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For the Ice T album, see Gangsta Rap (album).

Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop music which developed during the late 1980s. It is a genre of hip hop that reflects the violent lifestyles of some inner-city youths.^[1] Gangsta is a corruption of the word gangster. The genre was pioneered around 1983 by Ice T with songs like Cold Winter Madness and Body Rock/Killers and Kevin Ripton with Chillaxin and My Homie Achmed Waqazz and the Gypsy Jewz and was popularized by groups like NWA in the late '80s'^[2] After the national attention that Ice-T & N.W.A created in the late 80's, gangsta rap became the most commercially lucrative subgenre of hip hop. Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... A Boss DR-202 Drum Machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... West Coast hip hop, also known as West Coast rap or California hip hop, is a style of hip hop music that originated in California in the early 1980s. ... East Coast hip hop is a style of hip hop music that originated in New York City during the early-1970s. ... Southern rap (or Dirty South hip-hop) is a type of hip hop music that emerged in the late-1990s as a popular force from cities such as New Orleans, Miami, Atlanta, Memphis, Houston, and Dallas. ... Midwest rap is a style of hip hop that originated in the Midwestern United States, in areas including Minneapolis, Minnesota, Cleveland, Ohio, St. ... Chicano rap is a subgenre of hip hop music, latin rap and gangsta rap that embodies aspects of West Coast and Southwest Mexican American (Chicano) culture and is typically performed by American rap singers and musicians of Mexican descent. ... Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known as Ice T or Ice-T, is an American rapper, singer and actor. ... Gangsta Rap is a 2006 album by rap artist Ice T. During release, several record sales companies wanted to censor the album cover picturing Ice T and his wife Nicole CoCo Austin in bed. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known as Ice T or Ice-T, is an American rapper, singer and actor. ...

The subject matter inherent in gangsta rap has caused a great deal of controversy. Criticism has come from both right wing and left wing commentators, and religious leaders, who have accused the genre of promoting homophobia, violence, profanity, promiscuity, misogyny, rape, street gangs, drive-by shootings, police brutality, vandalism, thievery, crime, drug dealing, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, racism, and materialism. In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms that refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially but not exclusively in the American sense of the word... Various Religious symbols, including (first row) Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Bahai, (second row) Islamic, tribal, Taoist, Shinto (third row) Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jain, (fourth row) Ayyavazhi, Triple Goddess, Maltese cross, pre-Christian Slavonic Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual... A protest by The Westboro Baptist Church, a group identified by the Anti-Defamation League as virulently homophobic. ... For other uses, see Violence (disambiguation). ... In cartoons, profanity is often depicted by substituting symbols for words, as a form of non-specific censorship. ... Promiscuous redirects here. ... In Eva Prima Pandora, by Jean Cousin (Louvre Museum), Eve, the equivalent of Pandora embodies Original Sin Misogyny (pronounced ) is hatred or strong prejudice against women; an antonym of philogyny. ... -1... A drive-by shooting (or drive-by for short) is a personal attack carried out by someone from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle. ... January 31 1919: David Kirkwood on the ground after being struck by batons of the Glasgow police Police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers and other law enforcement officers. ... Vandalism is the conspicuous defacement or destruction of a structure, a symbol or anything else that goes against the will of the owner/governing body. ... // Thievery Thievery is a modification for Unreal Tournament. ... Retail selling Street selling is the bottom of the chain and can be accomplished through purchasing from prostitutes, through cloaked retail stores or refuse houses for users in the act located in red-light districts which often also deal in paraphernalia, dealers marketing merriment at night clubs and other events... This article needs cleanup. ... Also see Alcoholism and Drug addiction. ... Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Ethnocracy Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action Racial quota... Materialism refers to how a person or group chooses to spend their resources, particularly money and time. ...

Some commentators (for example, Spike Lee in his satirical film Bamboozled) have criticized it as analogous to black minstrel shows and blackface performance, in which performers – both black and white – were made up to look African American, and acted in a stereotypically uncultured and ignorant manner for the entertainment of white audiences. Gangsta rappers often defend themselves by claiming that they are describing the reality of inner-city life, and that they are only adopting a character, like an actor playing a role, which behaves in ways that they may not necessarily endorse. Shelton Jackson Lee (born March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia), better known as Spike Lee, is an Emmy Award - winning, and Academy Award - nominated American film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his films dealing with controversial social and political issues. ... For the teletext, see Bamboozle. ... Detail from cover of The Celebrated Negro Melodies, as Sung by the Virginia Minstrels, 1843 The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the American Civil War, African Americans in blackface. ... This reproduction of a 1900 minstrel show poster, originally published by the Strobridge Litho Co. ...

