# Hi-C (rapper, born 1973)
**Hi-C** is the stage name of Crawford Wilkerson, an American rapper and actor born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in [Compton, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/compton-california)[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b57e1e17-3b77-4958-b9d0-b2a58d7d2dfd) • [2](https://www.nts.live/artists/82557-hi-c). He is known for the 1991 debut album *Skanless*, for the single "I'm Not Your Puppet", and for his long association with the Compton rapper-producer [DJ Quik](https://www.edgepedia.org/dj-quik), appearing on records with Quik, AMG, and 2nd II None[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b57e1e17-3b77-4958-b9d0-b2a58d7d2dfd) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908). He also recorded under the name Crawf Dog[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b57e1e17-3b77-4958-b9d0-b2a58d7d2dfd).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Legal name | Crawford Wilkerson; also recorded as Crawf Dog[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b57e1e17-3b77-4958-b9d0-b2a58d7d2dfd) |
| Origin | Born in New Orleans, Louisiana; raised in Compton, California[2](https://www.nts.live/artists/82557-hi-c) |
| Debut album | *Skanless*, released December 1991, one week after AMG's *Bitch Betta Have My Money*[4](https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2017/03/dj-quik-amg-2nd-ii-none-hi-c-video/) |
| Best-known single | "I'm Not Your Puppet" (1991)[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908) |
| Later albums | *Swing'n* (1993); *The Hi-Life Hustle* (2003) on Rap-A-Lot Records[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908) • [5](https://www.fakeforreal.net/hi-c-the-hi-life-hustle/) |
| Film work | Roles in *Encino Man*, *CB4*, and *South Central*; provided the voice and lyrics for the Chris Rock character's on-screen raps in *CB4*[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908) |
| Label history | Skanless Records (self-financed), Hollywood Records, Rap-A-Lot Records[6](https://westcoast2k.com/hi-c-skanless/) • [7](https://uniqueaccessent.com/tony-a-shares-skanless-stories-with-hi-c-disney/) |
## Origins and the Roadium Swap Meet
Hi-C's start in music came through the informal retail circuit around Los Angeles rather than through a label. His first job was working at the Roadium Swap Meet, where he became immersed in the emerging West Coast hip-hop scene[8](https://hictheog.com/). In a later interview he described beginning his career at the swap meet with the record dealer Steve Yano and the producer Tony A, in an environment that also included Eazy-E and [Dr. Dre](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-dre)[9](https://omny.fm/shows/the-gangster-chronicles/the-hi-c-interview).
**Tony A and the mixtape that got them signed.** Tony A, a producer from Wilmington, California, was initially won over after a live Hi-C show at Centennial High School in Compton, and then worked with him, having him rap over many beats to develop his personal style[7](https://uniqueaccessent.com/tony-a-shares-skanless-stories-with-hi-c-disney/). Hi-C found his voice on the song "I'm Not Your Puppet", recorded for a mixtape named after him; Tony A later recalled that the tape "went gold on the streets"[7](https://uniqueaccessent.com/tony-a-shares-skanless-stories-with-hi-c-disney/). A visitor to the Roadium Swap Meet who asked who made the tape turned out to represent Disney's then-new record label, [Hollywood Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywood-records), and the pair were signed "for $140,000 off a mixtape"[7](https://uniqueaccessent.com/tony-a-shares-skanless-stories-with-hi-c-disney/).
## Skanless and the DJ Quik circle
At the turn of the 1990s, Hi-C belonged to the Compton crew that formed around DJ Quik, together with AMG and 2nd II None. AMG described the group as a brotherhood: "We'd sit up and make songs together, do hooks on each others songs, and get on each others' records"[4](https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2017/03/dj-quik-amg-2nd-ii-none-hi-c-video/). Hi-C first introduced himself on the song "Skanless" on Quik's debut, closing it with a punchline that became his calling card[10](https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_hicskanless.html).
His own debut album Skanless was released in December 1991, one week after AMG's *Bitch Betta Have My Money*[4](https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2017/03/dj-quik-amg-2nd-ii-none-hi-c-video/), on Skanless Records, Hi-C's own self-financed imprint[6](https://westcoast2k.com/hi-c-skanless/). Tony A produced 9 of the album's 12 songs[7](https://uniqueaccessent.com/tony-a-shares-skanless-stories-with-hi-c-disney/). Before its release, the pair had a disagreement over content with the Disney executive [Michael Eisner](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-eisner), who objected to the lyrics of "2 at a Time" and offered $80,000 to change what he wanted changed[7](https://uniqueaccessent.com/tony-a-shares-skanless-stories-with-hi-c-disney/).
The album's tone set Hi-C apart from the confrontational gangsta rap associated with Compton. He put it this way: "I'm into music first, messages later. I'm not hardcore and I don't constantly say 'black this' or 'black that'"[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908). A contemporary press profile observed that with *Skanless*, "humor can and does exist alongside the sometimes brutal lifestyle associated with Los Angeles rappers"[11](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Music-Connection/90/1993/Music-Connection-1993-10-25.pdf). The record leaned on funk-influenced drum programming and synth basslines, with standouts including the comedic "Leave My Curl Alone", about holding on to his [Jheri curl](https://www.edgepedia.org/jheri-curl), the neighborhood sketch "Compton Hoochies", and the closing posse cut "2 Skanless" with DJ Quik, 2nd II None, and AMG[10](https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_hicskanless.html) • [6](https://westcoast2k.com/hi-c-skanless/) • [12](https://www.rapmusicguide.com/cd/1206/hic-skanless).
