In exploring the roots of contemporary African-American gang life in Sacramento County, the study focuses on the role of rap, a musical offshoot of hip-hop that became the musical expression of the lives of Black urban youth in the 1980s. "Gangsta" rap, a subset of rap, provided a forum for young artists to reflect on the violent lifestyles of both gang members and those who interacted with them. In portraying this musical development in the Bay Area, this study focuses on Mac Dre, who became the voice of the "Gangsta" rap movement in the area. Mac Dre began a movement called Hyphy, which attempted to broaden the experiences of gang members to include interests and behaviors beyond the traditional criminal, violent, crack-infested lifestyle of traditional gangs such as the Crips and Bloods. This study argues, however, that the ways in which hybrid gangs present themselves as "families," "mobbs," and "camps," which is reflective of their internal social interactions, this hybridized gang culture still holds to the same core values of gangs, i.e., retaliation stemming from perceptions of disrespect and snitching, and remembering dead gang members. The study examined four key areas in which the Hyphy-gang relationship is being portrayed: media created by people within the Hyphy movement; news sources covering Hyphy; trial transcripts that focus on offenders and victims who are believed to be involved in the Hyphy movement and gang culture; and police reports and media releases that focus on this relationship. Exhibits of gang signs and a 106-item bibliography