Charizma

Charizma
Peanut Butter Wolf and Charizma (right)
Background information
Birth name	Charles Hicks
Born	(1973-07-06)July 6, 1973
Origin	Milpitas, California, U.S.
Died	December 16, 1993(1993-12-16) (aged 20)
Genres	West Coast Hip Hop
Years active	1987–1993
Labels	Hollywood Basic (1990–1993) Stones Throw Records (1996–present) (posthumous)
Associated acts	Peanut Butter Wolf

Charles Hicks (July 6, 1973 – December 16, 1993), also known by his stage name Charizma, was an MC from Milpitas, California, United States. He is best known for his work with Peanut Butter Wolf; the two artists formed a duo after meeting in 1990 but their musical partnership was cut short following Charizma's murder in 1993.

Charizma was 13 when he got his first taste for hip hop, and he started rapping at high school talent shows. He was only 16 when he met 19-year-old Chris Manak, also known as Peanut Butter Wolf, in 1990. They became best friends, recording several demos and performing live in the San Jose area.

After hearing Charizma on San Jose State's KSJS 90.5 FM, Matt Brown approached Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf, offering to become their manager. Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf agreed and began looking for a record label. After entertaining offers from some major record labels, including Columbia Records, they signed with the Disney-owned record label Hollywood Basic, now Hollywood Records.

While signed to Hollywood Basic, Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf recorded several tracks but Hollywood Basic never released an album because of creative differences between the artists and the label. Charizma stated, "The stuff we wanted to do was not what Hollywood wanted. When we first got signed they kept asking us for more and more songs. After we got signed they were turning things down left and right. They were talking about bringing outside producers—but Pete Rock & CL Smooth never had outside producers, Gang Starr never did. It's like they almost liked the image [of us] more."

Only a promotional cassette with the single "Red Light, Green Light" and a flexi disc with the single "Jack the Mack" that was featured in an issue of the Bay area hip hop zine Bomb Magazine were ever released while signed to Hollywood Basic.