Charles Kente Williams ( Bowens; born October 21, 1977), better known by his stage name Keak da Sneak, is an American rapper from Oakland, California. He is known for his gravelly voice, for coining the term "hyphy" in 1994, and for his contributions to the hyphy movement.

He has collaborated frequently with fellow West Coast rapper E-40.

Early life

Keak da Sneak was born in Brewton, Alabama. As a result of the signing, he began to receive more radio airplay, especially on San Francisco hip-hop station KMEL.

3X Krazy

By the end of their junior year in high school, Keak and his collaborators had recruited rapper B.A. to form the group 3X Krazy. Their first EP, Sick-O, 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 Sick-O, was Flowamatic-9, which was released in 2004. The group eventually disbanded.

Solo career

After years working in the underground scene, Keak began to see mainstream success in 2004 with the song Super Hyphy. His 2006 collaboration with E-40, Tell Me When to Go, received national attention.

Personal life

Williams has been married to Dee Bowens since February 14, 2004. He has four children.

After surviving a shooting in January 2017, Williams carried a gun for protection, which led to an arrest for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. During his trial two years later, he was shot eight times at a Richmond gas station, rendering him a paraplegic requiring the use of a wheelchair.

After a two-year legal battle, Williams was sentenced to 16 months in state custody. He served five months of his sentence at the California Health Care Facility before being released early due to Proposition 57. Williams returned home to his family after his release.

Discography

Solo albums

  • Sneakacydal (1999)
  • Hi-Tek (2001)
  • Retaliation (2002)
  • The Farm Boyz (2002)
  • Counting Other Peoples Money (2003)
  • Town Business (2004)
  • Keak da Sneak (2004)
  • Town Business Raw N’ Uncut (2005)
  • That’s My Word (2005)
  • Thizz Iz Allndadoe (2006)
  • Contact Sport (2006)
  • Kunta Kinte (2006)
  • The Farm Boyz Starring Keak (2006)
  • AllNDaDoe Volume 4, 5, 6... One Of Them Muthafuckaz... (2006)
  • On One (2007)
  • G-14 Classified (2007)
  • All N Da Doe (2008)
  • Deified (2008)
  • Thizz Iz All N Da Doe (Volume 2) (2009)
  • Mobb Boss (2010)
  • Keak Hendrix (2011)
  • The Tonite Show (Sneakacydal Returns) With Keak Da Sneak <small>(with DJ.Fresh)</small> (2011)
  • The Tonite Show (Sneakacydal Returns Instrumentals) With Keak Da Sneak <small>(with DJ.Fresh)</small> (2011)
  • Cheddar Cheese I Say (2012)
  • The Hoods Gonna Bump It (2014)
  • <small>(with The Mekanix)</small> (2017)
  • Gorilla <small>(with The Mekanix)</small> (2020)
  • Selfmade (The Album) (2022)
  • What’s Uppie (2022)
  • Mobsta (Deluxe Edition) (2022)
  • Still Going Dumb (2022)
  • 81 Shots (2023)
  • Gorilla (Instrumentals) <small>(with The Mekanix)</small> (2025)

Collaboration albums

  • Dual Committee <small>(with Dual Committee)</small> (2000)
  • Da Bidness <small>(with Messy Marv & P.S.D. Tha Drivah)</small> (2007)
  • Welcome To Scokland <small>(with San Quinn)</small> (2008)
  • Word Pimpin 2: We Don't Need You <small>(with Baby S and Q-Z)</small> (2008)
  • Da Bidness Part II <small>(with Messy Marv & P.S.D. Tha Drivah)</small> (2010)
  • The Allinner Album <small>(with Benner)</small> (2010)
  • Mobbin’ With Mr. Sicaluphacous <small>(with Mac Reese)</small> (2016)
  • Drugs, Rap, & Violence <small>(with Kaliban, as Gooch Gang)</small> (2018)
  • Lean & Cookies <small>(with Project Pat & Kafani)</small> (2019)
  • Life After Death (The Leak) <small>(with Kafani)</small> (2019)
  • Starters In The Game & Contact Sport (Scrappers & Thizz Deluxe Edition) <small>(with Mac Dre)</small> (2024)
  • O To The O <small>(with Deezy Hollow)</small> (2025)

Compilation albums

  • The Appearances (2002)
  • Dopegame (The Comp) (2004)
  • Da Mixtape (Volume One) (2005)
  • Da Mixtape (Volume 2) (2005)
  • Town Business B-Sides & Bootlegs: Da Mixtape (Volume 3) Old Shit (2005)
  • Da Mixtape (Volume 4) (2005)
  • Dopegame 2 (The Comp) (2005)
  • Dopegame 3 (The Comp) (2005)
  • King Of Tha Supa Dupa Hyphy (2006)
  • Block Music (2006)
  • The Farm Boyz (Special Edition) (2006)
  • Chadada: The Mixtape (Volume 1) (2007)
  • Greatest Hits (2007)
  • The Best Of: Thizz Iz All N Da Doe (Thizz Nation Volume 22) (2008)
  • Let’s Get Thizzical (The Mixtape) (2008)
  • Oaklandary (Volume 1) (2024)
  • Oaklandary (Volume 2) (2025)
  • Oaklandary (Volume 3) (2025)
  • Oaklandary (Volume 4) (2025)

Soundtrack albums

  • Copium (2005)

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of singles as featured artist

! scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Title

! scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Album

|-

!scope="row"|"Memphis Cakalac Oakland"<br/>

|2018

|rowspan="1"| Pimp of the Nation

|}

References