Career and Life

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Andre Louis Hicks aka Mac Dre, was an American rapper, hip hop pioneer, and record producer based in Vallejo, California. He was instrumental in the emergence of hyphy, a cultural movement in the Bay Area hip-hop scene that emerged in the early 00s. Hicks is considered one of the movement's key pioneers that fueled its popularity into mainstream, releasing songs with fast-paced rhymes and baselines that inspired a new style of dance. As the founder of the independent record label, Thizz Entertainment, Hicks recorded dozens of albums and gave aspiring rappers an outlet to release albums locally.

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In 2004, Hicks was killed by an unknown assailant after a performance in Kansas City, Missouri, a case that remains unsolved.

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