I wanted to know where I would go as a rapper. I had been playing football and sports my whole life. I was more curious to see how this was going to go. Why do you think rap eventually won out for you?ĭubee: To be honest, rap was really like the unknown horizon. Not many people know that you had a scholarship offer to play football at Washington State. In an Interview, Vallejo native, and MLB legend CC Sabathia said that you were his favorite Vallejo athlete.
They came to California for job opportunities and to escape segregation and all that bullshit they had going on down there. I feel like that’s 80 percent of niggas from California.
My family got here the same way a lot black families came – they came escaping the South to pursue opportunities to get that Mare Island Naval Shipyard money or whatever. I was never even babysat outside the Crest. That’s why I say my Crest roots run deep because that’s all I know. They came from the South and moved to Floyd Terrace, and then to the Crest. My grandpa on my mom’s side came from Jackson, Mississippi, and my grandma came from Louisiana. How did your family find their way to Vallejo?ĭubee: My family migrated from the South. I spoke with Dubee on his familial roots, his athletic career, Vallejo rap history, and what lies ahead.
A feature or music video cameo from him now symbolizes the same stamp of approval for many young artists that he gained early in his career from Mac Dre and Khayree. Coming off a federal case himself, Dubee finds himself as an elder statesman of Vallejo rap. Now in his mid-40’s, Dubee has released more than ten solo albums, and has appeared on numerous compilation and collaborative albums. While Khyaree conjures multiple funk baselines that keep the listener engaged. Dubee kicks mack tales, OG game, and exudes a laid back stoner perspective. “My Thang” runs long (nearly eight minutes) due to the comedic intro and outro, and a couple of Khayree’s signature “mac breakdowns.” Dubee and Khayree crafted a song that symbolizes why many people think the 90’s were the “golden era” for Bay Area rap. However, one overlooked song that is sometimes left out of Bay Area 4/20 playlists is “My Thang” by Dubee, a standout track from A.K.A Sugawolf. All these songs and a few more would eventually enter the sacred Bay Area lexicon of odes to marijuana. The Luniz had ‘I Got 5 On it’, RBL Posse had ‘Bammer Weed’, and Andre Nickatina would have ‘Smoke Dope and Rap’. Other Bay Area rap artists released a bevy of classic “weed anthems” too. The majority of rap music released by Vallejo artists in the 90’s fit into the Bay Area mob music aesthetic. In 2001 they would release a collaborative album called Turf Buccaneers. Later, when Mac Dre was released from federal prison, Dubee would help re-introduce Mac Dre to fans on his debut album in 1995. Familial-like ties to Mac Dre’s associates through little league football and church would help establish a connection between Mac Dre and Dubee. After Mac Dre’s federal prison sentence, and Mac Mall’s debut album, Dubee would be next in line to push their movement forward.Ī native of the Crest who was a few years younger than Mac Dre, Dubee was a curious neighborhood observer of the future Ronald Dregan’s early Young Black Brotha-era ascent. As a producer, Khayree was known for his “mac breakdowns”, which consisted of switching the beat right in the middle of a song. For many artists, working with Khayree meant that you were on the cusp of at least regional success. Khayree would co-found Strictly Business Records, and later Young Black Brotha Records, serving as the lead producer on projects like Young Black Brotha, Mac Dre’s debut album, Illegal Business?, Mac Mall’s debut album, and later Dubee’s debut album A.K.A. Khayree, another influential producer in Vallejo, was helping to shape the sound of another group of rappers coming from Vallejo’s Country Club Crest neighborhood.
E-40 and The Click had Studio Ton and Mike Mosley behind the boards, creating the production that would help propel them to stardom. It was a sound equally heavy with bass but less reliant on funk samples, and organically sprinkled with lyrics that referenced local slang and the Bay Area lifestyle.ĭuring this time, Vallejo artists were influential in shaping the sound. gained national attention for their G-funk innovations, Bay Area rappers were crafting their own sonic dialect that would eventually come to be known as Mob Music.
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