Early Gangster themes

The 1973 album Hustler's Convention by Lightnin' Rod featured lyrics that deal with street life, including pimping and hustling. The Last Poets member Jalal Mansur Nuriddin delivers rhyming vocals in the urban slang of his time, and together with the other Last Poets members, was quite influential on later hip hop groups, such as Public Enemy. Many rappers, such as Ice T, have credited pimp and writer Iceberg Slim with influencing their rhymes. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Last Poets is a group of poets and musicians who arose from the late 1960s African American civil rights movements black nationalist thread. ... Jalal Mansur Nuriddin is one of the founding members of The Last Poets, a group of poets and musicians that evolved in the 1960s out of the Harlem writers workshop in New York. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known as Ice T or Ice-T, is an American rapper, singer and actor. ... Iceberg Slim (August 4, 1918 – April 28, 1992), also known as Robert Beck and born as Robert Lee Maupin, was an African American writer who started out as a pimp and whose writings were particularly successful among black audiences; his descriptions of the pimp lifestyle had considerable influence on African...

1984-1990

Schoolly D

Philadelphia MC Schoolly D can probably be credited as the first rapper to use the word "gangster" in one of his songs. In his 1984 12" single "Gangster Boogie"^[3] he mentions it with "I shot call a with my gangster lean". He released the 12" single "P.S.K." (short for Park Side Killers) in 1985. In this song, Schoolly D makes direct references to his crew or gang (PSK) as well as describing putting his pistol against another rapper's head.^[4] Schoolly D is often considered a pioneer in hardcore rap as well as gangsta rap. His fellow Philadelphian, Steady B, also helped pave the way for gangsta rap's popularity. For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... // Background Schoolly D is the moniker of Jesse B. Weaver, Jr. ... Hardcore hip hop is a form of hip hop music that has confrontational, often violent lyrics, and generally sparse, gritty urban beats. ... Warren McGlone (born January 5, 1970 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), known by the stage name Steady B, is an American rapper who, along with Schoolly D and the Fresh Prince, was one of the first wave of Philadelphia-area rappers to gain notoriety in the mid to late 1980s. ...

Ice-T

In 1986, Los Angeles based rapper Ice-T released "6 n the Mornin", which is often regarded as the first gangsta rap song. Ice-T had been MCing since the early '80s. In an interview with PROPS magazine Ice-T said: "Here's the exact chronological order of what really went down: The first record that came out along those lines was Schoolly D's 'P.S.K.' Then the syncopation of that rap was used by me when I made Six In The Morning. The vocal delivery was the same: '...P.S.K. is makin' that green', '...six in the morning, police at my door'. When I heard that record I was like "Oh shit!" and call it a bite or what you will but I dug that record. My record didn't sound like P.S.K., but I liked the way he was flowing with it. P.S.K. was talking about Park Side Killers but it was very vague. That was the only difference, when Schoolly did it, it was "...one by one, I'm knockin' em out". All he did was represent a gang on his record. I took that and wrote a record about guns, beating people down, and all that with Six In The Morning. At the same time my single came out, Boogie Down Productions hit with Criminal Minded, which was a gangster-based album. It wasn't about messages or "You Must Learn", it was about gangsterism."^[5] This article is about the hip-hop emcee. ...

Ice-T continued to release gangsta albums for the remainder of the decade: Rhyme Pays in 1987, Power in 1988 and The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say in 1989. Ice-T's lyrics also contained strong political commentary, and often played the line between glorifying the gangsta lifestyle and criticizing it as a no-win situation. Rhyme Pays is the first gangsta rap album by West Coast rapper Ice-T, released in 1987 (see 1987 in music). ... Power is the second album by West Coast rapper Ice-T, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music). ... The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech. ...

Boogie Down Productions

Boogie Down Productions released their first single, "Say No Brother (Crack Attack Don't Do It)", in 1986. It was followed by "South-Bronx/P is Free" and "9mm Goes Bang" in the same year. The latter is the most gangsta-themed song of the three; in it KRS-1 describes shooting rival weed-dealers after they try to kill him in his home.^[6] The album Criminal Minded followed in 1987. Shortly after the release of the album, BDP's DJ Scott LaRock was shot and killed. After this BDP's subsequent records focused on conscious lyrics instead. Boogie Down Productions (1989) Boogie Down Productions was originally composed of KRS One, D Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. ... KRS-ONE Lawrence Krisna Parker (born August 20, 1965), known throughout his career by several monikers including Kris Parker, KRS One, The Blastmaster and The Teacha, is a rapper born in Park Slope, Brooklyn. ... Criminal Minded by Boogie Down Productions is a highly influential hip hop album. ... Scott Sterling (March 2, 1962–August 27, 1987), better known by his stage name Scott La Rock, was the DJ for the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions. ... Conscious hip hop is a subgenre of alternative hip hop which focuses on social issues. ...

Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys, while never credited as gangsta rappers, were one of the first groups to identify themselves as "gangsters", and one of the first popular rap groups to talk about violence and drug and alcohol use. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, their 1986 album Licensed to Ill is "filled with enough references to guns, drugs, and empty sex (including the pornographic deployment of a Whiffle-ball bat in "Paul Revere") to qualify as a gangsta-rap cornerstone." ^[7] The Beastie Boys are a hip hop musical group from New York City consisting of Michael Mike D Diamond, Adam MCA Yauch, Adam Ad-Rock Horovitz. ... Gangsters are members of a professional crime organization, i. ... This article is about the magazine. ... Licensed to Ill is the debut album by the Beastie Boys, released in 1986 (see 1986 in music). ... Paul Revere is the 9th track on Licensed to Ill by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys. ...

The Beasties' 1989 album Paul's Boutique included the similarly-themed tracks "Car Thief," "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun," and "High-Plains Drifter." In their early underground days, N.W.A rapped over Beastie Boy tracks for songs such as "My Posse" and "Ill-Legal", and the Beastie Boys' influence can be seen significantly in N.W.A's early albums.^[8] Pauls Boutique is an album by American rap group the Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989 (see 1989 in music). ... This article is about the hip-hop group. ...

N.W.A

N.W.A released their first single in 1987. They were crucial to the foundations of the genre for introducing more violent lyrics over much rougher beats. Eric 'Eazy-E' Wright was The founder of N.W.A. As well as Ruthless records. "Eazy E's first single "Boyz N The Hood" from 1987 is also very identical to Schoolly D's P.S.K. song as well. The first blockbuster gangsta album was N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton first released in 1988. Straight Outta Compton also established West Coast hip hop as a vital genre, and a rival of hip hop's long-time capital, New York City. Straight Outta Compton sparked the first major controversy regarding hip hop lyrics when their song "Fuck Tha Police" earned a letter from FBI Assistant Director, Milt Ahlerich, strongly expressing law enforcement's resentment of the song.^[9][10] Due to the influence of Ice T and N.W.A, gangsta rap is often credited as being an originally West Coast phenomenon. In 1990, former N.W.A member Ice Cube would further influence gangsta rap with his hardcore, socio-political solo albums. This article is about the hip-hop group. ... This article is about the song by rapper Eazy-E. For 1991 film, see Boyz n the Hood. ... This article is about the album. ... This article is about the N.W.A. song. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... For other uses, see Police (disambiguation). ... In the 1980s, hip hop music began to break into the mainstream of the United States. ... OShea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American MC, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, and film director. ...

Others

The rap group Run DMC are often credited with popularizing hardcore and abrasive attitudes and lyrics in hip hop culture, and were one of the first rap groups to dress in gang-like street clothing. Their socially conscious lyrics and the influence of rappers like Kool G Rap and Rakim would later influence socially conscious gangsta rappers and hardcore rappers such as Ice Cube and Nas. Rappers such as Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, LL Cool J, the group EPMD, and the seminal hardcore group Public Enemy would further popularize hard-hitting, aggressive, often socio-political lyrics, sometimes revolving around street violence, poverty, and gunplay. Aside from N.W.A. and Ice T, early West Coast rappers include Too Short (from Oakland, California), Kid Frost (who was an important Latin MC), and others from Compton, Watts, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego and San Francisco. Kool G Rap used more and more crime-related themes in his lyrics towards the end of the decade. Run-DMC is a hip hop crew founded by Jason Jam Master Jay Mizell that included Joseph Run Simmons and Darryl DMC McDaniels. ... Nathaniel Wilson (born July 20, 1968), known by stage name Kool G Rap, is an American hardcore rapper from the Corona section of Queens, New York. ... Rakim (pronounced Rah-Kem) (full name Rakim Allah, born William Michael Griffin Jr. ... OShea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American MC, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, and film director. ... For other uses, see Nas (disambiguation). ... Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is a record producer/rapper from the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn, New York. ... Ricky Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known by stage names Slick Rick, MC Ricky D and Rick the Ruler, is a rapper. ... James Todd Smith III (born January 14, 1968), better known as LL Cool J, is an American hip hop artist and actor. ... EPMD is an American rap group from Brentwood, New York, active from 1987 to 1999; one of the prominent acts in East coast hip hop. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... Too Short, or Too $hort, (born Todd Anthony Shaw on April 28, 1966) is a rapper who started his career in his hometown of Oakland, California. ... Oakland redirects here. ... Arturo Molina Jr. ... Nickname: Location of Compton in Los Angeles County, California Coordinates: , Country State County Los Angeles Government  - Mayor Eric Perrodin Area  - Total 10. ... Watts is a residential district in southern Los Angeles, California. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Americas Finest City Location Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates , Government County San Diego Mayor City Attorney         City Council District One District Two District Three District Four District Five District Six District Seven District Eight Jerry Sanders (R) Michael Aguirre Scott Peters Kevin... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Nathaniel Wilson (born July 20, 1968), known by stage name Kool G Rap, is an American hardcore rapper from the Corona section of Queens, New York. ...

