Whats up with rap music coming from the "Bay Area" and "Northern California"?

San Francisco Bay Area/Northern California rap has been a underground music scene for nearly 20 years now. The bay area has been recognized in the rap game as the place where artistS learned how to be successful by starting there own independent music labels. With success stories like E-40's Sicc Wid It Records, and the late Mac Dre's Thizz Ent., rappers across the country have used the blueprints to indie label success that the Bay Area created.

What Artists put the Bay Area rap scene on the map?

The Bay Area rap pioneers are Too Short(Oakland), E-40 and the Clicke(Vallejo), Mac Dre(Vallejo), Spice One(Oakland), C-BO(Sacramento), Tupac(Mostly Marin City, spent some time in Oakland), Dre Dog/Andre Nikatina(San Francisco), RBL Posse(San Francisco, N2Deep(Vallejo), Guce(San Francisco), Brotha Lynch Hung(Sacramento), San Quinn(San Francisco), Hollow Tip(Sacramento), 11/5(San Francisco), and MC Hammer(Oakland). Whether you are just starting to collect Bay Area rap or have been collecting for some time now, your collection isn't complete unless you have at least a few albums from each one of these rappers listed. For beginner collectors, buying albums from these artists can teach you alot about the Bay Area. Whenever you get a new album its a good idea to read the albums cover, song titles, song credits, upcoming albums and shout outs. If there is a particular song you like, find out what artists and producers made the song, and then start collecting their albums. Before you know it you'll have a solid collection, and the knowledge to find the music you like.

What makes Bay Area rap stand out from the rest?

There are many interesting aspects that make the Bay Area what it is today. With the exsplosion of the Crack Cocaine epedemic in the mid 1980's, Oakland was the first place the epedemic hit before it swept the nation. This caused a crimewave throughout the bay. Drugs, Poverty, and Crime has given rappers many stories to narrate through there music.

Another aspect about the Bay Area is what is called the "Sideshow". In the late 1970's and early 80's, high performance car clubs began to form in the bay. A way for car club members to show off their cars was to pick a random intersection in a city throughout the bay, and begin swinging doughnuts, figure eights, and a whole bunch of other vehicle acrobatics. Often sideshows will break out when Night Clubs and Bars Close or Raiders and 49ers games end. Sideshows attract alot of vehicles taking turns in the intersection preforming stunts. Before you know it a giant crowd of pedestrians and motorist has gathered cheering on the drivers, playing rap music at a loud volume and dancing and haging out of the window, sun-roof etc. Vehicles also do a lot of burn outs. Sideshows are illegal and potentially dangerous but often the crowds are so big that police cannot put a stop to them. Sideshows have become so common in the bay area that police are making laws that allow them to tow peoples vehicles if they have anything to do with a sideshow,even if they aren't the ones preforming the stunts. No matter what law enforcement does, the sideshows will continue to go on. The sideshow is just one of the aspects of the word "Hyphie" which is a Bay Area term for going crazy, acting wild, being full of energy, and living care free. The Bay Area has created a lot of slang terms, which is another thing that makes the Bay standout from the rest.

The Bay Area has hundreds of slang terms that they have invented. Terms like "Whats Craking, Whats Crackulating, Whats Poppin". "Fo Sheezy" was invented by E-40. And the word "Hyphie" is one of the latest slang terms invented. People from the Bay area can literally have a full conversation using slang terms, and people not from the bay will not have a clue as to what there saying. I am going to also make a guide in the future that lists and defines all of the Bay Area slang terms that have been thought up in the past 20 some odd years.

Is there anything else I should know before I start my Bay Area Rap Collection

One of the most infuential bay area rappers was Mac Dre,who was murdered in Kansas City a few Holloweens back. Mac Dre also known as Andre Hicks, lived in Vallejo, and before his untimely death he was taking the Bay Area music scene to a new level. Having developed a fan base in cities like L.A, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and many more, Mac Dre was on the verge of being a millionaire. Mac Dre made a lot of albums dating back to 1989. Comparing his old albums to his newer ones, you can see how much Mac Dre and grown and learned during his musical career. He was also the first rapper to record a song in Prison, by calling the recording studio collect and rapping on the phone in a Fresno Pennetentiary. The first ablums you should have in your collection are Mac Dre albums, you'll learn a lot, he had a lot to teach. Rest In Peace Mac Dre.

I hope this introduction the Bay Area Rap Music has taught you a few things. Keep checking back in eBay guides because I am going to make a series of guides about Bay Area including 1)What specific Albums to Buy 2)Highlights for each city in the Bay Area/Nothern California 3)Slang Definitons 4) DVD's to look for 5) Bay Area Producer Showcase and much more. HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK BIDDING