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E-40
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Earl Stevens, (born November 15, 1967) 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.
After a talent show at Grambling State University, E-40 and his cousin B-Legit decided to attempt a career in rap. They moved back to Vallejo and teamed up with D-Shot, E-40's brother, to form the group Most Valuable Players. E-40's gospel singing uncle (Saint Charles) helped them put out the record.
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Encyclopedia
Earl Stevens, (born November 15, 1967) 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.
After a talent show at Grambling State University, E-40 and his cousin B-Legit decided to attempt a career in rap. They moved back to Vallejo and teamed up with D-Shot, E-40's brother, to form the group Most Valuable Players. E-40's gospel singing uncle (Saint Charles) helped them put out the record. E-40's sister, Suga T, was then added to the group to form The Click. The Click's debut album came out in 1994, and E-40's solo debut was released later. He began working with rappers beyond the Bay Area in 1998 and rose to even higher mainstream popularity in 2006 with his hyphy single "Tell Me When to Go" in 2006.
Career
1990s to early 2000s
E-40 has released over ten albums, including those with his group The Click, starting with their four-track EP Let's Side; he has also appeared on numerous movie soundtracks and has guest appearances on a host of other rap albums. The Mail Man. 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 hardcore rappers as 2Pac and Mac Mall.
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, "1-Luv" and "Things'll Never Change", charted on the Billboard Hot 100. 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.
Mid-2000s to present
In 2004, E-40 began hosting E-Feezy Radio, a weekly program San Francisco hip-hop radio station KMEL that shwocased Bay Area hip hop. 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. 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 14th, 2006. 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. 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. On December 28, 2008, five people were injured in a shoot-out outside E-40's Denver, Colorado concert at the Vinyl nightclub.
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. 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 Cloud 9, and he opened the now-defunct Ambassador's Lounge, a nightclub in Downtown San Jose.. 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 sex these things." In late 2007, E-40 announced a new line of energy drinks called "40 Water."
Discography
Filmography
Film
- 3 Strikes (2000)
- Obstacles (2000)
- Hair Show (2004)
- Dead Heist (2007)
Television
Appearances as self
Appearances as a fictional character
External links
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