Bay Area Hyphy Movement

The Bay Area Hyphy Movement has its own terminology and slang that sets this Northern California Hip Hop culture apart. Terms like Hyphy Train, Go Dumb or Go Stupid have evolved into lyrics of hit rap songs enabling the movement's slang to spread it's wings from coast to coast.

Ask people in the Bay Area (California cities like Richmond, Oakland, San Rafael) what the Hyphy Movement is all AbOUT and you will get many different meanings and perspectives.

So who can truly explain this Hip Hop culture?

In search of such a person, I spoke with one Hyphy artist who recently worked with notable Bay Area rappers Too Short and San Quinn, among others.

This artist, who calls himself Greenie, recently shed his views on the Bay Area Hyphy Movement:

Question 1: How would you define Hyphy?

Greenie: Hyphy as I understand it literally means hyper and fly, but really its how all da homies from the Bay get down when we listen to our Bay style music.

Question 2: Some might say the Hyphy Movement is just a fad? Can it last?

Greenie: Thats like asking is hiphop or rap a fad, hell no it aint a fad, its a lifestle/music. I think it will evolve and take different forms, but now when we refer to hyphy, we are talking about Bay style, Bay area rap.

Question 3: What does the Hyphy movement mean to the Bay Area?

Greenie: Well, its just like I said rap/hip-hop started in Queens. It evolved took different forms. Today, the South would refer to there style of rap as crunk, the Bay would refer to its Style as hyphy. But not everyone who is from the Bay raps with a hyphy style. I for one only have three songs on my album that I would classify as "hyphy" the rest are just normal rap. E-40's last album every song was hyphy, kick drum slumping hard, beats per minute slightly sped up, and e-40 spittin somethin vicious, THATS HYPHY at its core, and everybody in the Bay is down With It so its important for the Bay in that it brings us all together.

For a glossary of the top 25 Hyphy Slang terms currently in use visit http://www.greenalarm.net/Hyphy/hyphyslang.html For video pertaining to the Hyphy culture, users may query 'hyphy' at http://www.chooseyourgenre.com