|
Keak Da Sneak (full name Charles "Kunta Kinte" Bowens, commonly referred to as Keak) is a rapper from Oakland, California. At the age of 16 he was known as Z-Kush, but became known as "Keak Da Sneak" at 17. His mother was a professional DJ, and he grew up surrounded by music and influential older siblings.
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. It was there he met later collaborator Agerman. Together, they formed Dual Committee, which ,at the age of 15, was first heard on the song "Stompin In My Steel Toes" on C-Bo's 1994 EP The Autopsy. By the end of his 11th grade year, they had added rapper Bart 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, and the sophomore album Immortilized, and then the release of Real talk 2000 in Late 1999. The last 3X Krazy album, a collection of previously unreleased... Read More ... 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. At this point, Keak began to receive more radio airplay (although his lyrics had grown more explicit), especially on San Francisco hip-hop station KMEL.
Keak is now is gaining popularity beyond the Bay Area with his recent songs "Super Hyphy" (2005) and "T-Shirt, Blue Jeans, and Nikes" featuring E-40. The Super Hyphy song has three versions of music videos created for it. The first by Director Dain Turner. The second most notable music video for "Super Hyphy" was directed by Shannon W. Rawls of the Los Angeles based Cinema Hill Motion Picture Company and was debuted on Yahoo! Launch and Canadian based music channel, Much Music. It can now be found on YouTube. The third and final version of the Super Hyphy music video was created by Mickey Finnegan of Los Angeles based Half-White Productions, and has received frequent airplay on MTV, elevating Keak and the hyphy movement to nation-wide recognition. The video features Keak as a spelling bee contestant correctly spelling the word "hyphy". The video features fellow Oakland-native, Keyshia Cole. He gained more recognition when he was featured on MTV's My Block: The Bay where he explains how the word hyphy came about.
Keak largely produces the original versions of the beats used in his songs, noting that he writes a song, lyrics and instrumental, entirely himself. He currently is living on a farm outside of Sacramento with his wife and family, which he says helps him to stay focused.
Additionally, he was featured on E-40's 2006 hit, "Tell Me When to Go.
|