1990-Present

Ice-T

Ice-T released one of the seminal albums of the genre, OG: Original Gangster in 1991. It also contained a song by his new thrash metal group Body Count, who released a self titled album in 1992. The group attracted a lot of media attention for the Cop Killer controversy. Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by high speed riffing and aggression. ... This article is about the musical group. ... Alternate cover Re-release cover. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

His next album, Home Invasion, was postponed as a result of the controversy, and was finally released in 1993. While it contained gangsta elements, it was his most political album to date. After that, he left Time-Warner records. Ice-T's subsequent releases went back to straight gangsta-ism, but were never as popular as his earlier releases. He had alienated his core audience with his involvement in metal, his emphasis on politics and with his uptempo Bomb-Squad style beats during a time when G-funk was popular. He published a book "The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck?" in 1994. Home invasion is the crime of entering a private and occupied dwelling, with the intent of committing a crime, often while threatening the resident of the dwelling. ... Public Enemy’s, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, is one of the defining albums of the political hip hop genre Political hip hop is a subgenre of alternative hip hop. ... Time Warner Inc. ... G-funk, an abbreviation of Gangsta-funk, is a type of hip hop music that emerged from West Coast gangsta rap in the early 1990s. ...

G-funk and Death Row Records

Main Article: G-Funk G-funk, an abbreviation of Gangsta-funk, is a type of hip hop music that emerged from West Coast gangsta rap in the early 1990s. ...

Tupac's All Eyez on Me.

In 1992, former N.W.A member Dr. Dre released The Chronic, which further established the dominance of West Coast gangsta rap and Death Row Records, and also began the subgenre of G-funk, a slow, drawled form of hip hop that dominated the charts for some time. Extensively sampling P-Funk bands, especially Parliament and Funkadelic, G-funk was multi-layered, yet simple and easy to dance to, with anti-authoritarian lyrics that helped endear it to many young listeners. Another G-Funk success was Ice Cube's Predator album, released at the same time as The Chronic in 1992. It sold over 5 million copies and was #1 in the Charts, despite the fact that Ice Cube wasn't a Death Row artist. One of the genre's biggest crossover stars was Dre's protégé Snoop Doggy Dogg (Doggystyle, 1993), now known as Snoop Dogg, whose exuberant party-oriented themes made songs such as "Gin and Juice" club anthems and top hits nationwide. Tupac Shakur (All Eyez on Me, 1996) has endured as one of the most successful and influential hip hop artists of all time. Snoop and Tupac were both artists on Death Row Records, owned by Dre and Marion "Suge" Knight. Many of Tupac's greatest hits sampled or interpolated earlier music by Zapp & Roger. album cover upped as fair use This is an album cover. ... album cover upped as fair use This is an album cover. ... Back cover The Chronic is the highly influential debut album from American rap producer Dr. Dre, released in 1992. ... Death Row Records is a record label that was founded in 1991 by Dr. Dre and Suge Knight, and was once home to some of raps biggest names, including Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound (Kurupt and Daz Dillinger). ... P-Funk is an abbreviated, compound name for two bands, Parliament and Funkadelic. ... Parliament was originally The Parliaments, a doo-wop group based out of George Clintons Plainfield, New Jersey barber shop. ... This article is about the band. ... OShea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American MC, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, and film director. ... The Predator is a 1992 and third solo album by Ice Cube. ... Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. ... This article is about the Snoop Doggy Dogg album. ... Gin and Juice is a 1993 single by rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, from his debut solo album Doggystyle. ... Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac, Makaveli, or simply as Pac, was an American artist renowned for his rap music, movie roles, poetry, and his social activism. ... All Eyez on Me is a double album by rapper Tupac Shakur. ... Knights 1997 mugshot for probation violation Marion Hugh Knight, Jr. ... In music, interpolation is an abrupt change of elements, with (almost immediate) continuation of the first idea. ... Zapp (also known as the Zapp Band) was a soul and funk band formed in 1978 by brothers Roger Troutman , Larry Troutman, Lester Troutman, and Terry Troutman, and also included Bobby Glover, Eddie Barber, Jannetta Boyce, Jerome Derrickson, Sherman Fleetwood, Gregory Jackson, and Michael Warren. ...

