Born in San Bernardino into a musical family — his father, aunt and two uncles were all in an R&B/soul group — Sly Boogy started rapping in his early teens, forming the groups Backadashaq and Black Spooks before signing solo to Bolo Entertainment in 2002. His 2003 debut Judgement Day and the follow-up singles "California Remix" and "That'z My Name" picked up real MTV2 airplay in 2004, part of a grimy, street-level sound that ran in the same lane as the Likwit Crew without ever fully crossing into the mainstream.