The album became a collector's item in later years: used copies of *Skanless* sold online for between $50 and $100 before the first two albums were re-issued around his comeback on Rap-A-Lot[10](https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_hicskanless.html).
## Singles and 1990s output
His singles reached a national audience early in the decade. AllMusic's biography states that singles like "I'm Not Your Puppet" rose high in the [Billboard charts](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-charts) in 1990[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908), while discographic listings date the single's release to 1991 on the *Skanless* album[13](https://musicbase.net/hi-c). Other singles included "Leave My Curl Alone" (1991), "Sitting in the Park" (1992), and "Got It Like That" (1993)[13](https://musicbase.net/hi-c).
His second album, *Swing'n*, followed in 1993[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908). Press coverage at the time noted that it "gets a bit more serious, but still maintains a slant that sets him apart from other rappers"[11](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Music-Connection/90/1993/Music-Connection-1993-10-25.pdf). After that, his solo output stopped for roughly a decade, though he kept appearing as a guest, including on DJ Quik's 2002 album *Under Tha Influence*[4](https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2017/03/dj-quik-amg-2nd-ii-none-hi-c-video/). He is also credited with vocals on [LL Cool J](https://www.edgepedia.org/ll-cool-j)'s 1990 album *[Mama Said Knock You Out](https://www.edgepedia.org/mama-said-knock-you-out)*[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908).
## Screen work
Hi-C also took acting roles, in the films *Encino Man*, *CB4*, and *South Central*[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908). In *CB4* he supplied the voice and lyrics for the on-screen raps of the character played by [Chris Rock](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-rock)[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908), and he is credited as a producer, performer, and composer on the film's soundtrack[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908).
## The Hi-Life Hustle comeback
In 2003 Hi-C returned with his third album, The Hi-Life Hustle, released on 21 October 2003 on the Houston-based Rap-A-Lot Records[5](https://www.fakeforreal.net/hi-c-the-hi-life-hustle/). The album assembled a wide roster of West Coast guests: [Suga Free](https://www.edgepedia.org/suga-free) on "Say Woop", Nate Dogg on the G-funk track "I Don't Wanna Know", DJ Quik rapping on and producing several tracks including "Let Me Know", E-40 and Sly Boogy on "Talk", and Xzibit on "In My Face"[14](https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2004_08_hilifehustle.html) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908). The review in RapReviews judged that his skills had "definitely gotten sharper" during the decade-long gap, describing his vocal style as a mixture of Suga Free's pimping and DJ Quik's high notes[14](https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2004_08_hilifehustle.html).
His name continued to appear as a guest on Quik-family recordings afterward, including the 2004 compilation *Suga Free The Features*, and he released an album titled *The Hustle Don't Stop* in 2008[13](https://musicbase.net/hi-c) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908).
## The name Hi-C and the younger namesake
The stage name plays on the vitamin-fortified fruit drink of the same name[14](https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2004_08_hilifehustle.html). A different rapper using the name Hi-C, born in 1998 and associated with artists such as [Reptilian Club Boyz](https://www.edgepedia.org/reptilian-club-boyz) and xaviersobased, has been active since the late 2010s, and streaming profiles and recommendation pages for the name frequently mix the two catalogs[15](https://www.shazam.com/artist/hi-c/1451602530) • [16](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/64125-hi-c/similar/). The 1990s Hi-C's catalog is identifiable by the *Skanless* and *Swing'n* albums and by his guest appearances in the DJ Quik circle[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908).
## References
1. [Hi‐C, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b57e1e17-3b77-4958-b9d0-b2a58d7d2dfd)
2. [Hi-C, NTS](https://www.nts.live/artists/82557-hi-c)
3. [Hi-C — Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hi-c-mn0000673908)
4. [AMG Breaks Down How DJ Quik, 2nd II None & Hi-C All Cliqued Up, Ambrosia For Heads](https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2017/03/dj-quik-amg-2nd-ii-none-hi-c-video/)
5. [HI-C – The Hi-Life Hustle – Fake For Real](https://www.fakeforreal.net/hi-c-the-hi-life-hustle/)
6. [Hi-C – Skanless (1992) West Coast Gangsta Rap, WestCoast2k](https://westcoast2k.com/hi-c-skanless/)
7. [Tony A Shares Skanless Stories With Hi-C & Disney, Unique Access Ent.](https://uniqueaccessent.com/tony-a-shares-skanless-stories-with-hi-c-disney/)
8. [HI-C The OG | West Coast Hip-Hop Legend from Compton](https://hictheog.com/)
9. [The Hi-C Interview, The Gangster Chronicles (Omny.fm)](https://omny.fm/shows/the-gangster-chronicles/the-hi-c-interview)
10. [Hi-C :: Skanless :: Skanless Records, RapReviews](https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_hicskanless.html)
11. [Music Connection, 25 October 1993, WorldRadioHistory archive](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Music-Connection/90/1993/Music-Connection-1993-10-25.pdf)
12. [Hi-C - Skanless, Rap Music Guide](https://www.rapmusicguide.com/cd/1206/hic-skanless)
13. [Hi-C, MusicBase](https://musicbase.net/hi-c)
14. [Hi-C :: Hi-Life Hustle :: Rap-A-Lot Records, RapReviews](https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2004_08_hilifehustle.html)
15. [Hi-C, Shazam](https://www.shazam.com/artist/hi-c/1451602530)
16. [Similar Artists - Hi-C, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/64125-hi-c/similar/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › West Coast rap (Bay Area and Los Angeles) › Los Angeles and Southern California rappers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license