Eating Off Rap Like E-40

Few artists and executives in Hip Hop history have quite the ear and determination as Earl Stevens has.

I stumbled across the video for E-40’s ‘Choices (Yup)’ one morning when I was in an exclusive Bay Area mood. In the video, E-40, sits in a dimly lit warehouse, several security screens reflecting off the concrete wall in front of him. Throughout the song he poses a series of questions that elicits either a Nope! or a Yup! In each response, the camera cuts to the wall behind 40, showing a rapper responding to the question with one of the two choices. A plethora of rappers from all eras in Hip Hop make cameos. From Boosie Badazz to Rae Sremmurd, from Kendrick Lamar to T.I., Young Buck, Freddie Gibbs, Fetty Wap, Juelz Santana, Ice Cube, Mistah F.A.B., Flavor Flav, T-Pain, what have you. This highlights E-40’s irrefutable influence over his three decades spanning career, and how that influence has affected Hip Hop.

E-40 is a creative pioneer that has facilitated expansion and work ethic of Bay Area rap music. Instead of focusing solely on the music he created, I think it’s more appropriate to highlight the decisions he made that led his region to be the working class rappers they are today.

His career has been built around putting other artists on. He first came onto a scene as a member of The Click, a group consisting of himself, his cousin B-Legit, and his siblings D-Shot and Suga-T. They released their first EP in 1986, under 40’s newly created Sick Wid It label, which is still active. He was one of the premier examples of self-sustainability in Hip Hop, inspiring others like Master P to release music independently but with a incredible packaging & distribution deals from majors, demanding creative license over their vision while using the majors’ resources to expand their fanbase.

This statement was powerful in Hip Hop’s infancy and created a culture in the Bay that resonated with artists into modern day. Numerous artists followed his model, approaching making music as not only a way to monetarily improve their lives, but to attack it with a specific seriousness, constantly dropping new material to stay touring, doing shows all over California but in lesser known areas like Idaho or Missouri, recognizing the totality of their fans and appreciating them by doing shows no matter where they might be.

Alongside providing this model, he’s been instrumental in the advancing the careers of those coming after him, whether that be via a feature verse or outright signing them to Sick Wid It. A younger generation such as artists like Nef The Pharoah, ScHoolboy Q, G-Eazy, or past artists like 2Pac or Dru Down or Tech N9ne or Mac Dre have received significant boosts from his appearances, if not via a record deal or boosts in sales, then by receiving a level o respect from a region he helped solidify artistically. These boosts shouldn’t be overlooked. Even on newer songs where younger artists have guest verses, he’ll often fall to the background in what seems to be an effort to highlight their potential.

E-40 loves Hip Hop, that’s evident. I seldom like to imagine what the Bay Area rap scene would be like without him, let alone where young artists would find the confidence to survive without big labels who only want to exploit young rappers but not nourish their art.

Credit: Marcus Scott Williams