A-Wax

West Coast native Aaron Doppie developed an early obsession with rap and hip-hop culture, yet his approach to music evolved sharply after a manslaughter conviction sent him to prison at age 16. During the five-year term he filled notebooks with lyrics and grew determined to refine his skills as an emcee. Freed from incarceration, he adopted the moniker A-Wax and issued his first project, Savage Timez, in 2001. That debut stood out for its biting verses and unfiltered accounts of prison existence, quickly earning him regional recognition. He maintained an unrelenting release schedule, issuing fresh albums, contributing guest verses to tracks by associates, and founding Pie-Rx Recordz. Although a major-label contract remained elusive in those years, he did connect with established figures such as The Game and Baby Bash. Across the 2000s he continued to drop numerous albums and mixtapes, among them 65 G'z in a Jordan Briefcase in 2002, Thug Deluxe in 2004, 2007’s Unconditional Thug, and 2009’s The Street Album. His street-oriented gangsta rap, shaped by the landmark ’90s hip-hop era, adapted alongside shifting trends and his personal trajectory. By the arrival of Pullin’ Strings in 2014, A-Wax had spent nearly two decades operating independently, allowing introspective reflections on endurance to surface in his writing. Rooted in his Bay Area gang background, his career was repeatedly punctuated by disputes with fellow artists, several of which fueled further output. That momentum persisted through later projects such as 2015’s EverLasting Money, 2016’s Pushin’ Keyz, and the 2017 joint effort Ova East alongside GMEBE Bandz.