A-Plus

East Oakland

A-Plus was born Adam Carter in Denver, Colorado, to Jamaican parents and moved to Oakland at five. He met Casual in kindergarten and Tajai in elementary school, and through Tajai met Opio and Phesto. The four formed Souls of Mischief in high school, part of the East Oakland circle around Del the Funky Homosapien that became Hieroglyphics. He says his name came from his father, commenting on the grades he brought home.

93 'til Infinity

Souls of Mischief signed to Jive and released 93 'til Infinity in 1993. Beyond rapping, A-Plus produced “93 'til Infinity,” “Never No More” and “Anything Can Happen.” The title track, built on a Billy Cobham sample, reached No. 72 on the Hot 100, the group's only chart single, and became one of the defining records of 90s West Coast rap outside the gangsta mold.

No Man's Land and Hiero Imperium

On No Man's Land (1995) he produced “Secret Service,” “Ya Don't Stop” and co-produced “Do You Want It?” as the group moved to a darker sound. Jive dropped Souls afterward, and the crew went independent as Hieroglyphics Imperium, one of the first rap labels to sell directly to fans. A-Plus has contributed to every Souls of Mischief album and the Hieroglyphics albums 3rd Eye Vision, Full Circle and The Kitchen.

Solo

He released the remix album Pleemix, Vol. 1 in 2005 and his first solo album, My Last Good Deed, in 2007, produced largely by Compound 7, his team with AAGEE. Later releases include Molly's Dirty Water, Grow Theory, the Think Tank and Legrowlize It! series, and Cigano Road instrumentals.