Adam Carter, born to Jamaican parents, left Denver for Oakland, California, at age five when his family relocated. There in the Bay Area he encountered hip-hop, composing his opening rhyme at eight and producing his first beat shortly afterward. He shared an elementary school with Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Casual, and Tajai; the last of these connected him to Phesto and Opio, and together the three formed Souls of Mischief while still in high school. His stage name A Plus came from his father’s observations about the marks he earned at school. The trio landed a contract with Jive and delivered its debut album, 93 'Til Infinity, which helped ignite California’s thriving backpacker hip-hop community. After the 1995 release of the follow-up No Man's Land, the act lost its deal yet A Plus quickly joined Hieroglyphics—led by its best-known member Del—as a founding participant in the Oakland collective and independent label that managed its own promotion, record releases, and clothing line. Though he had already logged years as both an MC and producer, occasionally using the name “Plee,” his first solo rap album, My Last Good Deed, did not appear until 2007.
