Bay Area Hip-Hop

Compton may be receiving well-deserved attention with Straight Outta Compton in theaters but when it comes to Hip-Hop California is filled with trendsetting music. The San Francisco Bay Area, especially the city of Oakland, California is known for its authentic style, creative lingo and traditional bass-hitting production. In fact, artists such as Drake, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz and producer DJ Mustard have all admitted to being heavily influenced by the sounds of the Bay.

Songs like “The Motto” by Drake and Lil Wayne pay homage to the distinctive sound of the Bay, even going as far as sampling Rappin’ 4-Tay’s flow on the song (Rappin’ 4-Tay is also featured on our playlist). Dance trends have spread from coast to coast and no matter how fun the Whip/Nae Nae or Dougie dances are, one could argue that none of these would be possible if not for the infamous Bay Area Hyphy dance that impacted the culture in the early 2000s.

This week on Deezer we pay tribute to the Bay Area for all its contributions to Hip-Hop. Consider this playlist an introduction that features some of our personal favorites as well as Bay Area classics. Fans of E-40, Too $hort, Rappin’ 4-Tay and Souls of Mischief turn this one up!

Listen to the Bay Area playlist.