Andre Hicks (July 5, 1970 - November 1, 2004), better known by his stage na… Read Full Bio ↴Andre Hicks (July 5, 1970 - November 1, 2004), better known by his stage name, Mac Dre, was a Bay Area based gangsta rapper from the Crest side of Vallejo, California, active since 1988 and considered one of the predecessors of the hyphy movement. During his career in the rap world, he worked with artists like Andre Nickatina, Yukmouth, Snoop Dogg, Mac Mall, Dubee and Keak da Sneak.

Career

Mac Dre's music gained popularity in the early to mid 1990s throughout the Bay Area, eventually receiving national recognition through his independent record labels Romp and Thizz Entertainment. He released many hit singles, such as "Too Hard for the Radio", and most recently "Feelin' Myself". He was the creator of the "Thizzle Dance", a popular dance which holds no specific standard. Hardship and controversy were staples of Mac Dre's career. After recording his first three albums between 1989 and 1991, Mac was charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery. His record label, Romp Productions, and his many references to "Romper Room" in his songs, coincided with a Vallejo robbery gang of the time calling themselves the "Romper Room Gang" and responsible for the robberies of many area banks and pizza parlours. Hicks was alleged to be a member of the gang. The rapper was sentenced to five years in prison in 1992.

In prison, Hicks gained some notoriety by recording the lyrics to songs directly over the Fresno County jail inmate telephone. His album, Young Black Brotha, was a result of such efforts, as well as guest appearances on fellow artists' songs, all while Hicks was still imprisoned. A later album, Back 'N Da Hood, was also made up of these prison-recorded songs.

After his release from prison in 1996, Mac Dre began releasing albums steadily, building pace in the early 21st century. Mac Dre's audience was growing, and mainstream hip-hop stations were beginning to give Hicks' music more airtime. Hicks relocated to Sacramento, California in 2001, where he began a label, Thizz Entertainment.

Death

On November 1, 2004, Mac Dre was shot to death while returning to his hotel after a performance in Kansas city. A car pulled up next to the white van carrying Dre along with other Thizz artists. Whether words where exchanged or not, the ordeal ended in the bloodshed of a bay area rap legend. The van swerved off the road and into a ravine where it ran into a tree. Word is that Dre was thrown from the van, but officials say they found him in the front seat, dead on arrival. Some believe that Mac Dre's killer was Kansas City rapper Anthony "Fat Tone" Watkins. In 2005 Watkins was murdered, allegedly by Bay Area rapper Mac Minister. In March 2006, Mac Minister was arrested by FBI officials.

How Yo' Hood?
Mac Dre Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Rat-tat-tat
[ VERSE 1: Mac Dre ]
I grew up in the Bay Area, around a gang of robbin and shootin
Looked up to legends like Felix Mitchum, Huey P. Newton
And Todd Shaw a/k/a Too $hort
Blowin big hashis with dank that'll make you choke
Young Mac Dre, causin major damage
Back in the days I tossed hoes in the back of my ham sandwich

