On October 31, 2004, the 34-year-old rapper, Mac Dre, died of a gunshot wound when he was riding a van. The incident happened at approximately 3:30 a.m. According to Billboard, when Andre Hicks aka Mac Dre was traveling in a van, another car showed up at the driver’s side and began shooting at Mac’s car. Right before this took place, the rapper had performed at a Kansas City show.
After the lead shower, the van crashed, and the driver dialed 911. However, by the time help arrived, the 34-year-old had already breathed his last. Officials believed that this murder was committed by a local rapper named Anthony “Fat Tone” Watkins. But they never found any solid evidence against him.
Furthermore, the suspect was killed a year later. Even after 19 years, the murder of Mac Dre remains unsolved.
Who was Mac Dre?
According to Hip Hop Fandom, Andre Louis Hicks aka Mac Dre was born on July 5, 1970. He grew up in the Country Club Crest neighborhood in California and went to Hogan High School. At the start of his career, his stage name was MC Dre. However, in 1984, he changed it to Mac Dre.
The reason behind this name change was that he thought MC Dre sounded like an East Coast Rapper. His career properly took off when he signed with Strictly Business Records in 1989. His first EP titled ‘Young Black Brotha’ came out in the same year. He then released EPs titled ‘California Livin’ and ‘What’s Really Going On’? In 1991 and 1992, respectively.
In 1992, he was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to commit robbery. However, he was released after four years due to good behavior. As soon as he got free, he founded Rop Records and released a compilation album. Throughout his career, he released 11 albums.
