E-40

Synonymous with Bay Area rap, E-40 garnered a regional following, and eventually a national one, with his flamboyant raps, while his entrepreneurial spirit did much to cultivate a flourishing rap scene in communities such as Oakland and his native Vallejo. E-40 spent years releasing music independently and was among the first Bay Area rappers to sign to a major label. Throughout the '90s and into the following decade, he released a series of widely distributed albums on Jive, and though only 1995's In a Major Way went platinum, all of them were well received regionally and proved highly influential, not only on the West Coast but also in the South. Concurrently, the Bay Area rap scene, invigorated by the hyphy sound it cultivated, grew in popularity. It had no bigger champion than E-40, whose significance can't be measured simply by hits and sales. His long list of guest features is representative of the esteem in which he is held, as practically every regional act has sought his presence.