The Vallejo City Council announced earlier this week that the city plans to pay tribute to E-40. A native to the northern California city, E-40 has spent his career honoring his original stomping grounds, including Magazine Street. A track named after the street even landed on the rapper's 2015 EP, Poverty and Prosperity. Pretty soon, Magazine Street will become “E-40 Way."
This year is also the 30th anniversary of E-40's 1993 debut album, Federal. Though there's no official date set for the street's dedication ceremony, it's scheduled to take place sometime later this year. Earlier this year, E-40 was also recognized by Grambling State University in Louisiana, which he attended in the '80s. “This means so much to me, man, being from Magazine Street – 1300 block [of] Vallejo, California, ya understand me? The Bay Area,” he said while accepting his honorary degree.
Read More: E-40 Reflects On His Impact On West Coast Hip-Hop: “They Call Me The Ambassador Of The Bay
Magazine Street To Become "E-40 Way"
Last month, E-40 spoke to The New York Times about his impact on the West Coast hip hop scene for their “50 Rappers, 50 Stories" piece. "I put new life into the West Coast in 2006," he told the outlet. "And that’s no ifs, ands or buts. Can’t nobody say I didn’t, with the help of Lil Jon. And it’s never stopped since then.” He continued, "That’s my role — they call me the Ambassador of the Bay. And I don’t know nobody else there that represents it like me.”
E-40 isn't the only artist to receive a street named after them in the Bay Area. Earlier this year, it was revealed that 2Pac will have a portion of MacArthur Boulevard between Grand Avenue and Van Buren Avenue in Oakland named after him. Council member Carroll Fife pitched "Tupac Shakur Way," citing his invaluable contributions to Bay Area hip hop. “Tupac Shakur’s legacy will continue through his contributions in art and social outreach, through his family and fans," she explained. Fife noted how 2Pac managed to “[touch] countless lives of children and elders over the years while alive and after his death.”
