Rap Musician. Mac Dre was born in Oakland, California and raised in Vallejo, California. His music gained popularity in the early to mid 1990s throughout the Bay Area, eventually receiving national recognition through his independent record labels Romp and Thizz Entertainment. During his music career, he released many hit singles, such as "Feelin' Myself." His music continues to be released posthumously. He was the creator of the "Thizzle Dance," a popular dance which holds no specific standard. Hardship and controversy were staples of Mac Dre's career. After recording his first three albums between 1989 and 1991, Mac Dre was charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery. His record label, Romp Productions, and his many references to "Romper Room" in his songs, coincided with a Vallejo robbery gang of the time calling themselves the "Romper Room Gang" and responsible for the many robberies of area banks and pizza parlors. Hicks was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery and sentenced to five years in prison in 1992. In prison, Hicks gained some notoriety by recording the lyrics to songs directly over the Fresno County jail inmate telephone. His album, Young Black Brotha, was a result of such efforts, as well as guest appearances on fellow artists' songs, all while Hicks was still imprisoned. A later album, Back 'N Da Hood, was also made up of these prison-recorded songs. After his release from prison in 1996, Mac Dre began releasing albums steadily, building pace in the early 21st century. Mac Dre's audience was growing, and mainstream hip-hop stations were beginning to give Hicks' music more airtime. Hicks relocated to Sacramento, California in 2001, where he began a label, Thizz Entertainment. A notorious ecstasy enthusiast, he is credited with coining the slang verb to thizz, which refers to the state of being high on the drug. He was one of the precursors of the current Thizz movement, a hip hop subculture based around ecstasy use, club drugs, and "feel good" music in general. Mac Dre was shot to death while returning to his hotel after a performance in Kansas City, Missouri. A car pulled up next to the white van carrying Dre. Though it is not known whether words were exchanged, the ordeal ended in bloodshed. The van swerved off the road and into a ravine where it ran into a tree. Mac Dre apparently died from a gunshot wound to the back of the neck, although he was thrown from the vehicle and wasn't found immediately after the accident. It was rumored that Mac Dre's killer was Kansas City rapper Anthony "Fat Tone" Watkins. In 2005, Watkins was murdered, allegedly by Bay Area rapper Mac Minister, in retaliation for Hicks' death. In March 2006, Mac Minister was arrested by FBI officials. On the weekend of the August 26, 2006, Hicks' tombstone was stolen from his final resting place. AP9, a rapper who was close to Hicks offered a $10,000 reward out of his own pocket for anyone who had any information on the location of the tombstone. AP9 stated that he believes the theft was an isolated incident, and nobody involved with Hicks' murder was responsible.