Background and career
Charles Kente Williams (né Bowens; born October 21, 1977), better known by his stage name Keak da Sneak, is an American rapper from Oakland, California. He is best known for his guest appearance on E-40's 2006 single "Tell Me When to Go", which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Credited with coining the term "hyphy" in 1994, Bowens has contributed extensively to the genre and movement.
Keak da Sneak was born in Brewton, Alabama. As a newborn, he moved to Oakland, California. He found popularity while attending Allendale Elementary School, which he parlayed into later friendships and talent show performances at Oakland's Bret Harte Junior High. Through theater, Keak met his collaborator Agerman.
Keak and Agerman formed Dual Committee when Keak was 15 years old. The duo's performances were first recorded on "Murder Man" and "Stompin in My Steel Toes" on C-BO's 1994 EP, The Autopsy. Citing the personal growth of all three artists, he later signed as a solo artist with Sacramento-based Moe Doe Records. As a result of the signing, he began to receive more radio airplay, especially on San Francisco hip-hop station KMEL.
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.
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. In total, Keak da Sneak has released almost 20 albums and several mixtapes.
Keak was featured on MTV's My Super Sweet 16.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
