Charles Kente Williams (

né A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth reg ...

Bowens; born October 21, 1977), better known by his stage name Keak da Sneak, is an American rapper from

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, known for his scratchy, gruff voice and for coining the term ''

hyphy The term hyphy ( ) is Oakland slang meaning "hyperactive". More specifically, it is an adjective describing the hip hop music and the culture associated with the area. The term was first coined by Oakland rapper Keak da Sneak. History The hyp ...

'' in 1994.

Early life, family and education

Keak da Sneak was born in Brewton,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. As a newborn he moved to Oakland, CA. Keak found popularity while attending Allendale Elementary School, which he parlayed into later friendships and

talent show A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...

performances at Oakland's

Bret Harte Bret Harte (; born Francis Brett Hart; August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

Junior High. Through theater Keak met his collaborator

Agerman 3X Krazy (pronounced 3-Times Crazy) was an American hip hop group formed in Oakland, California in 1994. The group consisted of members Keak da Sneak, B.A. and Agerman. History Founding 3X Krazy was formed in 1994 and was signed to Str8 Game Rec ...

. He has been married to his wife Dee Bowens, a former clothing designer, since February 14, 2004. They separated for several years and reconnected just months before he was shot 8 times on August 21, 2017. To this point Keak has 4 children.

Career

Keak and Agerman formed Dual Committee when Keak was 15 years old. The duo's performances were first recorded on "Murder Man" and "Stompin in My Steel Toes" on

C-BO Shawn Thomas, also known by his stage name C-Bo, is an American rapper. C-Bo, notoriously known for his relationship with law enforcement, was one of the first rappers to be jailed due to his lyrical content, a scathing critique of political off ...

's 1994 EP ''

The Autopsy ''The Autopsy'' is the first EP by American rapper C-Bo, released in 1994 on AWOL Records. It was produced by Mike Mosley and Sam Bostic. It peaked at number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at number 19 on the ''Billboard'' T ...

''. Citing the personal growth of all three artists, he later signed as a solo artist with

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

-based Moe Doe Records. Because of that, he began to receive more radio airplay, especially on

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

hip-hop station

KMEL KMEL (106.1 FM) is an urban contemporary radio station that is licensed to San Francisco, California, and serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. KMEL has studios located in the SoMa district, and broadcasts ...

. Keak da Sneak has collaborated with recording artists such as

E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, a ...

Daz Dillinger Delmar Drew Arnaud (born May 25, 1973), known professionally as Daz Dillinger (formerly Dat Nigga Daz and commonly Daz), is an American rapper and record producer. In the 1990s at Death Row Records, aided the catapult of West Coast rap and ga ...

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...

MC Hammer Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He is known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit" ...

Mac Dre Andre Louis Hicks (July 5, 1970 – November 1, 2004), known by his stage name Mac Dre, was an American rapper from Vallejo, California. He was an instrumental figure in the emergence of hyphy The term hyphy ( ) is Oakland slang meaning "h ...

Prodigy Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer ** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess Arts, entertainment, and ...

Alchemist Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscience, protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in Chinese alchemy, C ...

Blac Chyna Angela Renée White (born May 11, 1988), known professionally as Blac Chyna, is an American model and socialite. She originally rose to prominence in 2010 as the stunt double for Nicki Minaj in the music video for the song "Monster" by Kanye ...

G-Eazy Gerald Earl Gillum (born May 24, 1989), better known by his stage name G-Eazy, is an American rapper. His first major-label album, '' These Things Happen'', was released on June 23, 2014, and peaked at number 3 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 ...

DJ Vlad Vladimir Lyubovny (russian: Владимир Любовный; born June 28, 1973), commonly known as DJ Vlad, is an American interviewer, journalist, and former disc jockey. He is the CEO of video and news website VladTV.com. His YouTube channel ...

Kafani Amir Rashad, (born April 21, 1980) better known by his stage name Kafani, is an American rapper from the Funktown section of San Antonio, Oakland, California. He graduated from Oakland High School in 1998 where he played varsity baseball for ...

, and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

. He collaborates and tours with his DJ, E-Tech, from the SBC DJs, associated with KMEL DJ Rick "The Dragon" Lee and SBC DJs San Francisco. Therefore, Keak was featured on MTV's ''

My Super Sweet 16 ''My Super Sweet 16'' is an American reality television series documenting the lives of teenagers, usually in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, generally with wealthy parents who throw lavish, excessive and expensive coming-of-age ce ...

