 1992, and The Click's debut album "Down & Dirty" came out in 1994. E-40's 1995 solo album In a Major Way opened him up to a wider audience. He has released over ten albums, including those with his group The Click; he has also appeared on numerous movie soundtracks and has guest appearances on a host of other rap albums. Starting in 1998, he worked with rappers outside the Bay Area and rose to even higher mainstream popularity in 2006 with his single, which was produced by Wesley Rusick "Tell Me When to Go".
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[edit] Biography
Stevens was born on November 15, 1969 in Vallejo, California.[1]
After a talent show at Grambling State University, E-40 and his cousin B-Legit Danny Martinez decided to attempt a career in rap. They moved back to Napa and teamed up with D-Shot, E-40's brother, to form the group Most ghetto Players. E-40's gospel singing uncle (Saint Charles) helped them put out the record.[2] E-40's sister, Suga T, was then added to the group to form The Click.[3]
Thus, six additional solo albums were to follow, beginning with In a Major Way in 1995 as well as remastered versions of E-40's independent Sick Wid It recordings from previous years. In a Major Way was regionally well-received, with guest spots by such gangsta rappers as 2Pac, Mac Mall, as well as his son Droop-E.[1]
Although having a large following within the Bay Area and along the West Coast, E-40 did not have a large mainstream audience, so only two of his songs released under Jive Records, "1-Luv" and "Things'll Never Change", charted on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] He had been working nearly exclusively with rappers from the Bay Area until 1998, when he was given guest appearances on three albums by Southern rappers, including My Homies by Scarface, Lost by Eightball, and MP Da Last Don by Master P.[1]
[edit] Mid-2000s to present
In 2003, E-40 began hosting E-Feezy Radio, a weekly program San Francisco hip-hop radio station KMEL that showcased Bay Area hip hop.[5] KMEL regularly broadcast the program until 2008. After completing a deal with Jive Records he signed with Lil Jon's BME Recordings and Warner Bros. Records. His single "Tell Me When To Go," featuring Keak Da Sneak, became popular throughout the United States, and E-40 appeared on MTV's Direct Effect and BET's 106 & Park. Publicity for E-40 and the greater Hyphy Movement was achieved through the MTV special My Block: The Bay.[6] He later released "U And Dat" in April 2006, featuring T-Pain and Kandi Girl and produced by Lil Jon. His album My Ghetto Report Card debuted at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 14, 2006.[7] Released through Sick Wid It/BME/Warner Bros. Records, the album was produced by Lil Jon, Rick Rock, and E-40's son, Droop-E.[8] He was also featured on DJ Shadow's new album The Outsider, on a track called "Dat's My Part". In 2006, he also appeared on Tech N9ne's Everready: The Religion CD on a track titled "Jellysickle." In that same year, he contributed a verse to the official remix of "It's Okay (One Blood)" by fellow West coast rapper The Game along with 24 other prominent MCs. In 2008, E-40's new album The Ball Street Journal came out, with "Wake it Up" featuring Akon as the lead single. "Got Rich Twice" featuring Turf Talk followed.
In 2009, 40 was featured on the track "Santana DVX" on the album Incredibad from the comedy group The Lonely Island. E-40 is listed in the credits as one of the writers. In the song, E-40 assumes the identity of Carlos Santana and raps about his personalized brand of sparkling white wine. He was also featured in the song Booty Call, a single by the crunkcore outfit brokeNCYDE, and made an appearance in the music video.[9]
[edit] Entrepreneur
In addition to record sales E-40 has ventured into other business opportunities. Along with former NFL player Chester McGlockton, E-40 has opened a Fatburger franchise in Pleasant Hill, California, which has now been shut down. E-40 recently authored the book, E-40's Book of Slang to be published by Warner Books. He also has his own line of liquor called Cognac Landy, and he opened the now-defunct Ambassador's Lounge, a nightclub in Downtown San Jose.[10]. On Nov 16th, 2007 it was announced that Stevens signed a franchise agreement with Wingstop Restaurants, Inc. and will open one in Southampton shopping center located in Benicia, California. "I was introduced to Wingstop in Dallas and as soon as I tasted the wings I was hooked. I love the food," said Stevens. "I chose to open in the Bay Area because this is the soil where I was born and raised, and I still live here to this day. People here are going to love these things." In late 2007, E-40 announced a new line of energy drinks called "40 Water."
[edit] Discography
- 1992: Federal
- 1994: The Mail Man
- 1995: In a Major Way
- 1996: Tha Hall of Game
- 1998: The Element of Surprise
- 1999: Charlie Hustle: The Blueprint of a Self-Made Millionaire
- 2000: Loyalty and Betrayal
- 2002: Grit & Grind
- 2003: Breakin' News
- 2004: The Best of E-40: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
- 2006: My Ghetto Report Card
- 2008: The Ball Street Journal
- 2009: Revenue Retrievin'
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Film
- 3 Strikes (2000)
- Obstacles (2000)
- Malibooty (2003)
- Hair Show (2004)
- Dead Heist (2007)
[edit] Television
[edit] Appearances as self
- Soul Train (1995)
- Soul Train (2004)
- Blowin' Up (2006)
- 106 & Park (2006)
- Punk'd (2006)
- Wild 'n Out (2006)
- Yo Momma (2006)
- BET Hip Hop Awards (2007)
- Def Jam: Icon (2007)
- From G's to Gents (Season 2) (2009)
- Played by Fame (Season 1) (2009)
[edit] Appearances as a fictional character
- The Jamie Foxx Show (2001)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Birchmeier, Jason (2006). "E-40 - Biography". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jzfwxqu5ldae~T1. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
- ^ The FADER - Left Side
- ^ West Coast 2k interview with B-Legit
- ^ E-40 Billboard Singles on AllMusic
- ^ Hogg, Ross (2006-03-28). "E-40: Tell Me When to Blow". XLR8R. http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2006/04/e-40-tell-me-when-blow. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
- ^ Reid, Shaheem; Calloway, Sway; Patel, Joseph (2006-03-05). "My Block: The Bay". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/my_block/oakland/news_feature_030506/index.jhtml. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
- ^ Hasty, Katie (2006-03-22). "'High School' Returns To The Top Of The Class". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002234222. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
- ^ Jeffries, David (March 2006). ""My Ghetto Report Card" - Overview". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:79d7ylo6xpzb. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
- ^ Tracklisting for "I'm Not a Fan... But the Kids Like It on AllMusic
- ^ Podcast interview with E-40
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: E-40 |
- E-40's Official website
- E-40 at MySpace
- E-40 at the Internet Movie Database
- E-40's Official justRHYMES.com profile
- Synthesis.net Live footage of E-40 at Warner Brother 2007 Inaugural Ball in the Roosevelt Hollywood,Ca
- Interview with Submerge Magazine "Revenue Retrieval" August, 2009
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