American rapper and hyphy movement originator
Keak da Sneak launched his career as one-third of
3X Krazy, a '90s hardcore rap trio from Oakland. Born Charles Kente Williams in Alabama, he started rapping at a young age after moving to California. His earliest work was with
Agerman, with whom he formed the duo Dual Committee in 1992. The pair recorded a couple tracks that landed on
C-BO's
The Autopsy before they added rapper B.A. to their unit, forming the group
3X Krazy. The group released a handful of efforts into 2004. As a solo artist,
Keak signed with Moe Doe Records, which released his first two albums,
Sneakacydal (1999) and
Hi-Tek (2001), as well as a collaborative effort with
Agerman, Dual Committee (2000). Following this stint with
Moe Doe,
Keak moved on and continued to develop his career, beginning with the
Retaliation album for the Sacramento-based hardcore rap label Black Market Records. Over the next decade,
Keak would release at least one effort per year, until 2012's
Cheddar Cheese I Say, his sixth official full-length. In 2017, he issued Withdrawl, featuring appearances by
Mozzy,
E-40,
J. Stalin,
G-Stack, and more. ~ Neil Z. Yeung & Jason Birchmeier