Is the Bay Areas Hyphy Movement Hip Hops Next Frontier?
Ghostride ya scaper, put ya stunna shades on, shake dem dreads, go stupid and ride the yellow bus. These are all terms associated with the Bay Area rap phenomenon known as Hyphy, which is beginning to garner national attention. By Maya J. Pope-Chappell After more than ten stagnant years since MC Hammer and the Luniz hit “I Got 5 On It,” the Bay Area rap scene is back. With E-40 and Keak Da Sneak at the forefront of the movement with the Billboard top-40-rated anthem “Tell Me When to Go,” the nation has taken notice through coverage by MTV, top-40 radio stations and print media, of a sound, attitude, fashion, and vocabulary that has been evolving in the Bay Area for several years. This breed of Bay Area rappers and its audience, shaking their dreads, ‘thizzin,’ and ‘going dumb,’ has taken the country by storm. Some call it a movement. Others call it a disgrace. But they all call it “hyphy.” Often described as the cousin to crunk, hyphy is a high energy form of music, often distinguished
