Hawthorne started out as a member of the group Athletic Mic League (as [a=Haircut (3)]), based in Ann Arbor, Michigan before moving to Los Angeles in 2005.
Stones Throw label head Peanut Butter Wolf signed him in 2005 and released his first album, A Strange Arrangement, in 2009.
Hawthorne founded his own label [l=P&L Records (2)] in 2023.