ComplexMag:50 Greatest Bay Area Rap Songs

Below is an amazing listicle written by Bushwick Will documenting the 50 Greatest Bay Area Rap Songs of all time. Of course folks will beg to differ and split hairs about the low ranking of Hammer or the absence of $hort's "Gettin It" and "Life Is" or  Mac Dre's "Not My Job," but overall this is a great compilation of Bay Area classics. For the younger generation of emcees coming up, this is a great starting point to learn your local musical history. The Bay may not get the most shine, but we've always had the most ingenuity and creativity. It a world of status-quo bullshit, that is something to be championed and cherished. Now without further ado, I'll hand the keys over to Will. Enjoi

"The Bay Area has a chip on its shoulder when it comes to hip-hop. Everyone steals Bay Area slang, but the radio won't play Bay Area music. It doesn't help that The Bay's artists never want to deal with major labels, and then cry foul when they don't get spins any further east than Sacramento. This relative isolation has led to a certain kind of creativity, or strangeness, depending on how one sees it. Whether it's E-40's "Woody Woodpecker on crack" voice, Keak da Sneak's smoker's cough gibberish, Mac Dre's ecstasy-twisted dance moves, or Andre Nickatina's apparent obsession with Jungle Book, some of the Bay Area's most celebrated artists are downright bizarre and that's what people love about them.

This alternative approach to rap, in the East Bay especially, has a long tradition outside of street rap, that goes back to Digital Underground, Hieroglyphics, Hobo Junction, and continues today with internet phenomenon Lil B. In the Bay Area, gangsta rap is not all that serious, and serious rap is still really fun. Would the Bay Area give up its strangeness for a shot at the mainstream? We hope not. In any case, here's a primer with The 50 Greatest Bay Area Rap Songs for those who have been missing out. Don't be surprised if you feel like you really missed out; you did."

Written By Willy Staley (@bushwickwill) CLICK HERE FOR THE RUN DOWN