I saw a young kid the other day wearing a Death Row Records shirt and it made me happy. I know his mom probably got it for him at Urban Outfitters but that’s alright. I bet his mom was into that G sh*t and allowed him to rock the shirt. The kid probably doesn’t know anything about the classic Dogg Pound album and that’s alright. He’s carrying the torch from our era and I got love for that. Labels like Death Row and Sick Wid It are still going strong since the 90’s. But while they’re still relevant, there are some labels that have come and gone without much of a mention. There are 2 record labels in particular that were founded by the same individual who is also one of the dopest rap producers of the 90’s. Khayree is a legend behind the boards but also for founding Strictly Business Records and Young Black Brotha Records.
Strictly Business Records was started in 1988 in Vallejo, CA by Khayree along with Renald Powers and Rick Nelson. Khayree was nice on the beats and it only helped that right alongside him on the mic was the legendary Mac Dre. Before Mac Dre and Khayree linked up, The Mac was the first rapper that Strictly Business Records signed in 1988. He ended up being Mac Dre’s mentor and helped him along his early years in the music industry. Mac Dre dropped his debut EP, Young Black Brotha in 1989. While it seems like Mac Dre is mostly known for the hyphy movement out of the Bay, it was his early music that really pulled me in to Bay Area Rap. The duo of Mac Dre and Khayree were ahead of their time. After the success of the Young Black Brotha EP, they followed it up with the California Livin EP. Here’s the title track from the EP, “California Livin.”
The Bay had Too $hort, E-40, and Mac Dre all bubbling in the early 90’s. Such a great time for rap music out of Cali as you also NWA, DJ Quik, Ice T, and Compton’s Most Wanted putting it down in Southern Cali. Mac Dre finally dropped his LP, Young Black Brotha: The Album in 1993. I purchased it on CD at Wherehouse Music and ripped the packaging off with the quickness when I walked out of the record store. Then I threw it in my backpack and hopped on my Dyno VFR BMX bike so I could pedal my a** home to start listening before my parents were done with work. While some of the songs on the LP were already known from the earlier EP’s, there was enough new music to bump. It’s not even a question what my favorite song on the LP is. It’s the same track that was on the California Livin’ EP, the one and only, “Da Gift of Gab.”
Khayree left Strictly Business Records in the early 90’s to form his next record label, Young Black Brotha Records. While I was a big Mac Dre fan, when I first heard Mac Mall I was hooked. Mac Mall’s album, Illegal Business? was the first album release on Khayree’s new label and I LOVED that music video to “Ghetto Theme.” I remember seeing the video one day after school on Rap City and it just resonated with me. Couldn’t relate with the lyrics with my suburban background but I put myself right in Mac Mall’s shoes with my headphones. “Ghetto Theme” was like a part 2 to Too $hort’s “The Ghetto” which is one of my favorite tracks of all time. Beautiful beat by Khayree right here. Shout out to 2Pac on directing the video.
I really liked that Mac Mall album. I had begun to learn that I liked everything Khayree was producing so I made sure to swoop up everything that YBB dropped. While Dre held down the beats down in Southern Cali, Khayree had a crew of emcees ready to drop one after another. And he didn’t miss on any of these releases. Ray Luv was the next to drop from YBB in 1995 with his album, Forever Hustlin’. and I had already knew of him through his features from Mac Dre and Mac Mall’s albums. I caught the Ray Luv video for “Last Night” on Rap City as well one of those fine afternoons in the mid-90’s while my parents were working. This was yet another video directed by 2Pac. I wonder if Pac was ever close to signing to Strictly Business or YBB back in the day. Could you imagine a Tupac album with Khayree behind the boards?! Would have been dope!
Young Lay was up next in 1996 on that Young Black Brotha Records roster. It’s a shame that his debut album, Black ‘n Dangerous isn’t on Spotify. Khayree played a lot of his own instruments so is it really not up because of sample clearances? Regardless, could the music gods please get Young Lay’s album up on Spotify so I can listen to “Got 2 Survive” with Pac, Mall, and Ray Luv? Had the nice Mac Dre sample in the chorus too? Banger. And it still wasn’t the best song on that album. That would have to go to “All About My $Fetti” which wow…. Slapper. Khayree’s organ sample was too nice.
YBB was on a role. They could have flopped on one of these but then again, Khayree wouldn’t have let that happen. His beats could hold up a weak emcee but that wasn’t a problem. All the rappers were dope on YBB. if I saw that record label on the back of the album, I bought it. No questions whatsoever. And I wasn’t let down when in that same year of 1996 the Sugawolf Pimp dropped. Yup… Dubee aka Sugawolf was cooler than a polar’s bear’s toenails. I feel he was Suga Free before Suga Free was Suga Free. Does that make sense to anybody? Shout out to Suga Free! Probably not! Here’s “My Thang” from Dubee which was his biggest hit off his debut self-titled album.
It’s too bad that Mac Dre was locked up when Khayree was dropping all of this YBB heat. At least we got a flavor of Mac Dre and Khayree once again on the solo song off of Dubee’s album. And the song was fresh. Guessing this was his first song after he got out of the pen? Here’s “Game I’m Spittin” from Mac Dre.
YBB dropped albums by Mac Mall, Ray Luv, Young Lay, and Dubee aka Sugawolf and hit on all of them. Maybe not to the mainstream world but all Bay Area Rap fans appreciated these albums. Khayree was next up for YBB with his compilation, The Blackalation. For how much love I have for Khayree, that album just really didn’t do it for me. The beats were cool and the Mac Dre features were on point but the album as a whole didn’t match up with the other YBB releases. I wonder why there wasn’t a Mac Dre LP released by Khayree around this time? They were in the studio together and were making good music…. I really think an album from the two of them at this point of Khayree’s career and with Mac Dre just getting out of jail would have been magic. Oh well… I’m sure there’s a story behind all of this. Here’s “Livin That Life” from Mac Dre off of The Blackalation.
1998 was the year I graduated high school which also marked the last album that I really followed from Khayree and YBB. Constant Drama was another compilation on the heels of The Blackalation. The tracklist was packed but I was never sure if these were all new cuts or extras from the YBB crew. There were a few slappers on here though. None better than Mac Dre’s “Who Can it Be.” Another song that I can’t seem to find on Spotify. Whyyyyyyyy?!?!?!? Khayree and Andre Hicks aka Mac Dre were so good together. They were Snoop and Dre to me. They were Guru and Preemo to me. Such an underrated duo.
Khayree is one of the dopest producers of the 90’s but I feel he is never talked about that way. Khayree is major player in the history of California rap music and I’ve never forgotten about his run of dope albums. And the collection of talent he was always surrounded with. Khayree is a legend and I wonder what all he has in that unreleased stash of his? Gotta be some unheard YBB cuts lying around right? Props to Khayree. You owned the 90’s with your beats man. You had a young white kid in San Diego buying and listening to everything. When I listen to the records you made it takes me back to the good ole days of the 90’s. Nothing but good memories sir. And I can’t sign this off without saying RIP to Mac Dre. We miss you homie!