Thizz Entertainment

Mac Dre was a rapper of many monikers, a natural comedian with an incredible work ethic, and an artist who forever changed the course of Bay Area hip-hop. From recording verses through a phone while serving time for a robbery charge to bringing phrases like "thizz," "go dumb," and "ghost ride the whip" into the lexicon, Dre left an indelible mark on his community during his short but prolific lifetime. "It was always just great energy," friend and fellow rapper Mistah F.A.B. says of his performances. "You felt like when you left the show, you left Mardi Gras. That's just how dope he was." In 1999, Hicks had relocated to Sacramento and founded Thizz Entertainment. ==Music==

1999–2004 From its creation, the label, has been fundamental in the growth and popularity of the Bay Area Hyphy movement. Mac Dre's most popular albums including, Ronald Dregan: Dreganomics, The Genie of the Lamp, Thizzelle Washington, ''Mac Dre's the Name'', were released under the label and distributed locally in partnership with City Hall Records in San Rafael. 2004–present Dedicated to protecting the works and legacy of Mac Dre, the label does not sign recording artists. Rappers and musicians that were previously associated with Mac Dre and his labels, and are still active in music, continue to support the label's efforts by promoting the brand within their own endeavors, paying homage by adding a "Thizz" prefix to their own label or production company. However, outside of this small and exclusive group, "Many in the rap game attach themselves to the term “thizz” to make a name for themselves and ride Mac Dre's coattails" said Black Dog Bone, editor of Vallejo-based Murder Dog magazine, which chronicles the rap scene. As of 2018, former Thizz Entertainment artists continue to support and assist Salvatto in curtailing flagrant misuse or misrepresentation of affiliation to the current label or Mac Dre's brand by unauthorized third parties. ==Annual events==

Ten years after his death, his mother was still receiving an excess of requests, comments, letters from young people, with stories of how Mac Dre affected them or got them through tough times in their young lives. “I didn't realize how big his presence was in the Bay Area and actually across the United States” stated Salvatto. Mac Dre Day In 2018, the label held its 3rd annual Mac Dre Day in San Francisco at The Regency Ballroom on July 5, what would have been Mac Dre's 48th birthday. “One of the reasons it's important” for the event to happen “is that he had an impact on young people in the Bay Area,” said Mac Wanda, going by the name because “that's what the kids call me.” ==Other media==

Thizz Entertainment created the DVD series Treal TV. In 2014, veteran actor, Tray Chaney, best known on the popular HBO drama series, The Wire, announced that he has been selected to produce and star in two upcoming Mac Dre films in partnership with Thizz Entertainment. Inspired by the rapper Drake after he spoke to Salvatto on how much Mac Dre impacted his life and career, in 2015, Thizz Entertainment released the documentary, Legend of the Bay, narrated by rapper and journalist Sway Calloway. The documentary details the Bay Area legend's life and includes never-before-seen concert footage, home movies, exclusive interviews with Mac Dre's friends, family, and music artists such as Wiz Khalifa, Tech N9ne, and Warren G. ==References==