Hogan High School Class of 1985: Was @E40 at Your 40th Reunion? Yup?!
Earl Stevens — the world knows him as E-40, Ambassador of the Bay. His Hogan classmates just knew him as Earl. Here's the story of a Spartan legend and the reunion question that had everyone talking.
Photo credit: Hogan Alumni Archive.
Hogan Spartans · hoganspartans.blogspot.com · Class of 1985 Series
There is a specific kind of magic that exists only in Vallejo — a frequency tuned to the hum of the Carquinez Strait and the grit of Sonoma Boulevard. For the graduates of Hogan Senior High School, specifically the Class of 1985, that magic is inextricably linked to a voice that defined a region and then redefined the world. He is Earl Stevens, better known to the planet as E-40, the Ambassador of the Bay — and to his Spartan classmates, he will always be the kid from Magazine Street who made V-Town famous.
As the Class of '85 approached its monumental 40th reunion, one question was vibrating through every group chat, every Facebook thread, and every nostalgic phone call between old friends: Is Earl coming?
A "Choices (Yup)" Reunion Retrospective
The Myth of the 40th: A "Choices" Moment
In 2015, E-40 released "Choices (Yup)," a track that became an instant anthem — a masterclass in the binary of life's decisions, built on the power of affirmation and negation. It is a rhythmic inventory of what we stand for and what we leave behind. For a 40th high school reunion, "Choices (Yup)" isn't just a club banger; it's a philosophical retrospective of four decades — the paths taken, the mistakes avoided, and the defining moments that shaped who the Class of '85 became.
Hearing that song in a room full of people who knew Earl before the gold records would have been a full-circle moment of cosmic proportions. Imagine the scene: the lights low, the DJ dropping that beat like a Vallejo heartbeat, and the whole class shouting back the hook together. The visual of the Ambassador himself walking in — perhaps rocking a custom Spartan-blue varsity jacket — would have been instant folklore.
The reality was a bit more grounded. While the spirit of E-40 was there in every lyric shouted by his former classmates, the man himself couldn't make the date. E-40 at the 40th? It would have been the ultimate Vallejo reunion story.
Looking Back: The 10th Reunion Legend (1995)
While the 40-year mark didn't get his appearance, the Hogan Class of '85 holds a legendary card in their deck: the 10th reunion in 1995. To understand the weight of that moment, you have to understand where E-40 was at that point in his career. This was the year of In a Major Way — the album that was transitioning him from Bay Area powerhouse to national phenomenon, proving that independent hustle could take a kid from Vallejo all the way to the top of the Billboard charts.
"In '95, Earl showed up. He stood among the people who remembered him from the Pop Warner fields and the Hogan hallways. That appearance cemented a bond that many celebrities lose as they ascend." — Hogan Alumni Archive, Class of 1985
That 1995 appearance meant something far beyond a celebrity sighting. It showed that no matter how many choices he made that led him to the global stage, he never forgot where those choices started — right here in Vallejo, California. No matter how many stages he commanded around the world, the Spartan in him remained.
Pop Warner Roots: More Than Just Classmates
The connection between E-40 and the Class of '85 isn't just about shared geography — it's about shared history. Playing Pop Warner in Vallejo is a rite of passage. It's where the fellas learned discipline, teamwork, and the hustle-hard mentality that Earl would later preach to the world through his music. When you listen to the cadence of E-40's flow, you hear the rhythm of the Bay. You hear the slang that was incubated in the schoolyards of Hogan Senior High School.
For those who played ball with him on those Vallejo fields, his success isn't just a point of pride — it's a validation of their shared upbringing. Every time he shouts out V-Town, he's shouting out the Class of '85. Every gold record carries a little bit of Spartan DNA.
The Legacy of the Spartan Hustle
Earl Stevens' career is the ultimate "Yup" to the question of whether a kid from Vallejo can change the world. Through his music, his business ventures — including his acclaimed wine and spirits brands — and his unwavering loyalty to his roots, he has provided a blueprint for longevity that few artists in any genre can match. He has released more albums than nearly any solo artist in hip-hop history, and through all of it, the Bay has remained his foundation.
Though the 40th reunion didn't get a live performance of "Choices," the song served as the soundtrack to the night anyway. It allowed the graduates to look across the room at each other — a little grayer, a little wiser — and acknowledge that they were still the same Spartans at heart. Still hustling. Still Vallejo-proud. Still saying Yup to life.
Quick Facts: E-40 & Hogan High
| Artist | E-40 (Earl Stevens) |
| School | Hogan Senior High School — Vallejo, CA |
| Class | 1985 |
| Key Track | "Choices (Yup)" (2015) |
| 10th Reunion | Attended (1995) — year of In a Major Way |
| 40th Reunion | Couldn't make the date — spirit was in the room |
| Roots | Pop Warner teammates & Hogan hallway classmates |
The story of E-40 and Hogan High is far from over. Keep an eye on our upcoming Hogan events page as we continue to celebrate the Class of '85 legacy — more on Earl Stevens, the business of the Bay, and the songs that keep us all saying Yup.
Video: "Choices (Yup)" by E-40 (Earl Stevens), Hogan High School Class of 1985.
The definitive Vallejo soundtrack.
Were you there for the 40th? Do you have a reunion photo or a memory of Earl from your Hogan days? Share it with us — your story belongs here.
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