Oakland rappers played a key role in the Bay Area rap scene, a scene that is the heart of West Coast hip hop, along with Los Angeles, and has been pioneering West Coast rap music since the 1980s. The Bay Area, broken down into Oakland, San Francisco, Richmond, Vallejo, San Jose and other surrounding cities, has its own sound, culture and movement that has influenced communities and entire cities from around the country, especially Oakland Hip Hop. Rappers from Oakland like Too Short, Yukmouth, Keak Da Sneak, Dru Down, MC Hammer, Richie Rich, The Luniz, Lil Rue, The Team, Shock G and Digital Underground, E-A-Ski, DJ Daryl, Steady Mobbin, 3XKrazy are just some of the many Bay Area pioneers and legends. Today, the next generation of Oakland rappers have been keeping up the legacy of Oakland hip hop and the Bay Area music scene. One new face to remember in the Bay Area Hip Hop scene is Tyrone, an up and coming rapper who has deep experience making music from a young age.
Tyrone grew up in the Bay Area, specifically Oakland. Apart from the hype the tech industry has cemented in the past couple of years, The Bay Area is also home to some of the most famous hip-hop artists. Yet fame is not equivalent to mainstream music when it comes to the distinct sounds of Bay Area rap. The funky beats of MC Hammer fueled this artistic movement, along with Tupac Shakur.
Tyrone draws much of his music influence to Tupac. The premise of Tupac’s music includes gritty tones and hyped beats, which leaves listeners feeling a sense of euphoria and relieves their stressors from everyday life. Tupac’s music and iconic status forever changed the rap industry, and Tyrone wants to emulate the same energy into his own music. For Tyrone, music is a balance of two concepts: variation and repetition. Without any change in the melodies, a listener can get bored, and will likely skip to the next song. Without any repetition, the listener doesn’t have much to latch onto, which can make the music unstructured.
To Tyrone, it is important to find the right combination between variation and repetition to create something that’s interesting but easily accessible to anyone. In the world of beat-making, repetition is so prevalent but also overwhelming, so finding this balance is so important. While beats can be complex, you don’t have to overthink because all you need is an effective beat. In all of his music, Tyrone includes the standard in his music: a kick, a snare, high-frequency percussion sound, a bass, and a melodic element. By weaving together these elements, Tyrone has made a name for himself in Hip Hop with his new release on Apple Music and soon there will be an announcement of a release on a bigger platform. To learn more about Tyrone, check out his music here and his Instagram.
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