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E-40

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E-40

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. His solo debut album, Federal, was released in 1992, and The Click's debut album "Down & Dirty" came out in 1992. 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 "Tell Me When to Go" which was produced by Lil Jon.

Biography

Stevens was born on November 15, 1967 in Vallejo, California.[1]

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 MVP or Most Valuable 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 1997, when he released the double disc compilation Southwest Riders featuring exclusively rap acts from the Bay Area and the south. His collaboration with southern rappers continued in 1998, when he was given guest appearances on two albums by Southern rappers, including Lost by Eightball, and MP Da Last Don by Master P.[1]

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 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.

E-40 was featured on BrokeNCYDE's album I'm Not A Fan, But The Kids Like It! on the song Booty Call.

In March 2010, 40 announced that he is set to drop two new albums at the end of March entitled 'Revenue Retrievin Day Shift' and 'Revenue Retrievin Night Shift'.[9]

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."

Discography

Main article: E-40 discography

Filmography

Film

  • 3 Strikes (2000)
  • Obstacles (2000)
  • Malibooty (2003)
  • Hair Show (2004)
  • Dead Heist (2007)

Television

Appearances as self

Appearances as a fictional character

References

  1. ^ a b c Birchmeier, Jason (2006). "Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  2. ^ The FADER - Left Side
  3. ^ West Coast 2k interview with B-Legit
  4. ^ E-40 Billboard Singles on AllMusic
  5. ^ Hogg, Ross (2006-03-28). "E-40: Tell Me When to Blow". XLR8R. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  6. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2006-03-05). "My Block: The Bay". MTV. Retrieved 2007-09-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Hasty, Katie (2006-03-22). "'High School' Returns To The Top Of The Class". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  8. ^ Jeffries, David (2006). ""My Ghetto Report Card" - Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-09-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  9. ^ "E-40 Keeps Things 'In The Family' By Partnering With Son Droop-E For New Albums". idiomag. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
  10. ^ Podcast interview with E-40
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