Stephen Jerome Williams
(March 10, 1968 – April 29, 2020), known by his stage name Stezo, was an American
rapper and
producer
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
.
Career
Stezo was born Stephen Williams in 1968 in
New Haven, Connecticut.
He first appeared on the hip-hop scene as a dancer for the group
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...
.
He appeared in the video for EPMD's single "You Gots to Chill" from their 1988 album ''
Strictly Business''. After this experience Stezo sought a career as a hip-hop artist on his own.
In 1989, Stezo signed a record deal with
Sleeping Bag Records
Sleeping Bag Records is a defunct New York City-based independent record label founded by musician Arthur Russell and entrepreneur Will Socolov. It was active between 1981 and 1992, and specialized in dance music and hip hop.
Background and ...
and released his 12-inch single "To the Max" and eventually a full album ''
Crazy Noise''.
Stezo handled all rapping and production on the album. The single received some attention around the time it was released.
The album charting at #37 on the
''Billboard'' R&B albums chart, and received praise for its very funky production and on-point rapping. The album's two singles both charted on
''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Chart.
Despite the success of his debut album, Stezo didn't release more music for five years. In 1994, he released the single "Bop Ya Headz"/"Shining Star". Then in 1997 he released his follow-up album ''Where's the Funk At''. The album received little attention and did not chart. In 2005, Stezo released a third album, ''C.T. (The Lost State)'', paying homage to his home state of
Connecticut.
Stezo died in his sleep on April 29, 2020, at age 52, from heart complications.
Discography
Albums
*''
Crazy Noise'' (1989) – U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums #37
*''Where's the Funk At'' (1997)
*''C.T. (The Lost State)'' (2005)
*''The Last Dance'' (2021)
Singles
References
{{Authority control
1968 births
2020 deaths
African-American male rappers
Rappers from Connecticut
Musicians from New Haven, Connecticut
21st-century American rappers
East Coast hip hop musicians
Sleeping Bag Records artists
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century African-American musicians
20th-century African-American people