Mafioso rap

This section does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Mafioso rap is a hip hop sub-genre which flourished in the mid-1990s. It is the pseudo-Mafia extension of East Coast hardcore rap, and was the counterpart of West Coast G-Funk rap during the 1990s. In contrast to West Coast gangsta rappers, who tended to depict realistic urban life on the ghetto streets, Mafioso rappers' subject matter included self-indulgent and luxurious fantasies of rappers as Mobsters, or Mafiosi. Raekwon and Nas popularized the genre with their albums "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" and "It Was Written". Other East Coast rappers, such as Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G. began to take on as well. One notable example of the genre came about in 1995 with the debut album from AZ entitled Doe or Die. Several songs (Sugar Hill and Mo' Money, Mo' Murder, Mo' Homicide especially) depicted self indulgent fantasies of living the high life and of the murder of a highly respected Mob Boss. After almost a decade of being absent, mafioso rap saw a rebirth in 2006 when Southern rapper Rick Ross (rapper) released the song "Hustlin'", and his album "Port of Miami (album)" dealt heavily with the drug trade and crime and also had several samples and references to the popular movie "Scarface (1983 film)". This article is about the criminal society. ... Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), known by his stage name Raekwon, is an American East Coast rapper and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. ... For other uses, see Nas (disambiguation). ... Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is an influential East Coast rap album by rapper Raekwon, released in 1995. ... It Was Written is the second album by Queensbridge rapper Nas. ... Jay-Z (aka the Jigga, HOV and Hova, born Shawn Carter on December 4, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper/hip hop artist and record label executive; one of the most popular and successful rappers of the late 1990s and early 2000s. ... Christopher Wallace (May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997), also known as Biggie Smalls (after a stylish gangster in the 1975 comedy, Lets Do it Again), but best known as The Notorious B.I.G. (Business Instead of Game). ... Look up AZ and az in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Doe or Die is the debut album by gangsta rapper AZ. Released in 1995 AZ was introduced to the world in Nass Illmatic in 1994. ... Bartleby Pincus (born January 21st, 1977[1][2] in Carol City, Florida, USA) is an African-American hip-hop artist better known by his stage name Rick Ross, a moniker derived from the name of drug trafficker Freeway Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rick Ross (rapper). ... Port of Miami is the debut album by Miami rapper Rick Ross. ... For other uses, see Scarface. ...

East Coast hardcore and gangsta rap

Meanwhile, rappers from New York City, such as Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo (Live and Let Die, 1992, Black Moon (Enta Da Stage, 1993), Wu-Tang Clan (Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), 1993), Onyx (Bacdafucup, 1993), Mobb Deep (The Infamous, 1995), Nas (Illmatic, 1994), the Notorious B.I.G. (Ready to Die, 1994), and Raekwon (Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, 1995) pioneered a grittier sound known as East Coast hardcore rap. B.I.G. and the rest of Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records roster paved the way for New York City to take back chart dominance from the West Coast as gangsta rap continued to explode into the mainstream. It is widely speculated that the "East Coast/West Coast" battle between Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records resulted in the deaths of Death Row's Tupac Shakur and Bad Boy's Notorious B.I.G. This had a knock-on effect on Death Row itself, which sank quickly when most of its big name artists like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg left and it found itself on the receiving end of multiple lawsuits. Dr. Dre, at the MTV Video Music Awards, claimed that "gangsta rap was dead". Although Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Entertainment fared better than its West Coast rival, it continued to lose popularity and support of the hip hop fan base with a more mainstream sound, and challenges from Atlanta and, especially, Master P's No Limit stable of popular rappers. Kool G Rap (born Nathaniel Wilson July 20, 1968) is an American hardcore gangsta rapper from Queens, New York. ... DJ Polo was one half of the rap duet Kool G. Rap & D.J. Polo. ... 2002 Penguin Books paperback edition Live and Let Die is the second James Bond novel by Ian Fleming, first published in 1954. ... Black Moon is an American hardcore hip hop group, consisting of members Buckshot, 5ft and DJ Evil Dee (of Da Beatminerz). ... Enta Da Stage is the debut album of American East Coast hip hop group Black Moon, released October 19, 1993 on Nervous Records. ... Wu-Tang redirects here. ... Alternate cover Enter the Wu-Tang (2004 re-issue) Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is the debut album of the East Coast hip hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan. ... Onyx is a hardcore rap group from Queens, New York. ... Bacdafucup (pronounced Back da fuck up) is the first album from hardcore rap group Onyx. ... Mobb Deep are a hip hop duo which consists of rappers Havoc and Prodigy. ... The Infamous is Mobb Deeps breakthrough album, perhaps one of the most influential hip hop albums of the East Coast hardcore rap genre. ... For other uses, see Nas (disambiguation). ... Illmatic is the debut album by rapper Nas, released on April 19, 1994 through Columbia Records, and featuring production from Large Professor (of Main Source), Pete Rock (of Pete Rock & CL Smooth), Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest) and DJ Premier (of Gang Starr), as well as a guest... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... For other uses, see Ready to Die (disambiguation). ... Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), known by his stage name Raekwon, is an American East Coast rapper and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. ... Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is an influential East Coast rap album by rapper Raekwon, released in 1995. ... Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969 aka P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Sean Puffy Combs) is an American record producer and CEO and founder of Bad Boy Entertainment, one of the driving forces in hip hop in the mid to late 1990s. ... Bad Boy Records (originally Bad Boy Entertainment) is an East Coast Hip-Hop/R&B record label founded by producer/rapper Sean Diddy Combs in 1993 that is a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ... For the New York radio and television presenter, see Doctor Dre. ... Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. ... The MTV Video Music Awards were established in 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Percy Miller (born April 29, 1969), better known as Master P, (P. Miller) is an American Rapper and Producer. ... No Limit Records is a record label that began in 1990 as the No Limit Record Shop in Richmond, California. ...

