From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from
Keak Da Sneak)
Charles Toby Bowens (born October 21, 1977), commonly known by his stage name Keak da Sneak, is a rapper from Oakland, California . At the age of 16 he was known as Z-Kush[1] but became known as "Keak da Sneak" at 17, best known for his scratchy, gruff rapping voice and coining the term "hyphy" back in 1994.[2] He is also notable for popularizing the style of wearing clothing from 2nd hand clotthing stores with a mix of expensive 59Fifty hats and Bling.
[edit] Career
He found popularity while attending Allendale Elementary School, which he parlayed into later friendships and talent show performances at Oakland's Bret Harte Junior High. Through theatre he met his collaborator Agerman.[3] Together, they formed Dual Committee, which, at the age of 15, was first heard on the songs "Murder Man" & "Stompin in My Steel Toes" on C-BO's 1994 EP The Autopsy. By the end of their junior year in high school, they had added rapper B.A. to form the group 3X Krazy. Their first EP, Sick-O, was released independently in 1995. In 1996 they signed to Virgin records, releasing the album Stackin' Chips in 1997 (with help from the single Keep It on the Real; the album received national attention), and the second album Immortalized, and then the release of Real Talk 2000 in late 1999.[4] The last 3X Krazy album, a collection of previously unreleased material, was flowamatic-9, which was released in 2004. Citing the personal growth of all three artists, he later signed as a solo artist with Sacramento-based Moe Doe records as a solo artist.[5] At this point, he began to receive more radio airplay, especially on San Francisco hip-hop station KMEL. While he has collaborated with a major artists such as E-40 and has managed to continue appearing on most major tracks coming from the Bay Area since he began his solo career, he has still stayed closely tied to underground Hip Hop. Eventually Keak had video play on MTV, MTV2 & BET. Keak was even featured on MTV's My Super Sweet 16.[6]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Solo albums
[edit] Collaboration albums
[edit] Featured singles
[edit] References
[edit] External links