''.

3X Krazy

By the end of their junior year in high school, He and his collaborators had added rapper B.A. to form the group

3X Krazy 3X Krazy (pronounced 3-Times Crazy) was an American hip hop group formed in Oakland, California in 1994. The group consisted of members Keak da Sneak, B.A. and Agerman. History Founding 3X Krazy was formed in 1994 and was signed to Str8 Game Rec ...

. Their first EP, ''

Sick-O ''Sick-O'' is an EP by 3X Krazy. It was released on August 5, 1995 for Str8 Game Records and featured production from Tone Capone. Track listing #"Hit the Gas" - 5:02 (Featuring Harm) #"Somethin' 4 Dat Ass" - 4:08 #"Sick-O" - 5:53 (Featuring Sea ...

'', was released independently on August 5, 1995. In 1996 they signed to Virgin Records, releasing the album '' Stackin' Chips'' on March 8, 1997 (with help from the single Keep It on the Real; the album received national attention), the second album '' Immortalized'', and then the release of '' Real Talk 2000'' on January 18, 2000. The last 3X Krazy album, a collection of previously unreleased material and remixed songs from ''

'', was ''

flowamatic-9 ''Flowamatic-9'' is a compilation of previously released and remixed 3X Krazy songs compiled from their first EP, Sick-O, as well as various guest appearances. It was released on October 14, 2003 for RT Entertainment and featured production from ...

'', which was released in 2004.

Shooting

Keak da Sneak was shot and paralyzed in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, in a targeted attack, in 2017.

Discography

Solo albums

*'' Sneakacydal'' (1999) * ''

Hi-Tek Tony Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek (born May 5, 1976), is an American rapper and record producer from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli. His father is singer Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell Band, whom Hi- ...

'' (2001) * ''

Retaliation Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...

'' (2002) * ''

The Farm Boyz ''The Farm Boyz'' is an album released by rapper, Keak da Sneak. It was released on October 22, 2002, for Out of Bounds Records and was produced by Keak da Sneak, Big Hollis and Mark Knox. Track listing

#"Interlude"- 3:21 #"Go Head Baby"- 4: ...

'' (2002) * '' Counting Other Peoples Money'' (2003) * ''

Keak da Sneak Charles Kente Williams (Birth name, né Bowens; born October 21, 1977), better known by his stage name Keak da Sneak, is an American rapper from Oakland, California, Oakland, California, known for his scratchy, gruff voice and for coining the ter ...

'' (2004) * '' Town Business'' (2005) * '' Thizz Iz Allndadoe'' (2006) * ''The Farm Boyz Starring Keak'' (2006) * ''

On One ''On One'' is the 9th studio solo album released by rapper, Keak da Sneak. Track listing #"The O" – 4:36 #"Same O Thang" – 5:02 #"Get Doe" – 3:58 #"High Tonight" – 4:44 #"Street Stars" – 4:08 #"Playa Ass Nigga's" – 3:01 #"Get It Sta ...

'' (2007) * ''G 14 Classified'' (2007) * ''All N Da Doe'' (2008) * ''

Deified Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity. The term ha ...

'' (2008) * ''Thizz Iz All N Da Doe Volume 2'' (2009) * '' Mobb Boss'' (2010) * '' Keak Hendrix'' (2011) * ''The Tonite Show With Keak da Sneak - Sneakacydal Returns'' (2011) * ''Withdrawal'' (2017) * ''Gorilla'' (2020)

Collaboration albums

* '' Dual Committee'' with Dual Committee (2000) * '' Da Bidness'' with Messy Marv & P.S.D. Tha Drivah (2007) * '' Welcome to Scokland'' with San Quinn (2008) * '' Word Pimpin 2: We Don't Need You'' with Baby S and Q-Z (2008) * '' Da Bidness 2'' with Messy Marv & P.S.D. Tha Drivah (2010) * ''The Allinner Album'' with Benner (2010)

Compilation albums

* ''The Farm Boyz (Special Edition)'' (2006)

Soundtrack albums

* ''Copium'' (2005)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keak Da Sneak 1977 births 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American rappers 21st-century African-American musicians 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers Gangsta rappers Living people People from Evergreen, Alabama Rappers from Oakland, California West Coast hip hop musicians