Charles Misodi Njapa (born March 5, 1976), better known by his stage name 88-Keys, is an American record producer and rapper from New York City.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Discography 3 References 4 External links Biography

Born in New York City to West African parents, he was raised in the Eastchester section of the Bronx and later in West Hempstead on Long Island, where he attended high school.[1][2]

88-Keys first took an interest in hip hop after hearing Prince Paul's production on De La Soul's 1989 critically acclaimed album 3 Feet High and Rising.[3] In the early '90's, 88-Keys met A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, DJ-producer Pete Rock and producer Large Professor working as an intern at West Hempstead's The Music Palace recording studio. It was Large Professor who gave Charles his 88-Keys moniker after witnessing his skills on the Ensoniq ASR-10 keyboard.[4]

Upon considering a serious career in music, 88-Keys's parents and older brother began trying to point him into the field of medicine because it was a more "professional field" and the music industry didn't seem like a lucrative move.[5] After briefly attending Hofstra University and Queens College, 88-Keys dropped out to pursue his dreams of being a record producer. His decision was fueled by an opportunity to record some tracks with The Pharcyde who were recording in California.[6] 88-Keys currently resides in Harlem, New York with his wife and two daughters.

In addition to his passion for music, 88-Keys has expressed his love for fashion, most notably Ralph Lauren. During an interview with Metro 88-Keys revealed that he has worn Polo Ralph Lauren every day for 16 years.

“ I try to stay true to Ralph's vision. I don't want to bastardize his vision — no offense to the urban community — because we all know what happened to Tommy Hilfiger once the hip hop community embraced it. I'll walk out of the door dressed in loafers when everyone else is wearing Timberland boots. I definitely stand out. I'll tag along with Kanye on shopping trips and look at clothing by designers whose names I'd need to take French lessons to pronounce. He'll ask me what I think and I'll be like, whatever. I've turned down paying gigs because they've tried to dress me in clothing by other designers. Besides record shopping, the only other place I need is a Polo store. I'll go to Paris and they ll be like, 'here's the Eiffel Tower' and I'm like, 'whatever, where's the record store and the Polo store.[7] ”