Charles Toby Bowens (born May 9, 1977), commonly known by his stage name Keak da Sneak, is a rapper from Oakland, California . At the age of 16 he was known as Z-Kush but became known as "Keak da Sneak" at 17, best known for his scratchy, gruff rapping voice and coining the term "hyphy" in 1994.

Keak da Sneak was born in Alabama where most of his family is from. He found popularity while attending Bushrod Elementary School, which he parlayed into later friendships and talent show performances at Oakland's Bret Harte Junior High. Through theater he met his collaborator Agerman. Together, they formed Dual Committee, which, at the age of 15, was first heard on the songs "Murder Man" & "Stompin in My Steel Toes" on C-BO's 1994 EP The Autopsy. Citing the personal growth of all three artists, he later signed as a solo artist with Sacramento-based Moe Doe records as a solo artist. At this point, he began to receive more radio airplay, especially on San Francisco hip-hop station KMEL. He has collaborated with major artists such as E-40. Keak had video play on MTV, MTV2 & BET. Keak was even featured on MTV's My Super Sweet 16.