Andre Hicks (July 5, 1970 – November 1, 2004), better known by his stage name Mac Dre, was one of the originators of hyphy and is generally considered the creator of Thizz music. He worked with well-known artists such as Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Richie Rich, Keak da Sneak, Andre Nickatina, Tupac, and Too Short. He also provided an uncredited hook to the track "Gotta Survive" off of Young Lay's Black N' Dangerous album.