Sick Wid' It Records

Founding in Vallejo

Sick Wid' It Records was founded in 1989 in Vallejo, California, by Earl Stevens, the rapper known as E-40. The label began as a family business. Its first core act was The Click, a group formed by E-40 with his brother D-Shot, his sister Suga-T and his cousin B-Legit. The Click released “Down and Dirty” in 1992, and E-40 issued his debut album “Federal” on Sick Wid' It the same year. The label sold its records independently across Northern California, building a regional audience for E-40's slang-heavy delivery and for the funk-based production of Studio Ton and Mike Mosley.

Independent growth

E-40's EP “The Mail Man,” released on Sick Wid' It on September 28, 1993, reached number 13 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 131 on the Billboard 200 while still an independent release. Its single “Captain Save a H**” entered the Billboard Hot 100. The success of these records drew major-label interest, and Jive Records reissued “The Mail Man” in 1994 and “Federal” in 1995 with altered track listings. From that point Sick Wid' It releases carried joint Sick Wid' It and Jive branding.

The Jive years

The partnership with Jive produced the label's biggest sales of the 1990s. E-40's “In a Major Way,” released on March 14, 1995, reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart and was later certified platinum by the RIAA. The Click's “Game Related,” released on November 7, 1995, peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in 1998. E-40's “Tha Hall of Game” (October 29, 1996) reached number 4 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in 1997, and “The Element of Surprise” (August 11, 1998) reached number 13 and was also certified gold. B-Legit, D-Shot, Suga-T and Celly Cel issued solo projects during the same period, giving the label a steady stream of releases built around the extended Stevens family and its Vallejo associates.

Later years and legacy

After the Jive era, E-40 moved Sick Wid' It into a partnership with Lil Jon's BME Recordings and Reprise Records. “My Ghetto Report Card,” released on March 14, 2006, debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, E-40's highest chart placement. Its singles “Tell Me When to Go” and “U and Dat” reached numbers 35 and 13 on the Hot 100, and the album was certified platinum. In the following years the label continued to release E-40's albums and worked with a younger generation of Bay Area rappers including Turf Talk, Stresmatic, Nef the Pharaoh and OMB Peezy. Sick Wid' It is often cited as an early model for the Bay Area's self-sufficient independent labels, showing that a regional act could sell records locally and then negotiate a distribution deal from a position of strength.