Mac Dre
Many people rap about crime and thuggery in the streets, but Andre "Mac Dre" Hicks is one of the few who actually lived it. Born in Oakland, Calif., Hicks dropped three albums in the late '80s with the raunchiness typical of West Coast rap. He continued his rise, despite a five-year prison sentence in 1992, recording two albums over the phone from jail and eventually started his own label, Thizz Entertainment. Under his label, he released four albums, bringing new recognition to Bay Area rap. That resurgence was short-lived, however, as Hicks was shot to death at age 34 while leaving a 2004 performance in Kansas City, Mo. Rumors fingered local rapper Anthony "Fat Tone" Watkins although no evidence has ever surfaced and authorities have never named a suspect. (Watkins was shot dead the following year.)