User:Callmelike

Gabe Stevenson (born April 21 1983 in Los Angeles, Calif.), better known as Likewize or Like, is an American rapper and platinum-certified producer who is a member of the critically-acclaimed hip hop trio Pac Div, and a solo artist.

Like grew up in Los Angeles, California, with his brother Mibbs and his parents, one of whom was a member of a gospel band that rehearsed in the family’s garage. The two grew up rapping through middle school and high school. Once their family moved to Palmdale, CA, they met and teamed with longtime friend BeYoung to found Pacific Division (which would later be renamed to Pac Div). In 2006, shortly after graduating, Pac Div released their debut Sealed For Freshness: The Blend Tape, a mix of original songs produced by Swiff D and freestyles over classic rap tunes. The trio pressed several thousand copies and trekked around the state to hand out CDs. Like ran into Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots at a record store, and gave him a copy of the disc. Questlove called Likewize the following day, praising the group’s work. Pac Div got early gigs with local rap group Bleu Collar, and made a strong enough impression on the crowd to continue performances on a monthly basis. As their buzz grew, they landed gigs at colleges like UCLA and Loyola Marymount University.

Pac Div landed a deal with Two Tone Elephant, an indie label ran by Snoop Dogg’s former manager Ted Chung. Sealed For Freshness music videos for “F.A.T. Boys,” “Women Problems” and “Paper” gained traction over the following two years, putting Pac Div in the national spotlight and showcasing them as the center of a SoCal renaissance that included emerging acts like U-N-I, Dom Kennedy and J*DaVeY. The group later released the raucous radio track “Mayor,” which started a bidding war that included offers from Jermaine Dupri and Ludacris, and praises from Pharrell. They opted to sign with Universal Motown Records in early 2009. To build excitement for their planned label debut, Pac Div released Church League Champions as a free download in July and joined nationwide tours with The Roots, Q-Tip, The Cool Kids, Kid Cudi, B.o.B. and Asher Roth. After a strong buzz in 2009, industry excitement for Pac Div began to die down when their album hadn’t hit stores. In a quest to satisfy Universal Motown’s requests for a radio single, the group recorded new music with Pharrell, Jim Jonsin, Thundercat and other producers. Label execs were unsatisfied with the results, and stalled the project’s release while freezing its budget. Pac Div released another free record of all original music in 2010, Don’t Mention It, but touring schedules and a lack of label resources prevented them from recording more music videos, an anchor of the success from their previous releases.

The group members moved to different living quarters, with Like moving in with his uncle in Inglewood, Calif. Decreased label resources cut access to recording studios and A-List producers, so Like began to build a home studio to learn how to engineer the group’s studio sessions and produce instrumentals—a skill he had looked into in high school, but hadn’t fully developed. He invested in speakers, a microphone, and keyboards, and he learned to use Reazon and Logic Pro, which he had gotten from industry friends Aspect One and DJ Dahi. He also began a spiritual transformation, which included reading over 100 books over the course of a year, most of them recommended by his friends in the entertainment industry. With rejuvenated confidence and a newly-honed self-sustainability, Pac Div returned in 2011 with Mania!, a free online release that showcased Like’s skills as a producer on “Still A Knucklehead.” Acts such as Casey Veggies, Sir Michael Rocks and BJ The Chicago Kid offered cameos, while Dahi, Swiff D and 1500 offered supporting production. Pac Div also negotiated an amicable split with Universal Motown Records, and built their own company. The group has stayed indie ever since, despite building relationships with T.I.’s Grand Hustle (via a tour with Young Dro) and Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group. They released their debut studio full-length “The DiV” in 2011, and “GMB” in 2012.

Like also began to shop his production to industry friends. He gave the first beat he made on his new equipment to Mac Miller, which turned into “Family First,” the Talib Kweli-featured standout from Miller’s album Road 2 A Million Fans. He later landed his first major label placement: the somber, piano-laden first half “Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst,” the magnum opus from Kendrick Lamar’s critically acclaimed, platinum-certified Aftermath/Interscope debut “good kid, m.A.A.d city.” Like is currently lending production to other artists, fine tuning an instrumental record, DJing, and beginning the creative process of a solo debut. He is also landing licensing opportunities with companies like Fader, Complex, and Nissan.