Southern and midwestern gangsta rap

After the deaths of Biggie and Tupac, gangsta rap remained a major commercial force. However, most of the industry's major labels were in turmoil, or bankrupt, and new locations sprang up.

Atlanta had been firmly established as a hip hop center by artists such as Goodie Mob and OutKast and many other Southern hip hop artists emerged in their wake, whilst gangsta rap artists achieving the most pop-chart success. Jermaine Dupri, an Atlanta-born record producer and talent scout, had great success after discovering youthful pop stars Kris Kross (Totally Krossed Out, 1992) performing at a mall, and later masterminded a large roster of commercially successful acts on his So So Def label which although mostly weighted towards pop-rap & R&B, also included rap artists such as Da Brat (Funkdafied, 1994), and himself. Goodie Mob, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is widely considered one of the founding hip hop acts of the Dirty South movement. ... This article is about the hip hop group. ... Jermaine Dupri also known simply as JD (born Jermaine Dupri Mauldin on September 23, 1972) is an American record producer and rapper. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Kris Kross was a teenage rap duo in the early 1990s most famous for wearing their clothes backwards. ... Totally Krossed Out is the 1992 debut album by Kris Kross. ... For other uses, see Brat. ... Funkdafied is the debut album by Da Brat. ...

Master P's No Limit Records label, based out of New Orleans, also became quite popular, though critical success was very scarce, with the exceptions of some later additions like Mystikal (Ghetto Fabulous, 1998). No Limit had begun its rise to fame with Master P's The Ghetto Is Trying to Kill Me! (1994), and subsequent hits by Silkk the Shocker (Charge It 2 Da Game, 1998) and C-Murder (Life or Death, 1998). Cash Money Records, also based out of New Orleans, had enormous commercial success with a very similar musical style and quantity-over-quality business approach to No Limit but were less ridiculed. New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Master P publicity photo. ... See also: 1994 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1994 Record labels established in 1994 // January 29 - The Supremes Mary Wilson is injured when her jeep hits a freeway median and flips over just outside of Los Angeles, California. ... Silkk the Shocker (born Vyshonn King Miller on June 18, 1975) is a rapper originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, and Richmond, California and is the brother of Hip Hop Mogul Master P and rapper C-Murder. ... C Miller (born Corey Miller on March 9, 1971) is an American rap artist from the infamous Calliope Projects in New Orleans, Louisiana. ... C-P-3. ... Cash Money Records is an American hip hop record label. ...

Cleveland based rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony also had a monumental impact on the Midwestern gangsta rap scene. The mid-1990s saw Bone metamorphose into an extremely popular commercial rap assemblage with the release of their critically acclaimed album E 1999 Eternal. Their fast, harmonizing vocals (coupled with their fast rap delivery) changed the limitations of gangsta rap. Cleveland redirects here. ... Bone Thugs-n-Harmony is an American hip hop group from Cleveland, Ohio, best known for their high pace rapping style and harmonizing vocals. ... E 1999 Eternal is a gangsta rap album by hip hop group Bone Thugs N Harmony, released on July 25, 1995. ...

