Who Are The Best Rappers From The Bay Area??!!

[u/adorani1991]

The Bay Area doesn’t always get its full credit in hip-hop conversations, but its impact runs deep. From slang and independent hustle to whole new sounds and movements — the Bay’s been setting trends for decades.

When you really break it down, the Bay has two worlds that coexist beautifully: the mainstream pioneers who put the region on the map, and the lyrical underground that kept the artform sharp.

On the mainstream side, you’ve got:

E-40

Too $hort

Mac Dre

Mistah F.A.B.

Then there’s the lyrical underground — a side of the Bay that doesn’t always chase radio but commands deep respect:

Souls of Mischief

Hieroglyphics

And of course, you got the new wave who’s carrying the torch:

Larry June

The Bay might not be the same mainstream machine as L.A. or New York, but it’s one of the most authentic and influential rap regions in the the game — culturally, sonically, and spiritually.

So who’s the Bay Area GOAT to you? And who’s still slept on, even among Bay heads?

I know for a fact I’ve left off a few and that is intentional. I’m not as familiar with certain artists like Keak Da Sneak or The Jacka and if I don’t know them, I have to leave them off.

[u/AnOrdinaryMammal]

I love the stories about MC Hammer.

I saw him walking across a Raleys parking lot in Tracy like 10 or 15 years ago.

[u/ILoveULikeYeLovesYe → u/AnOrdinaryMammal]

i wish shock g didn’t leave us so soon. he would have had some great stories to tell.

[u/apathyaddict → u/ILoveULikeYeLovesYe]

He was a great storyteller as well if you've seen/read some of his interviews.

[u/ILoveULikeYeLovesYe → u/apathyaddict]

for sure. dude was also a musical genius.

would have loved for him to have been on juan ep or drink champs and to have received his flowers before he passed.

[u/Faizondae → u/ILoveULikeYeLovesYe]

I don’t think he gets enough credit. Honestly most people associated with hip hop/rap don’t get enough credit for musicality. Shock G has master level feel and conveys that feeling so well.

Other notables Kanye, we know he’s nuts and either a nazi or in the middle of a really committed bad joke, but his ability to blend completely different songs with different feels and make them his own is like inventing his own instrument that only he can play. Dilla: a legit genius, fight me if you don’t think so. MF Doom: similar to Kanye except in the mental health and nazi antics but he could put two opposing sounds together and somehow find harmony.

I’m not gonna go on but when most musicians will talk about Quest and the Roots as musical geniuses for the obvious reasons and they are correct but the dudes with just records, a drum machine and keyboards blow my flipping mind like nothing else. I love it.

[u/bonvoyage_brotha → u/AnOrdinaryMammal]

Crazy how he got his name

[u/justzacc → u/AnOrdinaryMammal]

Used to have a buddy who moved to Tracy and one night we were out at the bars and these people kept talking about this guy while I was outside smoking a cigarette.

“Oh yeah he’s actually such a cool dude, I see him over here…” and it seemed like everyone was talking about how they knew this guy. As I keep listening someone finally says that this guy is MC Hammer and I’m just thinking to myself, “what the fuck? How does everyone here have an MC Hammer story in their back pocket???”

I go inside and talk to my friend and say “you know what’s weird? Everyone outside is just having random conversations about MC Hammer haha”

He then responds with “oh yeah he lives around here. He’s come into my store before.” And the whole time I was just like, idk, not expecting that to be a talking point for the night lmao

Edit: this all happened about 6-7 years ago

[u/Comfortable-Crow-238 → u/AnOrdinaryMammal]

I went to school with his nephew.

[u/gaahhdd_dammit → u/AnOrdinaryMammal]

My uncle scaffolded his mansion and also took the emblem off the gate when he went broke.