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Dresta

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Dresta
Birth nameAndre DeSean Wicker
Also known as
  • Gangsta Dresta
  • Big Dre
Born (1970-04-18) April 18, 1970 (age 54)
Compton, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
Years active1993–present
Labels

Andre DeSean Wicker (born April 18, 1970), better known by his stage name Dresta (sometimes Gangsta Dresta), is an American rapper. He is best known for collaborating with Eazy-E on the 1993 single "Real Muthaphuckkin G's".

He is the older brother of rapper B.G. Knocc Out, who is also featured on the song. Together, they released their only studio album Real Brothas, in August 1995, which peaked at #128 on the Billboard 200. In 1996, the pair appeared on the remixed version of the South Central Cartel song, "Knock on Wood".

Early life

Andre Wicker was born and raised in Nutty Blocc in Compton, California.[1] He and his brother Arlandis Hinton, also known as B.G. Knocc Out, became Nutty Blocc Compton Crips.[2] He was convicted of assaulting another gang member in Compton in 1988, and was incarcerated at the California Youth Authority in Camarillo until 1993.[3]

Music career

While Dresta was serving his five-year sentence, he started writing lyrics and rapping, gaining some notoriety.[1] Within months of Dresta's release, he and B.G. Knocc Out signed to Eazy-E's Ruthless Records and made their debut on Eazy's 1993 multi-platinum EP It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa on the single "Real Muthaphuckkin G's" (which was censored to "Real Compton City G's" in order to garner MTV and radio airplay).[4] The song itself was a response to Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's various 'diss' records towards Eazy-E on Dr. Dre's debut album, The Chronic.

In 1995, Dresta and B.G. Knocc Out released their debut studio album Real Brothas, which remains their only album to date. At the end of the same year, they made three guest appearances in Eazy-E's posthumous album Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton.

After B.G. Knocc Out's incarceration in 1998, Dresta worked with Death Row Records and appeared on two tracks from Death Row's Too Gangsta for Radio compilation, but never actually signed to the record label.[2]

Dresta stated in an interview that he is currently working on Dirty West mixtape series and on upcoming solo album, hinting possibility of Real Brothas to get re-released. Dresta also wrote a song for Dr. Dre's album Detox, but Dre didn't want to collaborate with him. He criticized Dr. Dre for surrounding himself with mediocre artists and the numerous delays of his Detox album.[2]

Personal life

1994 shooting

On January 14, 1994, Tyrone Thomas (also known as Tony Bogard), Andre Wicker and Rodney Compton were involved in a gang confrontation in Imperial Courts housing projects.[5] Thomas and Compton were former PeeJay Watts Crips[6] and Thomas had helped to organize a truce between Crips and Bloods in Watts, Los Angeles in 1992.[7]

At around 6:30 p.m., a shooting began in a parking lot in the 2200 block of East 114th Street.[6] 25 shots were fired, six of which hit Thomas,[8] who was said to be the prime target of the shooting.[7] According to witnesses, Thomas was carrying a pistol and he shot back at the assailants, possibly wounding two of them.[5]

Thomas and Wicker were subsequently hospitalized in Martin Luther King, Jr. Multi-Service Ambulatory Care Center, where Thomas was pronounced dead. Wicker was in critical condition while arriving to the hospital, but received a surgery for a gunshot to his left arm and was released the same week.[9] Compton was wounded in the arm[8] and treated at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.[6] He was later charged with the murder of Thomas,[10] but was released from jail after pleading no contest to one count of voluntary manslaughter on May 31, 1994. Wicker was sentenced to one year probation under terms of a plea bargain.[11]