Mainstream era

Before the late nineties, gangsta rap and hip hop in general, while being extremely popular, had always been seen as a fringe genre that remained firmly outside of the pop mainstream. However, the rise of Bad Boy Records signalled a major stylistic change in gangsta rap (or as it is referred to on the East Coast, hardcore rap), as it morphed into a new subgenre of hip hop which would become even more commercially successful. Ice Cube is seen to have contributed to gangsta rap's move towards conquering the pop charts, as he produced albums which included both gritty gangsta narratives and polished, catchy, danceable pop productions entirely aimed at the clubs and at the mainstream pop charts. Between the release of Biggie's debut album Ready to Die in 1994 and his follow-up Life after Death in 1997, his sound changed from the darker, sample-heavy production to a cleaner, more upbeat sound fashioned for popular consumption (though the references to guns, drug dealing and life as a thug on the street remained). R&B-styled hooks and instantly recognizable samples of well-known soul and pop songs from the 1970s and 1980s were the staples of this sound, which was showcased primarily in his latter-day work for The Notorious B.I.G. ("Mo Money, Mo Problems"), Mase ("Feels So Good"), and non Bad Boy artists such as Jay-Z ("Can I Get A...") and Nas ("Street Dreams"). OShea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American MC, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, and film director. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... This article is about the genre of popular music. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Mason Durrell Betha (born August 27, 1978 in Jacksonville, Florida),[1] known by stage name Ma$e, is an American rapper, best known as an artist on Sean Diddy Combs hip hop label Bad Boy Records during the late 1990s. ... Jay-Z (aka the Jigga, HOV and Hova, born Shawn Carter on December 4, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper/hip hop artist and record label executive; one of the most popular and successful rappers of the late 1990s and early 2000s. ... For other uses, see Nas (disambiguation). ...

Also achieving similar levels of success with a similar sound at the same time as Bad Boy was Master P and his No Limit label in New Orleans, as well as the New Orleans upstart Cash Money label. A Cash Money artist, The B.G., popularized a catch phrase in 1999 that sums up what the majority of late-nineties mainstream hip hop focused on subject-wise: "Bling-Bling." Whereas much gangsta rap of the past had portrayed the rapper as being a victim of urban squalor, the persona of late-nineties mainstream gangsta rappers was far more weighted towards hedonism and showing off the best jewelry, clothes, liquor, and women. Many of the artists who achieved such mainstream success, such as G-Unit and Jay-Z, originated from the gritty East Coast rap scene and were influenced by hardcore artists such as The Notorious B.I.G and Nas. Mase, Jay-Z and Cam'Ron are also typical of the more relaxed, casual flow that became the pop-gangsta norm. Many of these artists are viewed as being rather illegitimately "gangsta" compared to their West Coast counterparts. Percy Miller (born April 29, 1969), better known as Master P, (P. Miller) is an American Rapper and Producer. ... The cover to B.G.s album Chopper City in the Ghetto, which features his biggest hit, Bling Bling. The B.G. (short for The Baby Gangsta or B. Gizzle, born Christopher Dorsey on September 3, 1980 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a hugely successful African-American rapper. ... A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ... A bling bling-heavy album cover from The B.G. For the Marvel Comics character, see Bling (comics). ... Spirits redirects here. ... G-Unit is a rap group which consists of 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck, (The) Game, R & B singer Olivia and, most recently, Spider Loc. ... Jay-Z (aka the Jigga, HOV and Hova, born Shawn Carter on December 4, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper/hip hop artist and record label executive; one of the most popular and successful rappers of the late 1990s and early 2000s. ... Christopher Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), also known as Biggie Smalls (the moniker of a deceased producer who was a friend of his, Stretchs and 2Pacs, and the subject of 2Pac and Stretchs song God Bless the Dead) and Frank White (from the film King... For other uses, see Nas (disambiguation). ... Mason Durrell Betha (born August 27, 1978 in Jacksonville, Florida),[1] known by stage name Ma$e, is an American rapper, best known as an artist on Sean Diddy Combs hip hop label Bad Boy Records during the late 1990s. ... Jay-Z (aka the Jigga, HOV and Hova, born Shawn Carter on December 4, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper/hip hop artist and record label executive; one of the most popular and successful rappers of the late 1990s and early 2000s. ... Cameron Giles (born February 4, 1976), better known as Camron, is American rapper from Harlem in New York City. ...

