Words by Jiro Kohl
Photos By Matthew Scott
For most, high school memories include getting high in the parking lot or thinking up elaborate cheating schemes for that bio test and still failing. For Droop-E, however, the son of Bay Area legend E-40, high school meant crafting beats for two solo projects—a compilation titled The Bay Bridges and an album with partner B-Slimm—as well as giving beats to Yay Area legends 40 Water and Too $hort. Born Earl Stevens Jr. in 1988, Droop-E is also the inquisitive young man who opens “It’s All Bad” on E-40’s 1995 classic In A Major Way. Following his memorable appearance as the “six-year-old vocalist,” Droop-E moved behind the boards, and is now crafting the beats that are becoming the backbone of the new Bay Area movement.
Now serving as the president of Sick Wid It Records, Droop has placed beats on Turf Talk’s The West Coast Vaccine: The Cure, Mistah F.A.B.’s Son of a Pimp, and his pop’s My Ghetto Report Card, as well as providing DJ Shadow with a remix for “3 Freaks.” He is also part of Sick Wid It’s in-house production team, The Pharmaceuticals. After achieving success at such a young age, some people’s heads would blow up faster than their reps, but not Droop-E. Always hungry and humble, he says his wins have come from being in a place where he can watch and learn from greats like Rick Rock and Bosko. “I just observe and listen,” says Droop. “I remember when I first started making music, being around DJ Quik, I played him some of my beats, and he told me I had the eye of the tiger.”
After seeing his son’s interest in production, E-40 gave Droop-E a production starters kit, consisting of an MPC 2000 and Triton Keyboard, for Christmas when he was 15 years old. Now, Droop uses an MPC 4000 and Fantom keyboard to create his trunk rattling, percussion driven beats. “I don’t need too many sounds,” says Droop. “The simplicity, it takes it back to the original hip hop.” With placements lined up for both E-40 and Nelly’s new albums, Droop-E will emerge from behind Forty’s large shadow, although the shade ain’t so bad. “My pops is respected world wide,” explains Droop. “Everywhere I go with him, from Atlanta to New York, so many people show him love, so I accept that title [as his son] with honor.”
