The Bay Area is home to some of the most interesting rap music in hip-hop history. Hyphy music is deliriously fast and bass-heavy with weird, colorful synths. The underground scene can vary anywhere from the bounce of The Jacka to the underground traditionalism of the Hieroglyphics to the delirious party jam “Cupcake No Fillin“.
Due to Oakland and San Francisco having such a rich, distinct culture, Noisey has selected four essential Bay Area classics to play if you ever visit. In doing so, you’re guaranteed to find the sounds that define the setting and the records you’re likely to hear blasting out of someone’s car.
4 Essential Rap Songs You Need To Play While Visiting the Bay Area
‘Blow The Whistle’ by Too $hort
Imagine having arguably your biggest hit after over 20 years in the music business. Even Too $hort admits he doesn’t understand it on “Blow The Whistle”. “I go on and on/can’t understand how I last so long/I must have super powers/rap 225,000 hours,” he raps. “Blow The Whistle” is deliriously catchy, the rubbery bass thumping and a hypnotic whistle whirring in your ears long after the function shuts down. And 20 years later, we still know his favorite word.
‘Tell Me When To Go’ by E-40
Like Too $hort, E-40 found another one of his biggest hits deep into his career. His unorthodox delivery is like bubblegum on the robust Lil Jon drums on “Tell Me When To Go”. Apparently, this Bay Area classic was a random stroke of genius when the studio session was about to end. Lil Jon told LaRussell he cobbled up the beat in 10 minutes after the phrase “tell me when to go” stopped him dead in his tracks. A Run DMC sample later, and the record was golden.
‘Feeling Myself’ by Mac Dre
Mac Dre proved early in his career that you could cobble together some truly weird music and still capture an entire region. A record like “Feeling Myself” did just that. The creaky, alien synths and freaky bounce to his hilarious rapping. “I drop bars with slaps that knock hard, and I charge for this d**k extra large/I’m sicker than SARS, higher than Mars, and I treat my b***h like an ATM card,” Dre raps. The late Vallejo rapper was delightfully cartoonish and animated, which was what Bay Area rapping was all about.
’93 ‘Til Infinity’ by Souls of Mischief
“93 ‘Til Infinity” is hip-hop in its purest form. On a sped-up Billy Cobham sample, Souls of Mischief breezily rap about their days of weed smoke and hooking up with women. In an era dominated by gangsta rap, “93 Til Infinity” proved to be incredibly refreshing. Nowadays, it’s beautiful in its utter mundanity, relatable to any teen or adult in their 20s mulling about through life.
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