Thug Life Army

West coast native Sway Calloway is going back to Cali to bring well deserved national attention to Bay Area hip-hop and rap superstars at the frontline of Hip-Hop and Rap today. My Block the Bay will bring well-known artists such as west coast legends E-40, Keak Da Sneak, Too Short, Mistah FAB, JT The Bigga Figga and San Quinn, Turf Talk, Keyshia Cole, Zion I and many more.

After visits to hip-hop's Southern capitals, MTV News'' My Block series heads West, descending on one of the country's most prolific and prodigious rap scenes the Bay Area.

Encompassing the cities of San Francisco, Oakland and Vallejo, the "Yay Area" has long had its own unique way of doing things: from its animated artists and legendary rap icons to the ingenious brand of cultivated slang to its distinctive balance between creative backpack rap and savvy hustler music. My Block: The Bay premieres on Monday, March 5 at 2PM on MTV2 and March 16 at 7PM on MTV.

My Block: The Bay is a homecoming for MTV News Correspondent Sway Calloway who opens the show literally from the East Oakland block where he grew up, taking viewers through the Bay Area's rich social and musical history, from the Black Panthers to 2Pac, from the lyrical mastery of the Hieroglyphics to the hip-hop pop of MC Hammer, with special cameos by both. My Block looks at the artists and subcultures that are defining the Yay right now, showcasing the next generation and evolution of the hip-hop scene, the Hyphy movement, Northern Californias Crunk.

Featured segments

E-40

My Block viewers are introduced to the vibe of the Bay Area hip-hop scene it's aesthetics, language, community and style through its veteran star E-40, whose recent hit "Tell Me When To Go" is destined to be the new Hyphy anthem. He breaks down the attitude that has created the Hyphy movement, why the Bay has such a unique influence on hip-hop history, and how all rap roads run through E-40.

Keak Da Sneak and The Hyphy Test

Keak Da Sneak (also featured on E-40's "Tell Me When To Go"), breaks down the Hyphy movement for Sway, showing us the language, dances and culture surrounding Hyphy. Keak, one of the new stars of the Bay, also shows Sway the Hyphy test that he gives all his new tunes all you need is a car, a stereo and a crowd.

Mistah FAB and the Thizz Movement

The other movement happening in the Bay, an off-shoot of Hyphy, is Thizz, and its breakout star is Mistah FAB. Fab tells Sway what Thizz is, why people in the Bay need to "ride the short yellow bus" and what the "Nation of Thizzlam" is. He shows how people "go dumb" in their cars and explains why the entire Thizz movement pays homage to fallen Bay hero Mac Dre aka Thizzelle Washington.

Too Short and the Town

Too Short is the original, dirty-mouthed "P.I.M.P.", who mixed clever rhymes and a bold persona to create the template of the street-savvy, thug rapper. An Atlanta resident now, Too Short returns to Oakland to drive Sway around the city's backstreets - in a classic, pimped out Oakland-style convertible and to talk about the Bay's vibe, past and present. Short takes viewers to a spot where an impromptu bike "Sideshow" breaks out, illustrating the biker culture of the Bay.

San Fran Stars

On the other side of the Bay, in San Francisco, My Block checks in with its local stars, JT The Bigga Figga and San Quinn. They explain how ''hoods exist right in the middle of the city, just three blocks from City Hall, and how that dichotomy plays into the music they make.

New Artists Spotlights Turf Talk and Zion I

Turf Talk, who was featured on The Federation's Hyphy song, signed to E-40's label (Sic Wid It Records) and is one of the big emerging stars out of the Bay Area. He takes us to his hood in Vallejo, CA to show us how he got put on and talk about his unique lyrical flow. Zion I, the rap/DJ crew that mixes conscious-raps, old-school energy and new-school beats, is the favorite group of artists like Talib Kweli, The Roots and Mos Def.

Ladies of Soul

Contrasting all the braggadocio of Bay Area hip-hop, there is a soulful current that runs through the Bay Area. Keyshia Cole takes us back to her block and talks about how she got her start and the part of the Bay ''hoods that still lives inside of her. Also featured is Goapale, a new artist from the Bay who is often compared to Alicia Keys, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu.

Log on for more from the exciting Bay scene at overdrive.mtv.com. Also on air, 10 spot drop, which introduces viewers to new music during the networks primetime programming, will feature tracks from E-40s next album and the video for the breakthrough hit Tell Me When To Go starting March 16 on MTV.