San Jose-born DJ/producer and label head Peanut Butter Wolf made his initial splash in hip-hop through his early ‘90s work with MC Charizma. The duo signed to Hollywood Basic and recorded Big Shots, but differences with the label had the album shelved. Charizma was killed later that year, and PBW soldiered on; he cut a track for the turntablist compilation Return of the DJ, Vol. 1 (1996) and released one of the first instrumental hip-hop albums, Peanut Butter Breaks, in 1994. In 1996, PBW founded Stones Throw and began releasing records by like-minded DJs and producers such as Q-Bert, Cut Chemist, Rob Swift, and Jay Dee. He eventually moved away from producing to refocus his energies on DJing and the label.