Born in Long Island, New York to West African parents, 88 first took an interest in hip-hop after hearing Prince Paul's production on De La Soul’s 1989 critically acclaimed album 3 Feet High and Rising. In the early 90's, 88 met A Tribe Called Quest’s front man Q-Tip, Pete Rock and producer Large Professor working as an intern at West Hempstead’s The Music Palace recording studio. It was Large Professor who gave Charles his 88 Keys moniker after witnessing his skills on the Ensoniq ASR-10 keyboard.

Genre(s):
Rap: Hip-Hop