As a young kid growing up in San Jose, Chris Manak
soon realized he needed an escape from the realities of suburbian
life in the Silicon Valley. The age of nine was his coming of age.
This was the year he discovered sports (Pittsburgh Pirates), video
games (Pac man), girls (Anita Balderama), and hip hop ("Rappers
Delight"). Alongside partner Sweet Steve, young Chris fashioned
primitive mix-tapes (using the pause button) and ran amok at the
local roller rink. He took on the name Peanut Butter Wolf in the
late-80s when he realized that, in an odd turn of events, a
girlfriend’s youngest brother feared the “peanut butter wolf
monster” more than death itself. Wolf and his more
conventionally-named counterpart, Charizma, began recording in 1989
when the two were still teenagers. Within three years, the duo
signed a contract with Hollywood Basic (Disney) alongside label
mates Organized Konfusion and DJ Shadow. Charizma and Peanut Butter
Wolf were riding high, touring Europe, receiving press in magazines
such as Billboard and (a then newspaper format) Urb , hanging with
radio legends Sway & King Tech on Wake Up Show and performing
live shows with groups like House of Pain, Nas and The Pharcyde.
Then, in December of 1993, Charizma tragically lost his life.
Stunned, Wolf temporarily gave up on music. After releasing the
song "Just Like A Test" with Charizma for David Paul's Bomb Hip Hop
Compilation early in 1994, Upstairs Records, a label known
primarily for house music, approached Wolf to record an
instrumental LP. Thus, the Peanut Butter Breaks was born; the
record became the Wolf’s calling card, leading to meetings and
collaborations with like-minded DJs like Q-bert, Cut Chemist and
Rob Swift. After the release of Peanut Butter Breaks, PB Wolf found
himself in demand as a producer. His track for the all-scratching
compilation Return of the DJ was labeled “incredible” by The Source
magazine. He released a 6 song compilation for South Paw Records in
1995, featuring collaborations with up and coming San Jose MCs. He
also produced Kool Keith's first single as a solo artist "Wanna Be
A Star." These releases, amongst others, led to a picture disc EP
for British label 2 Kool Records. In 1996, Peanut Butter Wolf
founded Stones Throw Records. Charizma’s posthumous "My World
Premiere" was the single to launch the label. A few highlights in
the beginning were the songs "Unassisted" by Rasco, Super Duck
Breaks LP by DJ Babu, and hip hop 7” series. Lately, PB Wolf has
moved away from producing (save the odd remix or compilation track)
to build the Stones Throw label and to travel as a DJ to Europe,
Japan, Australia, Canada, and across the US. Through his
willingness to experiment and provide Stones Throw’s artists with
musical carte blanche, 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.
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