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Steph Curry Is Producing a Mac Dre Documentary

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Mac Dre performs on stage in 2004, wearing giant sunglasses, a striped polo shirt and Adidas jacket. Men on stage are going dumb, dancing and singing along to the lyrics.
Mac Dre performs in 2004. His Thizz Entertainment label, founded in 1999, put out his best-known albums, as well as releases from Mistah F.A.B., The Jacka, J Diggs and more. (D-Ray)

After bringing glory to the Bay Area on the basketball court, Steph Curry announced Thursday that he’s producing a documentary that will uplift the legacy of one of the region’s cultural heroes: Mac Dre.

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Known for his eccentric party anthems — “Feelin’ Myself,” “Get Stupid,” “Thizzle Dance” — and colorful personas, the Vallejo MC inspired the hyphy movement, and his legend has only grown since his death in a Kansas City shooting in 2004. Mac Dre’s image has been enshrined in murals, tattoos and countless airbrushed T-shirts. And though his legacy tends to go underappreciated outside of the Bay Area hip-hop scene, Mac Dre is a rapper’s rapper, and countless artists, including Yo Gotti and Drake, have shouted out his influence.

The announcement arrives as Curry continues to grow his presence in television and entertainment. He has over a dozen producer credits to his name, and tends to select projects that celebrate Black Americans’ contributions to culture and sports, including the 2023 E series Black Pop and ESPN’s Why Not Us: Howard Golf. Earlier this year, he was the subject of the acclaimed Apple TV+ documentary, Stephen Curry: Underrated.

A documentary about Mac Dre, whose story has underdog appeal, seems fitting for a star athlete who was once underestimated himself. Curry, his Unanimous Media co-founder Erick Peyton and executive producer Brian Tetsuro Ivie are collaborating with Mac Dre’s mother and head of his estate, Wanda Salvatto, on the project.

a spraypainted mural of the rap artist mac dre
The Mac Dre mural on Foothill Boulevard in Oakland by artist Chez. (Laurence Madrigal/We Were Hyphy)

“I look forward to sharing how from Andre’s dreams of rapping emerged a blueprint that not only inspired a generation but also became a guide to conquering obstacles and fulfilling their entrepreneurial dreams,” Salvatto told Billboard, who broke the news.

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Mac Dre is also the subject of a recent Salvatto-approved biography, Mac Dre: A Crime That Was Never Committed.

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