Bay Area Rappers Talk About the 'Hyphy' Movement

Rappers E-40, G-Eazy, Saweete and Nef the Pharaoh talk about what is called the 'golden era' in Bay Area hip hop.

Hear more from these Bay Area artists in the next episode of our Bay Area Revelations documentary series. In this installment, we take a look at how hip hop changed the Bay Area. The sound consists of a little funk, a lot of heavy bass and people want to get up and dance. Bay Area hip hop's moment started 40 years ago with fiercely independent artists who created their own sound and set their own rules.

There were no big name rappers from the Bay Area until the early 1980s when a young, foul-mouthed rapper named Todd Shaw moved to Oakland. Shaw, known as Too Short, pioneered a movement by recording, marketing and selling his music himself. Oakland made him famous before the world knew him.

Bay Area rappers are known for their self-made hustle - whether it is selling cassettes out of the trunk, starting their own labels or generating their own buzz on social media. They created their own lingo, got hyphy and started certain social trends.

This episode stars Bay Area hip hop legends Too Short and E-40, rappers G-Eazy, members of Hieroglypics, Saweetie, Kamaiyah, and Nef the Pharaoh. Other interviews include KMEL DJ Big Von, Q102.1 DJ Chuy Gomez and hip hop historian Davey D.

"Bay Area Revelations: Culture of Hip Hop" airs Saturday, April 27 at 10 p.m. only on NBC Bay Area.

*More digital exclusives*
E-40 Lingo: What Did He Say? https://trib.al/XvDrBup
Hieroglyphics Discuss Bay Area's Hip Hop Scene & the Future https://trib.al/4cjfmsI
What You May Not Know: Saweetie's Favorite Things https://trib.al/bUbLkki
Breaking It Down: Garage Parties in the Bay https://trib.al/hX8zFKW
E-40 Lists His Top 5 Bay Area Songs https://trib.al/sUNB8AM
Too Short's Early Songs Looked at Oakland's Drug Problem https://trib.al/nvPTGAz
How Rapper Nef the Pharaoh's Son Changed His Life https://trib.al/AeaxOsp
Bay Area Rap Legends Too Short & E-40 Talk About Working Together https://trib.al/c1iyHj4
E-40 Shares the Story Behind Hit Song 'Sprinkle Me' https://trib.al/spYDJ3c
DJ Big Von Talks About the New Outlet for Artists in San Francisco https://trib.al/VbJpI7L
E-40 Shares Some Wisdom For Rappers and Entrepreneurs https://trib.al/42nfGBC
The First Thing Too Short Looks for When Mentoring Young Rappers https://trib.al/UxxWzBD
G-Eazy's Memories of Riding in 2017 Warriors Championship Parade https://trib.al/TBwW987
Saweetie on Her Rise to Success, Starting With Social Media https://trib.al/FpyqvhQ
'We Got to Be AA,' E-40 on the Moment That Made Him Go Courtside at Warriors Games https://trib.al/idUeEww
Vallejo Rapper Nef the Pharaoh on How He Got His Nickname https://trib.al/qDKvAXJ
'No One Stops That Energy, But You,' Oakland Rapper Kamaiyah's Biggest Challenge Everyday https://trib.al/GnMZ92Z
DJ Big Von Meets Radio GM While Working at SF Store Selling Ice Cream https://trib.al/pcvzmbB
DJ Chuy Gomez on How His Love oor Radio Started https://trib.al/e6rapmU
Oakland Rapper G-Eazy Talks About E-40 and Too Short https://trib.al/9ouLqCj

Discover Bay Area Revelations past ep‭isodes:
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/revelations