E-40

E-40 (born Earl Stevens, a.k.a. Charlie Hustle and 40 Water, to name a few) is a Bay Area rapper who, along with family members The Click (D-shot, B-Legit, Suga T), has put Vallejo, California on the hip hop cultural map. He

E-40 (born Earl Stevens, a.k.a. Charlie Hustle and 40 Water, to name a few) is a Bay Area rapper who, along with family members The Click (D-shot, B-Legit, Suga T), has put Vallejo, California on the hip hop cultural map. He releases records with considerable regularity through his independent record label, Sick Wid It Records. While he has never achieved substantial mainstream success, he is considered to be one of the foremost originators of hip hop slang. Some of his more famous contributions to the hip-hop lexicon include po-po (police officers), Script or Skrilla (money) (a mis-hearing of scrip, a word used for paper money since its Western introduction) and yola (a corruption of yayo, another word for cocaine), as well helping popularize as the concept of adding "-izzle" or "-eezy" to the end of words, popularized by other mainstream rappers such as Snoop Dogg, though technique, itself, was invented by The Gap Band and Frankie Smith, as typified in their song Double Dutch Bus, years earlier.

While many of his expressions are only used by himself, many more have been adopted by more famous rappers. And while his fame may not approach that of Nelly or Jay-Z, he remains one of the respected performers in the field. His unique, high speed lyrical delivery has attracted nearly the entire A-list of West Coast hip hop stars to collaborate with him. Perhaps most notably, lyrical legends like Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur and Too $hort have appeared numerous times on his records. Beginning with his early EP, The Mail Man (which featured the underground hit Captain-Save-a-Hoe), E-40 has released over ten CDs, including those with The Click. He has also appeared on numerous film soundtracks and guest appearances on other rap albums. His distinctive voice made him stand out and coupled with his creative vocabulary he remains a powerful voice in rap music.