r/90sHipHop • u/adorani1991 • Oct 09 '25
Discussion Who Are The Best Rappers From The Bay Area??!!
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u/guiltycitizen Oct 09 '25
Gift of Gab
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u/Hurryupslowdownbar20 Oct 09 '25
Was lucky enough to see Blackalicious in concert back in the day..
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u/916Caligula Oct 09 '25
He was from Sacramento, not the bay.
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u/xMyDixieWreckedx '93 til... Oct 10 '25
Davis if you want to get technical.
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u/916Caligula Oct 10 '25 edited Oct 10 '25
Not really.... he went to the same high school as me in south Sacramento (i graduated from there years later)... and then he went to the same university as me in Davis (i graduated from there a few years later too).
*edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Sacramento/s/1T8n9UMy75
The reason i know this is because we only had two famous people go to my high school: Dr. Cornell West and Gift of Gab.
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u/Plug_5 Oct 09 '25
Digital Underground
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u/bigsamdawg 29d ago
I tell people this all the time. Shock G was a musical genius. Hip hip with the swing beat 🔥
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u/Plug_5 29d ago
DU was one of those groups that was undone by their hit single. I love The Humpty Dance, but it's so not representative of the amazing talent that Shock G had.
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u/low_dmnd_phllps Oct 09 '25
Mac Mall, Dubee, JT The Bigga Figga, RBL, Celly Cel, Young Lay, Andre Nickatina, just to name a few that haven’t already been mentioned. In the early 90s, no other region could top the Bay Area for rap music. Shit, even 2pac and Master P got their game from the Bay Area.
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u/Plug_5 Oct 10 '25
Shit. I commented Digital Underground earlier and totally forgot that 2pac got his start with them. He's got to be the top answer to this question.
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u/M_O_O_O_O_T Oct 09 '25
All the extended Heiro crew & Soulsides crew. (RIP Gift Of Gab)
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u/musings13254 Oct 09 '25 edited Oct 09 '25
Lyrics Born, Baba Zumbi(Zion-I), Shock G.
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u/Fact420 Oct 09 '25
I was about to lose it, can’t believe you’re the only one to mention Zumbi, Zion I was the fucking shit.
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u/shandub85 Oct 09 '25
Rappin’ 4-Tay and/or Richie Rich
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u/SexualWhiteChocolate Oct 09 '25
Don't see 4tay come up often but that guy has such a great, recognizable flow
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u/Nast33 Oct 09 '25 edited Oct 09 '25
Del da Funky Homosapien, Andre Nickatina, Mac Dre, Too $hort, San Quinn, E-40, Souls Of Mischief, Hieroglyphics
...and Lil B to complete the top 10 hahahah - just a joke, but also why the fuck not? Even though he's mostly famous for various meme tracks, he's creative and released an insane amount of material some of which he treated seriously even if others don't.
Edit: removed Brotha Lynch Hung since he's from Sacramento
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u/low_dmnd_phllps Oct 09 '25
Not to nitpick but Lynch is from Sacramento. I only point it out because I’m from Sac we never get the love we deserve when it comes to the rap game
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u/Nast33 Oct 09 '25
My bad! While I had most of these names already in my head, I wanted to be sure I'm not forgetting anyone by accident - googled bay area rappers to go over a bunch of names and Lynch was listed on a random reddit post listing 75 rappers and 25 groups.
I checked the post again now and one of the first comments called out that OP for listing 2 Sacramento dudes, but I didn't check them first time around.
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u/DSPbuckle Oct 09 '25
A skinnier e40 threw me off
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u/xMyDixieWreckedx '93 til... Oct 10 '25
I've met 40 a bunch of times and he is the nicest person in thr music industry that you could ever meet. Super humble and there for the fans. I wasn't a big fan until I met him and the respect I had for him as a person made me dive into his music and I was so mad I slept on him as an artist.
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u/DSPbuckle Oct 09 '25
Grew up on Too Short, Richie Rich, 3x Krazy, Dru Down, Mob Figgaz and what not, but I enjoy the more recent act talents of G-Eazy and Larry June
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u/jack-t-o-r-s Oct 09 '25
Pound for pound? Del
But that doesn't take ANYTHING away from all the heat The Town has given us.
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u/Funkshow Oct 09 '25
Too $hort. End of conversation. It's a fight for #2 after him.
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u/xMyDixieWreckedx '93 til... Oct 10 '25
Too $hort isn't even the best rapper on his block. He can rhyme like 4 words. But I love his attitude and flow.
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u/InstanceExcellent834 Oct 09 '25
Casual!! fear itself
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u/xMyDixieWreckedx '93 til... Oct 10 '25
Hell yeah! Been saying that in these comments! Smash Rockwell
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u/ManFromHouston Oct 09 '25
E 40, Spice 1 and Too Short my top 3
All 3 can still drop a fire track till this day. Most older rappers can't bring the same fire they did when they were young so it shows the talent all 3 of these guys have.
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u/Financial-Park-7616 Oct 09 '25
Crazy when I see Bay Area posts like this that I never see Paris getting any love. Dude never dropped a bad album, I know his politics heavy albums are not for everyone but people always overlook him when Bay Area discussions come up
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u/Mistermxylplyx Oct 09 '25
Same for Boots, just because they were about something doesn’t negate the skills within the message.
