C-Bo

by Jason BirchmeierBeginning with his 1993 debut, Gas Chamber, C-BO made it clear that he planned on surprising rap listeners with his controversial lyrics, which would eventually land him in jail. Of course, the hardcore Californians steady rise towards continued popularity increased year by year, with an album being released nearly every year following his jaw-dropping debut. With album titles such as Autopsy and Tales From the Crypt, C-BO quickly attained a cult following, similar to the small legions of listeners swarming perverse rappers such as Esham, Brotha Lynch Hung, and Three Six Mafia. Yet as C-BO began to mature as an artist, he moved away from exploitative themes, though he still ranked among the West Coasts most extreme hardcore rappers. By the time his 1998 album, Till My Casket Drops, the Cali rapper found himself debuting at number 41 on Billboards Top 200 album chart, an amazing feat for such an underground rapper. In 2000 — after oddly being jailed in 1998 for his lyrical content — he released Enemy of the State on Warlock, continuing his climb to recognition.