Discography

Collaboration albums

Guest appearances

Title Release Other performer(s) Album
"Real Muthaphuckkin G's" 1993 Eazy-E, B.G. Knocc Out It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa
"Kuz Itz Like Dat" 1994 Menajahtwa, The Fyrm Cha-licious
"Da Laz Zhit" Menajahtwa
"Ole School Shit" 1995 Eazy-E, B.G. Knocc Out, Sylk-E. Fyne Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton
"Sippin' on a 40" Eazy-E, B.G. Knocc Out
"Gangsta Beat 4 tha Street" Eazy-E, B.G. Knocc Out, Menajahtwa
"Knock on Wood" (remix) South Central Cartel, L.V., The Evil Side G's, B.G. Knocc Out, Sh'Killa, Gripsta, Jayo Felony Murder Squad Nationwide
"Down Fa Mine" Kam, MC Ren Made in America
"Streets Won't Let Me Go" 1996 DJ Yella One Mo Nigga ta Go
"Straight Outta Compton" (remix) 1998 MC Eiht, King T Straight Outta Compton: N.W.A 10th Anniversary Tribute
"Black Pussy" MC Eiht, Crooked I C-Style Presents Straight Outta Cali
"Victims of Reality" Big Bub, Nate Dogg
"On the Run" 1999 DJ U-Neek Ghetto Street Pharmacist
"Survival of the Fittest" WC, Young Shane Thicker than Water soundtrack
"Give It up for Compton" 2000 Too Gangsta for Radio
"Too Gangsta" Young Hoggs
"They Like Dat" 2001 Kam, Jayo Felony, Yukmouth, Spider Loc Kamnesia
"Undadawgs" 2002 C-Bo, CJ Mac Life as a Rider
"Gangsta Movement" 2006 Lil Eazy-E, B.G. Knocc Out Cali Untouchable Radio 14: Rebirth of Gangsta Rap
"Blaze It Up" 2007 Tha Dogg Pound, B.G. Knocc Out, Glasses Malone, Jayo Felony Dogg Chit
"Wake Up" 2009 Daddy V, RBX, Att Will, Tha Chill OG Daddy V Presents Compton N Longbeach
"West Indeed" 2012 Celly Cel, Young Maylay, Young Dre the Truth, Killa Polk Celly Cel Presents - Cali Luv

References

  1. ^ a b BG Knocc Out & Dresta[permanent dead link] Rap Pages. Retrieved on 2009-07-27
  2. ^ a b c Interview: West Coast Legend Dre'sta! Archived December 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (HTML) Raptalk.net. Retrieved on 2008-10-19
  3. ^ Reed, Mack (January 13, 1992). "Shooting Straight in Jail Juvenile corrections: A videotape production course at a California Youth Authority facility in Camarillo offers job skills and a reason to avoid crime". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Archived from the original (Fee required) on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  4. ^ B.G. Knocc Out Interview (HTML) Dubcnn. Retrieved on 2008-10-12
  5. ^ a b Renwick, Lucille (January 15, 1994). "Veteran of Gangs' War and Peace Dies by Gunfire Violence" (Fee required). Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c Morgan, Shante (January 15, 1994). "L.A. grieves at killing of Crip-Blood peacemaker" (Fee required). The San Diego Union-Tribune. San Diego. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Gang Truce Organizer Fatally Shot On Street" (Fee required). Daily News of Los Angeles. Los Angeles. January 15, 1994. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
  8. ^ a b Katz, Jesse (June 1, 1994). "Man Freed in Death of Gang Leader Courts: Rodney Compton is to get one year probation in the slaying of Tony Bogard, who helped reach a truce between the Crips and Bloods" (Fee required). Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
  9. ^ Renwick, Lucille (January 15, 1994). "Peacemaker Among Gangs Is Cut Down by Gunfire Crime: Tony Thomas helped forge truce. He walked fine line between hero and target of culture he tried to reform" (Fee required). Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
  10. ^ Katz, Jesse (January 19, 1994). "Man Wounded in Gang Peacemaker's Death Is Charged" (Fee required). Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
  11. ^ Katz, Jesse (June 1, 1994). "Man freed in death of gang leader" (Fee required). Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
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