BET has created a weeklong series to document this movement. Rap City’s “Hyphy Week” series will air daily at 5:00 pm PDT during the week of May 22, 2006.

“Hyphy is the like the rebirth of hip hop,” proclaims BET Rap City’s host, Madd Links, when the network captured three days of footage in the Bay Area to document this pop culture. Hyphy—which originated in Oakland—has hit the national scene and enticed mainstream media to document the phenomenon.

Rebirth may be understatement. “Hyphy promises to be more like the ‘second coming’ of the glory days of Bay Area music artists,” stated Charles Johnson of Oakland’s Young Lion Entertainment. It has been more than a decade since hip hop dominants like rap artists MC Hammer, The Luniz, Digital Underground and E-40, put the Bay Area music scene on the map. Hyphy has erected a new stage for unique and talented artists like Oakland native Mistah F.A.B, rap’s version of the Grateful Dead — Hieroglyphics Crew, The Federation, and the ageless Too Short. The country will have the opportunity to catch a glimpse and experience the movement through BET next week.

The BET series covers the past, present, and future of Bay Area Hip Hop. The series opens Monday’s with hip-hop icon, rap artist Too Short—a pioneer Oakland Rapper who went from slanging tapes on the corner to platinum sales—and concludes on Saturday with the Bay Area’s TOP 10 COUNTDOWN: The schedule is as follows: Monday 5/22/06 Too Short – A Day in the Life, Tuesday 5/23/06 Hyphy – A subculture of Hip Hop, Wednesday 5/24/06     E-40 – His second wind, Thursday 5/25/06 Hieroglyphics & Davey D – The Past, Present, & Future, Friday 5/26/06 Bay Area – The Road Map, and Saturday 5/27/06 Top 10 Countdown.

The coordination and planning of “Hyphy Week” is the work of Supervising Producer of BET’s Rap City, Matt Smith, BET Rap City’s host, Madd Links, Rap City Producer Malik Buie, and Coordinating Producer Charles Johnson. The series is highly informative and offers insight to yet another dynamic chapter of Hip Hop Music.