Charles Edward Hicks Jr., known by his stage name Charizma, was a 20-year-old rapper from Milpitas, California. Born July 6, 1973, he performed from his high school years and formed a duo with producer Peanut Butter Wolf in 1990 that built a Bay Area following and signed with Hollywood Basic. Creative differences with the label meant no full album was released while he was alive.

On December 16, 1993, Charizma was shot once in the chest and killed instantly while sitting in his car at a stoplight in front of a church in East Palo Alto as he was on his way to pick up his mother. The shooting was believed to be a robbery gone wrong. A preacher who was watering the lawn at the church identified the shooter, who was arrested the same day.

After his death Peanut Butter Wolf later founded Stones Throw Records and a posthumous album titled Big Shots was released in 2003 featuring their recordings. Does anyone have memories of Charizma from the Bay Area scene or information about that night in East Palo Alto?