Shawn Thomas (born January 14, 1972), better known by his stage name C-Bo, is an American rapper from

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

. Known for his extensive legal troubles, he was the first notable rapper to be jailed due to his lyrical content in 1998. His 1995 song, "Deadly Game" (with

X-Raided Anerae Veshaughn Brown (born July 30, 1974), better known by his stage name X-Raided, is an American rapper. In 1992, Brown was sentenced to 31 years in prison on murder charges, which Brown denied, maintaining his innocence. The lyrics of his d ...

) earned this distinction, as its lyrics were a scathing critique of political officials, including governor

Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Wilson previously served as a United S ...

, and California's Prop. 184 three-strikes law. He ineffectively argued for appeal three times. Although some charges were dropped as it was viewed as a violation of his

First Amendment rights The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents Congress from making laws respecting an establishment of religion; prohibiting the free exercise of religion; or abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of t ...

, he was arrested in California in 1998, under the suspicion that his violent rap lyrics violated his parole. He rapped his court statement to the presiding judge, in Ohio, who gave C-Bo probation on the condition that he also rap in a Public Service Announcement. Also known for his frequent collaborations with fellow California-based rappers, he appeared in numerous videos for

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

Early life

Thomas was raised in a single family home with three brothers and five sisters. During that time he became a member of the Garden Blocc

Crips The Crips are a primarily African-American alliance of street gangs that are based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips ...

Legal issues

Since the age of 10 Thomas spent nearly half of his life in and out of incarceration, entering the criminal justice system at age 14, being arrested 40-50 times spending time at Soledad State Prison,

Folsom State Prison Folsom California State Prison is a California State Prison in Folsom, California, United States, approximately northeast of the state capital of Sacramento. It is one of 34 adult institutions operated by the California Department of Correcti ...

, and Deuel Vocational Institution. During a 1993 music video shoot, Thomas fired a shot in the air to get people's attention and stop a potential gang situation. Instead it made matters worse, confusing the crowd and causing more shots to ring off. His friend King Miller was killed at age 23 during the act. In a 1996 incident Thomas was sentenced to 15 months in jail. A firearm used by him caused a death of one man during a rival gang confrontation. In March 1998, he was sentenced to two more months in prison in Sacramento, after testing positive for marijuana which violated the terms of his probation. In August 2017, during the filming of a music video, a shootout occurred leaving 1 dead and 4 injured. This came after rapper Mozzy and Thomas had exchanged diss tracks during the same month.

Personal life

Thomas is married with 3 children, he enjoys skiing, camping and fishing.

Discography

Studio albums

Collaborative albums

*'' Blocc Movement'' (with Brotha Lynch Hung) (2001) *''Gang Affiliated'' (with West Coast Mafia Gang) (2004) *'' In Thugz We Trust'' (with Thug Lordz) (2004) *''100 Racks In My Backpack'' (with

San Quinn Quincy Adams Brooks, known professionally as San Quinn, is an American rapper from San Francisco, California. He is the cousin of Messy Marv, Stevie Johnson, and Ya Boy. Early life Brooks was born in Oakland, and grew up in the Fillmore Dis ...

) (2006) *''Thug Lordz Trilogy'' (with Thug Lordz) (2006) *''The Moment of Truth'' (with Killa Tay) (2006) *''Tradin' War Stories'' (with Omar "Big-O" Gooding) (2008) *''Thug Money'' (with Thug Lordz) (2010)

Compilation albums

*'' The Best of C-Bo'' (1995) *'' C-Bo's Best Appearances '91-'99'' (2001) *'' West Coast Mafia'' (2002) *'' West Side Ryders'' (2003) *''C-Bo's Lost Sessions'' (2004) *''West Side Ryders II'' (2005) *''Best of the Girth'' (2005) *''The Greatest Hits'' (2005) *''West Side Ryders III'' (2007) *''West Coast Classics'' (2007) *''C-Bo's Bulletproof'' (2007) *''West Side Ryders IV: World Wide Mob'' (2008) *''West Side Ryders V'' (2011) *''C-Bo Trilogy'' (2012) *''OG Chronicles'' (2014) *''Mobfather: The John Gotti Pack'' (2018)

Mixtapes

*''Underground & Unreleased'' with West Coast Mafia Gang (2004) *''West Coast Durty'' with Lil' Flip (2004) *''The Money to Burn Mixtape'' (2006) *'' Cashville Takeover'' with Cashville Records (2009) *''West Coast Mafia Music'' (2010) *''I Am Gangsta Rap'' (2013)

Extended plays

Singles

*"Trapped" with Brit on the Beat (2023) *"OT Trips" with Brit on the Beat (2022) *"The Hustler" (2022) *"Mo Money" (2022) *"Lets' Ride" with Kafeeno (2022)

Guest appearances

References

{{Authority control 1971 births Living people 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American rappers 21st-century African-American musicians African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers Cashville Records artists Crips Gangsta rappers Rappers from Sacramento, California RBC Records artists Virgin Records artists