West Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast of the United States. West Coast hip hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the early to-mid 1990s with the birth of G-funk and the emergence of record labels such as Suge Knight and Dr. Dre's Death Row Records, Ice Cube's Lench Mob Records, the continued success of Eazy-E's Ruthless Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and others.
Andre Louis Hicks, known by his stage name Mac Dre, was an American rapper from Vallejo, California. He was an instrumental figure in the emergence of hyphy, a cultural movement in the Bay Area hip hop scene that emerged in the early 2000s. Hicks is considered one of the movement's key pioneers that fueled its popularity into mainstream, releasing songs with fast-paced rhymes and basslines that inspired a new style of dance. As the founder of the independent record label Thizz Entertainment, Hicks recorded dozens of albums and gave aspiring rappers an outlet to release albums locally.
The term hyphy is an Oakland, California slang meaning "hyperactive". More specifically, it is an adjective describing the hip hop music and the culture associated with the Oakland area. The term was first coined by Oakland rapper Keak da Sneak.
Jamal Rocker, known professionally as Mac Mall, is an American rapper from the San Francisco Bay Area who became known in the mid-late 1990s.
Stanley Petey Cox, better known by his stage name Mistah F.A.B., is an American rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, community organizer and activist.
"Tell Me When to Go" is the first single from E-40's BME/Warner Bros. debut, My Ghetto Report Card. Keak da Sneak is also featured on the track. It was produced by Lil Jon, and one of the first singles to kick off the hyphy movement on a national level and popularized the phrase "ghost ride the whip". The song reached number 35 in the U.S. and eventually was certified Platinum by the RIAA on February 2, 2024. The song first premiered online on the MySpace.com homepage and it was the first hip hop single to premiere online before being released.
Turf Talk, is a Bay Area rapper involved with the hyphy movement. He is a cousin of Bay Area rapper E-40, and is signed to his record label Sick Wid It Records.
Sultan Banks, better known as Traxamillion, was an American hip hop producer. He produced records such as Keak da Sneak's "Super Hyphy" and Dem Hoodstarz "Grown Man Remix". His first album, The Slapp Addict, was a compilation of Bay Area hyphy artists and was released August 22, 2006.
Da Baydestrian is the third studio album by American rapper Mistah F.A.B. from Oakland, California. It was released on May 15, 2007, via SMC Recordings and Thizz Entertainment. Production was handled by several record producers, including Gennessee Lewis, Maxwell Smart, Sean T, Traxamillion, Rob-E, Bedrock, Politics, Trackademicks, and Young L. It also features guest appearances from Keak da Sneak, Messy Marv, Spice 1, Too $hort, Fabo, 2Dolla, Dogwood, Dyson, and J. Nash.
16 wit Dre is a 2006 mix album by hyphy Bay Area rapper Mac Dre, who was killed 2 1/2 years prior to the album's release, mixed by DJ Backside.
Steve Davison, better known as PSD, PSD Tha Drivah or Stevie Dee, is a rapper and producer from Vallejo, California, who is closely associated with the late Mac Dre.
Thizz Iz Allndadoe is a solo album released by rapper, Keak da Sneak. It was his first for Thizz Entertainment, one of the largest Hyphy labels in California.
Starters in the Game is a 2007 compilation album by hyphy Bay Area rapper Mac Dre.
Khayree Shaheed is a music producer, from Vallejo, California. He is best known for producing for Bay Area rappers such as Mac Dre, Mac Mall, Ray Luv, and Young Lay.
Dre Day: July 5th 1970 is a posthumous 2008 album by Hyphy Bay Area rapper Mac Dre.
The Best of Mac Dre is the first "best of" album by Mac Dre. It was released in 2002 by Sumo/Thizz Entertainment ©. It is the first compilation of his hit songs, later followed by The Best of Mac Dre, Vol. 2 & 3. Though Mac Dre was killed by gunshot on November 1, 2004, his Bay Area legacy lives on through his music. This album features other Bay Area hip hop legends such as Keak da Sneak, Messy Marv, and San Quinn.
Garrett Caples is an American poet and former music and arts journalist. Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, he currently lives in San Francisco, California, after fifteen years in Oakland. An editor at City Lights Books, Caples curates the new American poetry series, City Lights Spotlight. From 2005 to 2014, he wrote on hip hop, literature, and painting for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and has written fiction on unusual sexual practices, like omorashi.
Jamal Diggs, better known by his stage name J-Diggs, also Jay Digs or J-Diggs tha Rockstar, is an American rapper from Vallejo, CA. He is best known for his affiliation with fellow Vallejo rapper Mac Dre and his label, Thizz Entertainment.
Young Black Brotha is Californian rapper Mac Dre's debut release. It was issued in 1989 on vinyl and cassette. Tracks 1 and 3 would later appear on the compilation of the same name in 1993.
We Were Hyphy is a 2022 documentary film about Hyphy, a sub-genre of hip-hop.
