Peanut Butter Wolf
Peanut Butter Wolf | |
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File:PeanutButterWolf(by Scott Dudelson).jpg
Peanut Butter Wolf playing the live DJ set at FYF Fest in Los Angeles
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Background information | |
Birth name | Chris Manak[1] |
Also known as | Chris Cut[2] |
Origin | San Jose, California[3] |
Genres | Hip hop, funk |
Occupation(s) | Disc jockey, producer |
Instruments | Turntables |
Years active | 1989–present |
Labels | Upstairs Records, Hollywood BASIC, Stones Throw Records |
Associated acts | Charizma, Planet Asia, Madlib, J. Rocc, BT, Dam-Funk, James Pants, Jonti, Jonwayne, Dj King Assassin |
Website | www |
Chris Manak, better known by his stage name Peanut Butter Wolf, is an American disc jockey and producer from San Jose, California. He is the founder of Stones Throw Records.[4]
Contents
Career
Manak took the name Peanut Butter Wolf in the late-80s when he realized that a girlfriend’s youngest brother feared the “peanut butter wolf monster” more than death itself. He has been active since 1989 when he produced a song by Lyrical Prophecy called "You Can't Swing This" on a label called PMR Records run by Kim Collett, who DJed with him at the local radio station (KSJS). Peanut Butter Wolf persuaded his father to contribute $500 to get the record released, making him a part owner in the label. Later that year, he met Charles Hicks, a.k.a. Charizma. They became close friends and formed a group. After shopping their demo tape to a few labels, they decided to sign with Hollywood BASIC, a division of Disney's Hollywood Records.[citation needed]
Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf eventually left the label right before it closed its hip hop division. Charizma died in December 1993. Eventually Peanut Butter Wolf began making beats and DJing again. "It was a way for me to deal with the pain of losing both my music partner and my best friend"[citation needed] said Wolf. He then decided the album he and Charizma made together had to be heard. While Peanut Butter Wolf was passing out tapes, Dave Paul from the Bomb Hip Hop Magazine put out an album featuring the best hip hop artists of the Bay Area. It featured (among others) Blackalicious, Mystic Journeymen, DJ Qbert, and Charizma.[citation needed]
The next two years brought several compilations: Return of the DJ, instrumental beats Peanut Butter Breaks, and production work for Kool Keith. Peanut Butter Wolf also released an EP called "Step On Our Egos" for Southpaw Records. Still, he wanted to release the Charizma songs, making their dream a reality.[citation needed]
After recording for many labels[citation needed], Peanut Butter Wolf realized he was having as much fun promoting the records as recording the songs[citation needed]. He became confident that he could succeed in running a label, and convinced distributor Nu Gruv Alliance that he could do it.[citation needed] In 1996 Peanut Butter Wolf founded Stones Throw Records, making his first release "My World Premier" by "Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf". Lately, Peanut Butter Wolf has moved away from producing to help promote up and coming artists on his Stones Throw label[citation needed] and to travel the world as a DJ/VJ.[citation needed]
He has overseen the releases of Lootpack’s Soundpieces, Quasimoto’s The Unseen, Breakestra’s Live Mix, Yesterdays New Quintet’s Angles Without Edges, Madlib's Shades of Blue, and Jaylib's Champion Sound.[citation needed]
Discography
Studio albums
- Peanut Butter Breaks (Upstairs Records, 1994)
- My Vinyl Weighs a Ton (1999)
- Big Shots (2003) w/ Charizma
Compilation albums
- Peanut Butter Wolf's Jukebox 45's (Stones Throw Records, 2002)
- Chrome Children (Stones Throw Records, 2006)
- Chrome Children Vol. 2 (Stones Throw Records, 2007)
- B-Ball Zombie War (Stones Throw Records, 2007)
- Straight to Tape 1990-1992 (2009)
Mixtapes
- Fusion Beats (2002)
- Badmeaningood Vol.3 (2003)
- 666 Mix (2006)
- Chrome Mix (2006)
- Zombie Playoffs (2007)
- Ladies First (2007)
- Be Our Valentine (2008) w/ Prince Paul
EPs
- Step on Our Ego's? (1996)
- Lunar Props (1996)
- Styles, Crews, Flows, Beats (1998)
Singles
- "Run the Line" b/w "The Undercover (Clear & Present Danger)" (1997)
- "Definition of Ill" (1999)
- "Tale of Five Cities" (1999)
Guest appearances
- Deltron 3030 - "St. Catherine St." from Deltron 3030 (2000)
Productions
- Kool Keith - "Wanna Be a Star" (1996)
References
External links
- No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.
- Peanut Butter Wolf discography at Discogs
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles with hCards
- Articles with unsourced statements from August 2013
- Articles with unsourced statements from November 2012
- Articles with unsourced statements from August 2014
- Official website missing URL
- Living people
- 1969 births
- Musicians from San Jose, California
- Hip hop DJs
- American hip hop record producers
- Stones Throw Records artists