An in-depth look into the Hyphy Movement, one of the Bay Area

Essay by supersully20College, UndergraduateB, April 2010

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The Hyphy Movement

The Hyphy movement is a cultural movement originating out of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Its style of music, rap music specifically, is the defining aspect of this movement along with the Hyphy culture. "Gritty, thumping snares, and rugged production characterize" its music. (1) It became very popular in the Bay Area in the late 1990's and early 2000's. However, it is by most accounts on the decline and losing its popularity. This decline has been especially noticeable in terms of its recognition in the national music market.

The word "Hyphy" has various possible origins, with many people believing it came from the word "hyperactive" while others believe it is a combination of "hyper" and "fly." In 1997, the rapper Keak da Sneak, a very popular Hyphy rapper, was the first to use the word in a song, entitled "Stackin' Chips" by 3X Krazy.

He is also believed to be the first person to use the word in general.

The Hyphy movement is equally based on its culture as it is on its music. As an immensely popular rapper involved with this movement who goes by the name of E-40 stated, "it's energy, it's culture, it's a dance, it's expression, it's energetic." (2) This shows the true vastness of the movement as a whole, in everything that it encompasses. The culture is heavily influenced by and associated with always feeling good and having fun. For example, ecstasy, known as "thizzle or thizzing" is very popular in this movement because it is said to be a party drug and to make you feel good. Additionally, one common slang phrase often involved with this movement, of which there are many, is "going dumb" which means dancing wildly and without control. This dancing is based...