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| Born Kevin Anthony Stewart a quarter century ago in Biloxi Mississippi, Don’t Even was encouraged and inspired by his mother, Shirley to expand his mind and go beyond the norm. Shirley moved Don’t Even and his seven other siblings to West Oakland California where Don’t Even fell in love with hip hop. Creatively, Don’t Even began his career as the poet Scarecrow. Scarecrow became a regular on the poetry underground scene with pieces like “9eleven”, “Where was you niggas at”, and “Backbone”. West Oakland was fertile ground for hip hop and rap. Too Short, the man, the player, the pimp had changed the game in Oakland. After hearing songs like “Freaky Tales”, “Oaktown” and “Getting It”, Don’t Even felt music was his calling. Shortly after starting on his musical quest, Don’t Even met Boom a.k.a Raspect and formed the group Jacob’s Descendants. After doing shows in Oakland and Los Angeles, Boom decided to move to L.A. while Don’t Even stayed in Oakland to perfect his craft. Epic a.k.a Anthony Msaky was born ahead of his time. 3 months ahead and barely weighing three pounds, Epic’s journey began in the “rolling hundreds” of East Oakland. Epic’s mother and grandmother instilled the importance of education at an early age. They vowed he would not sound like a “hoodlum” yet knew he needed to know both street smarts and book smarts to survive and thrive. By the age of 13, Epic was mimicking favorite loyal artists such as Too Short, E-40, and others like NWA, and began to write his own versions of songs he liked. Epic was able to take his interest in music to the next level when he connected with Cal-Cutta a.k.a C.R. Day whose brother, Poetic had a mini studio in his bedroom. Epic soon laid his first track “Rap a lot and smoke too much” and began working on his demo. Epic determined to be heard, entered talent shows and freestyle battles, soon earning a reputation and recognition for his lyrical talent.
In the fall of 2005, Don’t Even’s and Epic’s lives collided in a freestyle battle at Spanky’s. After a one-on-one 2 hour battle, Don’t Even and Epic exchanged numbers and contemplated forming a group in the future. Shortly thereafter, Don’t Even contacted Epic regarding interest in an indie label, Cream Factory, in signing them. On Sept 19th 2005, Don’t Even and Epic made it official and HAZMAT was born. |
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