Charizma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Charizma
Peanut Butter Wolf and Charizma (right)
Background information
Birth name	Charles Edward Hicks Jr.
Born	(1973-07-06)July 6, 1973 San Jose, California, United States
Origin	Milpitas, California, U.S.
Died	December 16, 1993(1993-12-16) (aged 20) East Palo Alto, California
Genres	Hip Hop
Years active	1987–1993
Labels	Hollywood Basic (1990–1993) Stones Throw Records (1996–present) (posthumous)
Associated acts	Peanut Butter Wolf

Charles Edward Hicks Jr. (born July 6, 1973 – died December 16, 1993), known by his stage name Charizma, was a talented MC (which means a rapper) from Milpitas, California. He is most famous for his music with Peanut Butter Wolf. They formed a music duo after meeting in 1990. Their musical journey together ended sadly when Charizma passed away in 1993.

Charizma's Story

Charizma started rapping when he was just 13 years old. He performed at high school talent shows. In 1990, when he was 16, he met Chris Manak, who was 19. Chris was also known as Peanut Butter Wolf. They quickly became best friends and started making music together.

Starting Their Music Career

Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf recorded many demo songs. Demos are early versions of songs used to show off their talent. They also performed live shows in the San Jose area.

Someone named Matt Brown heard Charizma on a radio station called KSJS 90.5 FM. This station was from San Jose State University. Matt was impressed and offered to become their manager. Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf agreed. They then started looking for a record label to release their music.

Signing with a Record Label

They received offers from several big record labels, including Columbia Records. In the end, they decided to sign with Hollywood Basic. This label was owned by Disney and is now called Hollywood Records.

While with Hollywood Basic, Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf recorded many songs. However, the label never released a full album. This was because of "creative differences." This means the artists and the label had different ideas about the music.

Charizma once said that Hollywood Basic wanted them to change their style. He felt the label liked their image more than their music. He compared their situation to other famous hip hop groups like Pete Rock & CL Smooth and Gang Starr. These groups made music their own way without outside help.

Only a few songs were released during this time. They put out a special cassette tape with the song "Red Light, Green Light." They also had a flexible record, called a flexi disc, with the song "Jack the Mack." This flexi disc was included in a hip hop magazine called Bomb Magazine.

Growing Popularity

Even without a full album, the duo became quite popular. They often performed live in the Bay Area. They even toured Germany with other artists from their label, Raw Fusion. They were also featured in Billboard magazine, which is a very important music publication.

Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf also opened shows for famous artists like Nas and The Pharcyde. But their disagreements with Hollywood Basic continued. Eventually, they were released from their contract with the label.

A Sad Loss

Sadly, Charizma's life ended on December 16, 1993. He passed away in East Palo Alto, California. He was sitting in his car when a tragic event occurred. The person responsible was found later that same day.

Music Released After His Passing

After Charizma's passing, Peanut Butter Wolf kept the songs they had recorded. He later started his own record label called Stones Throw Records.

In 2003, more than 10 years after the songs were first made, Peanut Butter Wolf released some of their music. He put out an EP (a shorter album) called M-Town. He also released a full album called Big Shots.

Big Shots was very well received by music critics. It even reached number 3 on CMJ's hip hop chart, which shows how popular it was.

Charizma's Music

Albums and EPs

See also

• List of murdered hip hop musicians