Dre Dog

A solo emcee representing the Bay, Dre Dog serves up no-nonsense Gangsta Rap. He debuted in 1993 with the excellent The New Jim Jones LP, detailing a life spent blazing the dank, busting shots, moving weight, and throwing down with the ladies. Scoring local hits with the singles "The Ave" and "Lips" (which flaunted nearly identical beats to Biggie's "Juicy" and "Big Poppa" - a year before Ready To Die dropped), Dre quickly became one of the Bay's brightest new stars. I Hate You With A Passion followed two years later, after which he changed his name to Andre Nickatina. Sporting traditional, bump-heavy SF-style production, he's continued his empire with a slew of independent releases, including the Cocaine Raps LP and the Hell's Kitchen compilation.