While the immediate lifespan of a movement that promotes "remedial" behavior and ghostriding whips is uncertain, hyphy music will forever hold a unique place in the American vernacular. Listening to Hyphy Hitz, a hit-heavy compendium of Yay Area cuts from the good folks at TVT Records, is like leafing through a slang dictionary, with many songs devoted exclusively to a single word or expression from the Bay's most bizarre linguists.
Hyphy newbies are quickly initiated with Nump's "I Got Grapes" (slang for purple/weed), Shake Da Mayor's "Stunna Shades" (garish, tinted lenses used to protect one from the sun or those who are not balling), and E-40's "Gouda," an epic ode to stacking cheese (also known as cheddar, scrilla, yaper, chalupa, etc.).
The album benefits greatly from the contributions of "thizz-face" inventor and late hyphy luminary, Mac Dre, on "Feeling Myself" and "Get Stupid Remix." With lines like "The Bay bounce to dizzle, the West Coast wizzle / Do the get stupid, come fuck with Drizzle / Call the hos-pital, he's having convulsions / No, he's getting' stupid in his load, yokin'," it's clear that no one rides the cartoonish synths of a hyphy beat like Dre, the undisputed class clown of the remedial program.
The other two highlights of Hyphy Hitz bookend the collection nicely. To kick things off, the A'Z single "Yadadamean" is a good introduction to the nonsensical rhyming that follows on the rest of the disc. Do I know what yadadamean? Not really, but I like it! To close out the proceedings, E-40 lends his slanguistic credentials to the DB'Z track "Stewy," which sounds much like "Gouda," but focuses on getting absurdly fresh rather than stacking guap (E-Fonzarelli even makes pains to reiterate the definition of gouda for those who missed it). In his verse, E-40 also promises that his son Droop-E will be gettin' stewy like his daddy for years after his retirement, reassuring news for hyphy fans I'm sure. The proof is in the production as Droop-E lends his hand to the rambunctious Mistah F.A.B. joint "Super Sic Wit It."
At 20-tracks deep, Hyphy Hits can become slightly repetitive in its production and inane lyricism, but it is a good investment for those who enjoy getting stupid but can't quite bring themselves to buy a whole Keek Da Sneak album (though no one should sleep on E-40's 2006 banger My Ghetto Report Card). With D-boys and coke rap ruling the airwaves, it's nice to hear from some rappers who prefer doing drugs instead of selling them. Rather than being screw-faced and cold-hearted, these dudes are unabashedly thizz-faced and hyphy. It's hard not to enjoy that.
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