Pop-inflected gangsta rap continues to be successful into the 21st century, with many artists deftly straddling the divide between their hip hop audience and their pop audience, such as Ja Rule, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and many others. Jeffrey Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule is an American rapper from Hollis, Queens, New York City, New York, United States. ... Jay-Z (aka the Jigga, HOV and Hova, born Shawn Carter on December 4, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper/hip hop artist and record label executive; one of the most popular and successful rappers of the late 1990s and early 2000s. ... 50 cent redirects here. ...

Notable Artists

Early gangsta rap artists

• Ice T
• N.W.A. (Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren and DJ Yella)
• Compton's Most Wanted (MC Eiht, MC Chill, and Ant Capone)
• Too Short
• Geto boys
• Just-Ice
• X-Raided
• Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
• Snoop Doggy Dogg

Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known as Ice T or Ice-T, is an American rapper, singer and actor. ... This article is about the hip-hop group. ... Eazy-E (Eric Wright) (September 7, 1963 - March 26, 1995) was an African-American rapper, record producer, and record executive who initially rose to fame as a member of the group N.W.A.. Born in Compton, California, Eazy-E dropped out of Compton High School while in tenth grade... OShea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American MC, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, and film director. ... For the New York radio and television presenter, see Doctor Dre. ... Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 16, 1969 in Compton, California, USA) better known by his stage name MC Ren. ... DJ Yella is the stage name of Antoine Carraby (born December 11, 1967), a DJ, music producer, and film director from Holwin East, Nevada. ... Comptons Most Wanted is a gangsta rap group still performing today on independent lables. ... MC Eiht Aaron Tyler (born May 22, 1967 in Compton, California) is an American rapper better known by his stage name MC Eiht [sic]. A pioneer of gangsta rap, he first emerged as one of the lead rappers of Comptons Most Wanted (CMW), and later became an actor and... MC Chill (born Vernon Johnson) or also known as Chill MC, is an American rapper, from Compton, California. ... Ant Capone is a hip-hop DJ from Compton. ... Too Short, or Too $hort, (born Todd Anthony Shaw on April 28, 1966) is a rapper who started his career in his hometown of Oakland, California. ... Geto Boys (intentionally misspelled, although sometimes also spelled Ghetto Boys) is a rap group from Houston, Texas, consisting of Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Notorious gangsta rapper X-Raided was born Anarae Brown in Waco, TX, and raised primarily in Sacramento, CA. Shortly after releasing his 1992 debut LP Psycho Active, he was convicted on murder charges -- in fact, the albums violent lyrics were even cited as evidence at the trial. ... Bone Thugs-n-Harmony is an American hip hop group from Cleveland, Ohio, best known for their high pace rapping style and harmonizing vocals. ... Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. ...

Non-gangsta artists who were early influences on gangsta rap

• Afrika Bambaataa
• Beastie Boys (especially on Licensed To Ill and Paul's Boutique)
• Big Daddy Kane
• EPMD
• Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
• Iceberg Slim
• LL Cool J
• Parliament/Funkadelic
• Public Enemy
• Run-DMC
• Schoolly D
• Slick Rick
• Sugarhill Gang
• UTFO

Afrika Bambaataa is a DJ and community leader from the South Bronx, who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1970s. ... The Beastie Boys are a hip hop musical group from New York City consisting of Michael Mike D Diamond, Adam MCA Yauch, Adam Ad-Rock Horovitz. ... Licensed to Ill is the debut album by the Beastie Boys, released in 1986 (see 1986 in music). ... Pauls Boutique is an album by American rap group the Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989 (see 1989 in music). ... Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is a record producer/rapper from the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn, New York. ... EPMD is an American rap group from Brentwood, New York, active from 1987 to 1999; one of the prominent acts in East coast hip hop. ... DJ Grandmaster Flash was one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing. ... Iceberg Slim (August 4, 1918 – April 28, 1992), also known as Robert Beck and born as Robert Lee Maupin, was an African American writer who started out as a pimp and whose writings were particularly successful among black audiences; his descriptions of the pimp lifestyle had considerable influence on African... James Todd Smith III (born January 14, 1968), better known as LL Cool J, is an American hip hop artist and actor. ... P-Funk is an abbreviated, compound name for two bands, Parliament and Funkadelic. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... Run-DMC is a famous hip hop crew founded by Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay) and includes Joseph Run Simmons and Darryl DMC McDaniels, all from Hollis, Queens. ... // Background Schoolly D is the moniker of Jesse B. Weaver, Jr. ... Ricky Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known by stage names Slick Rick, MC Ricky D and Rick the Ruler, is a rapper. ... The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group, known mostly for one hit, Rappers Delight, the first hip hop single to become a Top 40 hit. ... UTFO (which stands for Untouchable Force Organization) was a rap group from the 80s. ...

References