Mac Dre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mac Dre
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andre Louis Hicks |
| Born | July 5, 1970 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Origin | Vallejo, California, U.S. |
| Died | November 1, 2004 (aged 34) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 1984–2004 |
| Labels | Thizz |
| Associated acts |
|
Andre Louis Hicks (born July 5, 1970 – died November 1, 2004) was an American rapper. He was better known by his stage name Mac Dre. He came from Vallejo, California. Mac Dre was very important in starting the hyphy movement. This was a special style of hip hop music and culture in the Bay Area in the early 2000s.
He is seen as one of the main people who helped make hyphy popular. His songs had fast rhymes and strong bass beats. These inspired a new way of dancing. Mac Dre also started his own music company called Thizz Entertainment. Through this company, he released many albums. He also helped new rappers in his area release their music.
Sadly, Mac Dre was killed on November 1, 2004. This happened after he performed a show in Kansas City, Missouri. The person who shot him has never been found.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Andre Louis Hicks was born in Oakland, California, on July 5, 1970. His parents were Allen Hicks and Wanda Salvatto. His family later moved to Vallejo. He often spent time in a neighborhood called The Crest.
In 1989, when he was still a student, Hicks released a cassette tape. It had a popular song called "Too Hard for the Radio". In 2013, NPR said his music sounded "fast and confident." They also noted that he built on the "bouncy bass" from older funk music.
Hicks first used the name MC Dre in 1984. But he changed it to Mac Dre the next year. He felt MC Dre sounded too much like East Coast rap. He recorded his first three short albums (called EPs) as Mac Dre between 1988 and 1992.
Time in Prison
In the early 1990s, the city of Vallejo saw more bank robberies. Police began to focus on The Crest neighborhood. Mac Dre often sang about how the police watched people in his area. He said he wanted to "wake up the neighbors" with his music.
As rap music became more popular, police sometimes looked at song lyrics. They would try to use them as evidence in legal cases.
On March 26, 1992, when he was 21, Hicks went on a trip with friends to Fresno, California. He had performed there before. While driving back to Vallejo, their car was stopped by the FBI and local police. Police said that while Hicks was at a motel, his friends were allegedly looking at a bank. They supposedly changed their minds when they saw a news van.
Hicks told the police he had not left the hotel. He said he did not know anything about the bank. However, police charged him with planning a robbery. No robbery actually happened. Hicks was not with his friends or near the bank. He refused a deal and was sentenced to five years in federal prison. He was released a year early on August 2, 1996, for good behavior. He served four years in total. While in prison, Hicks said he learned to "appreciate freedom, life, fun" more.
After Prison: New Music and Label
After leaving Lompoc Prison, Mac Dre worked with his friend Coolio Da' Unda Dogg. They made songs to offer to big music companies. One song was sent to fellow Bay Area rapper Too Short for an album. But it was not chosen.
In 1998, Mac Dre moved to Sacramento. He wanted to get away from the police in Vallejo. There, he started his own music company, Thizz Entertainment. His mother, Wanda Salvatto, now manages it. In the early 2000s, Mac Dre's music style changed. This new sound became very important for the hyphy movement.
In 2019, rapper and producer Lil Jon used Mac Dre's voice in his song "Ain't No Tellin'". Mac Dre's mother gave her permission for this.
His Death
After a show in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 31, 2004, Mac Dre and his group were in a van. In the early morning of November 1, someone shot at their van on U.S. Route 71. The van's driver crashed and called for help. But Mac Dre was found dead at the scene. He had been shot in the neck.
Another local rapper was thought to be involved, but there was no proof. The case remains unsolved.
Mac Dre's funeral was held on November 9, 2004. It took place at the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church. Many people came to see him. He was buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.
Music Albums
Studio Albums
- Young Black Brotha (1993)
- Stupid Doo Doo Dumb (1998)
- Rapper Gone Bad (1999)
- Mac Dre's the Name (2001)
- It's Not What You Say... It's How You Say It (2001)
- Thizzelle Washington (2002)
- Al Boo Boo (2003)
- Ronald Dregan: Dreganomics (2004)
- The Genie of the Lamp (2004)
- The Game Is Thick, Vol. 2 (2004)
Albums Released After His Death
- Pill Clinton (2007)
- Dre Day: July 5th 1970 (2008)
Albums with Other Artists
- Supa Sig Tapes with Little Bruce (1990)
- Turf Buccaneers with Cutthoat Committee (2001)
- Money iz Motive with Cutthoat Committee (2005)
- Da U.S. Open with Mac Mall (2005)
- A Tale of Two Andres with Andre Nickatina (2008)
See also
In Spanish: Mac Dre para niños
- List of murdered hip hop musicians
- List of unsolved murders
