Vallejo to name street after Mac Dre

VALLEJO – The Vallejo City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to rename Taper Avenue in North Vallejo after deceased Vallejo rapper Andre “Mac Dre” Hicks. 

The honorary name "Mac Dre Way” would span the entirety of Taper Avenue, a half-mile stretch beginning at Fairgrounds Drive and ending at Taper Court.

Tuesday’s City Council meeting was met with a full house of community members who arrived to speak in favor of renaming the street. Mayor Andrea Sorce said that Tuesday’s meeting was significant not only for the items on the agenda but because it welcomed so many newcomers to the chambers of the city council. 

“Andre Hicks was a selfless person,” said rapper and Vallejo native Jamal “Mac Mall” Rocker. “He helped start my career and helped countless young people get their start in the music business.” 

Rocker also spoke to the history of influence mentioning that Mac Dre inspired his rap name Mac Mall as well as others. “Top artists such as Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been influenced by the music and the style of Vallejo and Mac Dre,” he said. 

Mac Dre was born July 5, 1970, in Oakland but lived most of his life in Vallejo. 

Mac Dre debuted in 1989 with the Young Black Brotha EP featuring the classic record “Too Hard for the F--in' Radio,” which he first performed at a talent show at Hogan High School in Vallejo.  Hicks died at the age of 34 in November 2004, after being shot while in Kansas City, Missouri.  

“The nomination of Mac Dre for a street naming reflects both his historical and cultural impact on both Vallejo and the world,” a city staff report on the renaming stated. “His Hyphy movement helped shape mainstream music and inspired artists such as Drake and E-40, securing Vallejo’s place in music history.” 

Petition documents were filed in July 2026 by Michael Lott known as “Miami the Most,” who was one of the founding members of Thizz Entertainment, Mac Dre’s record label.

According to the petition statement, “The intersection of Amelia Street and Taper Avenue was the location of Andre’s childhood residence, and it was within these surrounding blocks that he formed his first musical groups and developed what would become the signature ‘Vallejo sound.’”

Artists, educators and community members came out to speak on behalf of the city’s “native son”. The speakers gave rousing and emotional speeches expressing the need to honor the legacy and preserve the memory of Hicks to show the next generation what is possible. 

High school coach Tony Pangolina shared memories of Hicks supporting youth sports and being in the community with people, “He wasn’t scared to go out within the streets of Vallejo and in the Bay Area and spread his love to everybody,” Pangolina said.  

Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James said,“This is more than a street name. This is a moment for hip-hop. This is a moment for Bay Area history and this is a moment for Vallejo.”  James said that the street naming was a recognition of the cultural history of Vallejo displaying resilience and creativity. 

The proposal for honorary street name comes 22 years after his death and three years after rapper E-40 had a section of Magazine Street named after him.  In 2025, the funk band Con Funk Shun received a key and a 1.8-mile stretch of Florida Street, between Mare Island Way and Solano Avenue named “ConFunkShun Street”. 

“Naming a street wouldn’t glorify the mistakes of his past,” said artist Mike “K.O.B” Rosenthal.  “It will recognize the cultural contribution he made and the positive influences art continues to have on the generations after him.” 

Hicks was incarcerated from 1992-1996 for conspiracy to commit robbery.  While incarcerated, Hicks recorded “Back N Da Hood”  by phone in Fresno County Jail and Lompoc Prison, which was applauded as an innovation in music production. His albums pioneered hip-hop’s “Hyphy movement”, a cultural movement of dance and music from the 1990s. 

Taper Street is located in District 2, represented by Councilmember Diosdado "J.R." Matulac, who is running for re-election unopposed this year.  Matulac explained when he mentions he’s from North Vallejo he at times has received a “negative connotation of what that [being from North Vallejo] represents.” 

“But as you can see from the people here, the Crest, Rancho and all of District 2, there is more good there than there is bad going on over there,” he said.  

The City Council meetings and agenda items are available online for viewing and for those who cannot attend in person.