This day in Hip-hop recognizes the birth of the iconic Earl Stevens, better known as the critically-acclaimed West Coast emcee, E-40.
First taking to the scene as a member of his group, The Click, debuting with their EP Let's Side, which only marked about a year following the West Coast emcee's high school graduation. In 1993, E-40 made his official solo debut upon releasing his memorable 9-track LP, Federal—both of which released under his own independent label, Sick Wid' It Records.
Upon moving back to his hometown in Vallejo, California, E-40 continued progressing both as a solo and collaborative artist, releasing hits like his 1995 album In a Major Way, which charted at #13 on the US Billboard 200 and #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, as well as his memorable tandem hit, Save A Hoe, with Suga-T and B-Legit.
From his early beginnings in Hip-hop underground to his mainstream notoriety as West Coast mogul, E-40's extensive career catalogues an impressively-decorated laundry list of critically-acclaimed hits and albums and memorable collaborative projects—not to mention being among the first West Coast emcees to acquire a major-league deal, as the Sick Wid' It boss landed a title under Jive Records.
Apart from all this, one statement resonates to the tremendous impact E-40 orchestrated with his music: “Synonymous with Bay Area rap, E-40 garnered a regional following, and eventually a national one, with his flamboyant raps, while his entrepreneurial spirit, embodied by his homegrown record label Sick Wid' It Records, did much to cultivate a flourishing rap scene to the east of San Francisco, in communities such as Oakland and his native Vallejo.
By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com
