http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4634&rws=%2Fe-40%2Fmusic-videos.rssUnpracticed rap listeners may find themselves unprepared for E-40. Skilled ears are required to decipher the lyrics of the Vallejo superstar. Not only is his delivery a gushing overflow of light-speed syllables, but he tends to invent new words seemingly on the fly. The man responsible for at least half of the endless supply of Bay Area slang is a pioneer in every sense of the word. By the time a major label (Jive) bothered to notice him, Earl Stevens was a successful artist, label owner, and a growing lyrical legend. Before you could buy his albums at any major chain store, the tycoon known as Charlie Hustle was building his empire at local mom-and-pop record stores and across the country from out of the back of his trunk. E-40 has steadily increased his status by remaining one step ahead of the game. Every track he records is a new exercise in speech-twisting vocal innovation and another chapter in his <I>Dictionary Book of Slang</I>. All you need to do is listen to the lyrics of rap albums that follow his releases to know his tremendous influence among his peers. - Alex HenningBay Areaen720Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:37:34 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4634&rws=%2Fe-40%2Fmusic-videos.rss Unpracticed rap listeners may find themselves unprepared for E-40. Skilled ears are required to decipher the lyrics of the Vallejo superstar. Not only is his delivery a gushing overflow of light-speed syllables, but he tends to invent new words seemingly on the fly. The man responsible for at least half of the endless supply of Bay Area slang is a pioneer in every sense of the word. By the time a major label (Jive) bothered to notice him, Earl Stevens was a successful artist, label owner, and a growing lyrical legend. Before you could buy his albums at any major chain store, the tycoon known as Charlie Hustle was building his empire at local mom-and-pop record stores and across the country from out of the back of his trunk. E-40 has steadily increased his status by remaining one step ahead of the game. Every track he records is a new exercise in speech-twisting vocal innovation and another chapter in his <I>Dictionary Book of Slang</I>. All you need to do is listen to the lyrics of rap albums that follow his releases to know his tremendous influence among his peers. - Alex Henning