Grown, gone, on bomb seed that's hemp
Hound for potential prostitutes who need a pimp
But now I'm bendin corners, fresh out Taradas
Chokin on roper in the back of the Nada
Drinkin that snake bite, Yukon jack
And boy, I ain't ride without my strap
Cause them cutthroat bandits will split yo wig
In the streets of Killafornia, ya dig?
It's goin down, dog, I'm in your town, dog
Got to let your peeps know how I clown, dog
In the end get it, comin with that blackhand sound
You thinkin I can't clown? Let me put my mack hand down
[ CHORUS ]
[ Killa ] How yo hood look?
[ Dre ] It's full of gangsters, fool
How yo hood look?
[ Killa ] It's full of gangsters, son
You can catch me on the Eastside, doin my thing
[ Killa ] Or you can me in New York, boy, it's all the same
[ VERSE 2: Killa ]
I'm from the Eastside, where the thugs, they shed blood for nothin
After the club you get it in your mug if you frontin
We gangbang, it's just that our slang's a little different
Aim a little different, spit game a little different
Got in with the Mexicans, pricin them things a little different
Same kinda crooks, but we cook up bricks a little different
Them old school Chevrolets, our Six Range a little different
Y'all gats and guns the same, but we blow brains a little different
Them drive-by's, we walk-by's, some die a little different
Lie a little different, testify a little different
Y'all trees ain't got seeds, y'all beez a little different
The d's is different, my pee's a little different
Y'all sell bricks, we break it down, get cheese a little different
Y'all hate narcs, we hate cops, we eat a little different
Y'all got strips, we got spots, our blocks a little different
It get hot a little different, fools get knocked a little different
When the feds came, yo Dre, they took the whole block to prison
My man pops was snitchin, his face chopped in Clinton
If you got change and the gear hot, then switch spots, get missin
Yo hood ain't no different, my hood ain't no different
[ CHORUS ]
[ VERSE 3 ]
[ Dre ]
In my neighborhood everybody thuggin
Hoodrats steady gettin dug in
Fools buggin, mean-muggin
Later on you seem em noggin
[ Killa ]
Dre, I play my hood all day
Seen a fool get killed in broad day
Thugs get money from the hallway
2 for 5, the tall way
[ Dre ]
Ghetto slang, ghetto game
We all just doin that ghetto thang
Run around totin them metal thangs
Really, homeboy, it's all the same
[ Killa ]
Yo hood is like my hood, son
Anywhere you go thugs pullin guns
Gangbangers, ghetto birds
Yo hood is like my hood, ya heard?
[ Dre ]
Me and Killa finna leet you know
How to put a lick down and get some dough
>From yo hood to Mexico
Cause it's all about that paper, though
[ Killa ]
Put me up with Vallejo hoe
That puff on hay, stay on the low
Dre got work, 800 to 0
Eastside thugs make money, you know?
[ Dre ]
I don't care where we at
Just as long as we keep smokin fat
Get a fifth of Hen and hopin that
Everybody wanna stay chokin, black
[ Killa ]
I told you, Dre, our hood ain't changed
Thuggin em well, slingin em things
Fools rock Rolies and diamond rings

Respect the game, our hood's the same
[ CHORUS ]

Overall Meaning

Mac Dre's "How Yo' Hood?" is a rap song that describes the culture and lifestyle of gangsters from different hoods. In verse one, Mac Dre talks about growing up in the Bay Area around a lot of robberies and shootouts. He idolizes legends like Huey P. Newton, Felix Mitchum, and Too $hort. Mac Dre confesses to loving marijuana and often seeking potential prostitutes, but he now bends corners, choking on roper while drinking snake bite and Yukon jack with a strap never leaving his side, following the threat of cutthroat bandits who split wigs in the streets of Killafornia. In the chorus, Killa asks Dre to describe his hood, and he responds that "it's full of gangsters, fool." Killa also talks about growing up on the Eastside, where their slang is different, and the gangsters shed blood for no reason.

In verse two, Killa explains that the Eastside gangsters have a different slang and aim, play with Mexicans and cook their bricks differently, and drive six-ranged Chevrolets instead of the old-school ones. They have gats, guns, blow brains in a different way, and die a little differently. Y'all got strips, they got spots, their blocks are different, and the heat gets hot and their way of dealing with things. Fools get knocked a little differently, and when the feds come, they take the whole block to prison. In verse three, both artists talk about the similar lifestyle lived in different hoods, where hoodrats steady get dug in, thugs bugging, mean-mugging, and chokin' black. They highlight that whether it's your hood or theirs, the culture is the same, and it's all about thuggin', slang, and game.

Line by Line Meaning

I grew up in the Bay Area, around a gang of robbin and shootin
I was raised in the Bay Area surrounded by people who committed robbery and shootings.

Looked up to legends like Felix Mitchum, Huey P. Newton
I idolized people like Felix Mitchum and Huey P. Newton who were legends in the area.

Young Mac Dre, causin major damage
As a young Mac Dre, I was causing lots of trouble and damage.

Back in the days I tossed hoes in the back of my ham sandwich
In the past, I used to pick up prostitutes and have affairs with them in the back of my car.

Cause them cutthroat bandits will split yo wig
You need to be careful while walking in the streets of California as the thugs there can harm you.

It get hot a little different, fools get knocked a little different
The situation in our neighborhoods can escalate differently, and people get arrested and detained in separate procedures.

Me and Killa finna leet you know How to put a lick down and get some dough
Killa and I will teach you how to rob someone and get some money.

Yo hood is like my hood, son
Our neighborhoods are similar in terms of crime and violence.

Contributed by Maria J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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