In promoting his upcoming album, Hotel California, Tyga hyped up his single "187" by dropping a mixtape of the same name prior to the single release. Now his recent and frequent use of "187" has come under the scrutiny of veteran rapper Big Hutch.
Although Tyga has not announced a name change to 'Tyga 187,' SoCal rapper Big Hutch, a.k.a. Cold 187um, claims that Tyga is crossing the line using his 187 brand name, which he has used since the 80s. He released a statement about the issue on his manager's website, Big Shot Music. “That name had been relevant for over two decades and now some new young cat comes along and thinks he can just run with it. You can’t just use somebody’s name or brand to glorify your own existence. That’s called 'biting.'” Big Hutch continued “...what happens when people start referring to him as 'Tyga 187' or 'that is the 187 guy;' that simply doesn’t sit well with me.”
The term 187 itself comes from the California police code for a homicide and Big Hutch has been using the acronym since he first started out with Ruthless Records in the late 80s, and later performing with the group Above The Law. Even though Tyga is a fellow citizen of California, Cold 187um claims he should have at least been contacted by someone to use his brand name. The emcee said, “...none of his associates took the time to holla at me about it knowing I’m still a relevant entity in Hip-Hop.” He used a few other examples to make his point. “If he was to call himself Tyga 'Cocaine,' the real Kokane would have a problem with it. If he was to call himself Tyga 'Quick' or Tyga '8,' the real DJ Quik and MC Eiht would have a problem...it’s their brand.”
Big Hutch continued on his tirade against not only Tyga, but many rappers today who he claims are giving themselves meaningless name. He stated, “My name actually means something just like a lot of Hip-Hop cats from my era with names that meant something. You could define us by our names unlike today. Tracy Marrow, a cold lyricist...called himself “Ice-T.” I don’t know why Tyga is using 187 other than tryin’ to sound hard...”
Tyga’s Hotel California is set to drop April 9th. Do you think Tyga is within his rights to use the term 187 or do you think he is in fact “biting”?
Tyga Under Fire From Big Hutch Over Use Of "187"