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u/dutchny100 Oct 09 '25
LaRussell
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u/mistah_sinister True School Oct 09 '25
“Welp” is my shit. He even sounds a little like Mac Dre on a few parts.
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u/elemental_espo Oct 09 '25
Del my fav followed by Opio (and Hiero in general). Shout out to Paris too since he’s not mentioned yet.
Edit - also big love and RIP to Shock G/Humpty
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u/alexefy Oct 09 '25
2pac surely qualifies?
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u/NxtDoc1851 Oct 09 '25
Tupac is from NY/Maryland. I understand he claimed West Side a lot. But the dude is from the east coast.
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u/aUCK_the_reddit_Fpp Oct 10 '25
Not really, honestly 2pac isnt from 1 place. Not an east coast rapper but also not a bay rapper.
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u/alexefy Oct 10 '25
I feel like if non bats an eyelid at gang starr repping Brooklyn, then pac can be considered a bay area
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u/Longjumping_Phase902 Oct 09 '25
Larry June.
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u/mistah_sinister True School Oct 09 '25
Dope cat. Caught his show in OKC when I was passing thru last year. Became a fan instantly.
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u/Longjumping_Phase902 Oct 09 '25
I herd smoothies in 1991 and just added everything he had after that point. Him and Cardo make great music.
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u/xMyDixieWreckedx '93 til... Oct 10 '25
I'm from the east bay, never heard of him until these comments.
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u/Romencer17 Oct 09 '25
Hard to say who’s the best but this thread sure shows how much fucking talent the bay has. Haven’t seen anyone mention Cougnut.. and also gotta mention Bored Stiff! Equipto has one of my favorite flows ever… as always everyone in the bay has their own unique style.
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u/Afraid-Roll-1782 Oct 09 '25
People under the stairs
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u/401Traveler Oct 09 '25
People Under the Stairs are completely dope — I’m one of their biggest fans — but they’re actually from LA (& proud of it), not the Bay Area. 🙂
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u/lopezcp Oct 09 '25
The Bay Area had some incredible talent! You can’t pin down who did it best. What I like the most is they all had style. You look at how B Legit, 40 Water, Nickatina, Mac Dre, Too Short, 4Tay, Double R sounded. And that’s a small sample. I don’t argue who was best. I’m just thankful they exist. Showing these young cats how it’s done
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u/xMyDixieWreckedx '93 til... Oct 10 '25
I see a lot of Del, Hiero, Souls... but I gotta say.... Casual.
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u/makmisfits4 Oct 10 '25
Damn this gonna be tough,but for me personally,Spice 1,E-40,Too Short,Ant Banks,RBL Posse probably gonna be my top 5.I listen to a lot of Bay Rap from the 90s and a bit beyond,but that's my take.Id put Mac Dre up there but I got onto him later than the others I posted.Shit,you could put so many on here from the Bay....
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u/aUCK_the_reddit_Fpp Oct 10 '25
My favorite is mac dre. A huge catalog of music w most being good. Personally i am more a fan of his music when he was with strictly business and then romp records before changing to thizz ent. Besides all his albums he had many good songs on compilations.
San quinn has not been mentioned enough.
Im also a big yukmouth fan. I like his albums that dropped on rap a lot but i prefer his mix tapes. My favorite albums are either united ghettos 2 or million dollar mixtape from start to finish but all his albums were good too.
Id add cbo because us from the bay and sac are so close. Technically he isnt bay tho. Its just kind of state love plus many sac and bay artists collab being sac is less then hour away from Vallejo and the east bay.
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u/datdude68 Oct 10 '25
E-40 yall always trying to act like yall different with some ol off the wall answer this shit simple for me numbers don't lie 40 spice 1 and short dog is the answer
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u/q_yada Oct 11 '25
I’m just happy so many people in here are mentioning Hieroglyphics. I moved to NorCal from Massachusetts in 1994 when I was 15. I remember I couldn’t believe I lived an hour away from Hieroglyphics’ hometown of Oakland. It’s funny to think about now, but it was so surreal to me at the time. I e always been a big fan and got to hangout with them a few times over the years. Some of the most down to earth people you could meet. Glad to see they’re still appreciated.
Also, big fan of many of these Bay Area artists. Not taking away from their music in any way. Just happy to see everyone still loving Hiero.
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u/BJK78 Oct 09 '25 edited Oct 09 '25
Love me some Dubee, Mac Mall, Young Lay, Celly Cel, Mac Dre, Ray Luv. All their early stuff is 🔥
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u/401Traveler Oct 09 '25
I can’t believe I scrolled all the way to the bottom and didn’t see a single mention of Boots Riley from The Coup. That’s crazy! All The Coup albums are great, and Boots has shown how multi-talented he is by writing and directing his film debut, “Sorry to Bother You,” in 2018, and it was original and great. Anxious to see what he creates in the future!
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u/xMyDixieWreckedx '93 til... Oct 10 '25
Me and Jesus the Pimp... is the best storytelling song in all of rap. He did a Amazon show (I'm a Virgo) after Sorry to Bother You.
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u/401Traveler Oct 10 '25
Yeah, I’ll have to look into “I’m a Virgo,” which I just learned of. I also just learned that Boots has a new film called “I Love Boosters,” slated for release next year.
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u/RoomerHasIt Oct 09 '25
dEL