~a brief history of the music~

    When I was growing up in the early nineties, the majority of rap music produced was violent and tended to fall into the growing category of 'gangsta rap' as labeled by members of the media. The genre of late 80's hip-hop sparked by influential artists and groups such as Run D.M.C, Kurtis Blow, Grand Master Flash, and Sugar Hill Gang gave way to a growing bias between East and West coast rap music. In the early nineties, two of the most popular record labels, Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records churned out music glorifying the violence of inner city street life, and the peril artists faced in their everyday goings-on. The music was panned by critics claiming the lyrical content was too graphic and promoted negative images for youth generations. Groups such as Public Enemy (east) and N.W.A. (west) fueled careers for talented up-and-coming artists proclaiming through music that, 'their side was the best side.'

'the literary and cultural sophistication of rap have long been underestimated, in part
because promoters of anti-pop culture hysteria rarely actually listen to the music they deplore...'
-a.o. scott  ~NY Times, 11.14.2003

    Death Row, based in Los Angeles, produced stars like Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur, while Bad Boy boasted the late Notorious B.I.G. The majority of  these artists early albums dictated the ongoing 'gangsta rap' rivalry between east and west. Sadly, the brightest stars in the rap game were similarly gunned down in separate incidents as they sat in their cars. Tupac's death in 1996 was a major turning point in the 'gangsta rap' era of hip-hop. Artists began to shy away from the promotion of violence, drugs, and criminal behavior despite it being a vital element of the lucrative industry. If Tupac's passing was a wake-up call to end the gang-patterned violence in rap, the murder of his east coast rival, Notorious B.I.G. was was the real alarm going off after you push the sleep button. Some critics say the murder of Notorious B.I.G., a year following Tupac's was retribution, evening the score between East vs. West gang violence. While investigators speculate that the murder of both artists can be attributed to the same violent gang in Los Angeles who held grudges against both stars. Regardless, both artists were incredibly talented and well respected within their industry. Their tragic deaths are both unsolved and still up for continuous debate.

'...music is reflection of self, we just explain it, and then we get our checks in the mail...'
                                   -marshall mathers "Sing For The Moment," The Eminem Show
 
    Following the violent deaths of rap music's most notable artitsts, the 'gangsta rap' era was all but finished. Before the music was a bi-coastal battle, artists had rapped about the things that were so familiar to them growing up in the urban neighborhoods of N.Y.C. and L.A. It was easy for them to produce music and write rhymes (in some cases, poetry) about what they experienced, saw, and how they got through it. Because of the tendency to write about such often violent themes the rivalry issues sprung about naturally. As often occurs between gangs, members stake their claim, protect, and defend it--this can be applied to the main ideals of 'gangsta rap.' Territorial music issues were common even among the same city as musicians would quarrel with each other. This trend has continued to this day. Artists like Dr. Dre, formerly of N.W.A. and Death Row Records recognized the necessity of reducing the promotion of violence, especially gang-related violence. Following Tupac and Biggie's deaths, he stopped creating music (until recently), left Death Row, and focused on production of music, ultimately creating his own label. Many other artists took similar pursuits, and the notion of coastal rivalries was placed on the back burner.

'i was just like - whoa, y'knahmsayin? kinda took me by...
i mean even though we was goin through our drama, i would never wish death on nobody...'
-notorious b.i.g. "Runnin'," Tupac Resurrection Soundtrack

    Without its most prolific commercial stars, rap was open to new leaders and ideas. While the trend of violence being discussed in lyrical form does continue, it is often hypothetical and not directed at any named (or unnameed individuals). Gang depictions were scarce, as the art form began to take on a new style. Today's rap music takes on two primary styles in lyrical fashion, other than personal storyboard weaving of their trials and tribulations. That is, materialistically focused lyrics (i.e. cars, jewelry, and other luxuries) and social commentary lyrics. These are the two most common subjects that artists discuss today. However, the notion of the struggle, the artists personal travails through poverty, violence, drugs, etc. are also routinely distributed throughout lyrics.

'in the housing, thousands seen early graves, victims of worldly ways, memories stay engraved,
all my live brothers, is locked down with high numbers, the young hunger, blind to these lies, they die younger...'
-inspectah deck "A Better Tomorrow," Wu-Tang Forever

    The social commentary genre in rap lyrics is not a recent trend. For over a decade artists like Nas have been advocating a change in the existing social climate. The lyrical content of these songs raises awareness the many of the current conditions existing today in America, its urban neighborhoods, and government. Many African-American artists were influenced by black empowerment groups during the civil rights movement, including Dead Prez, Mos Def, Talib Kweli and the late Tupac. Parties like the Black Panthers inspired many musicians to express the troubles facing their communities and how to bring about change. This notion has greatly impacted the music itself as many artists today routinely "call for change" or speak out. Interestingly, many of the artists (other than Tupac) who commonly rhyme about cultural progression hail from the East Coast.

'my clique made it known: we 'bout havin' things, sport diamonds, so i know you gon' let us bling.." 
-b.g. "I Know," Checkmate

    The materialistic focus in rap music is a more recent fad. With the amount of money being earned in the lucrative rap industry, artists have made dramatic flairs. Free wheeling and big spending, southern record labels such as Cash Money and No Limit promote many such artists. Many of the rappers signed to these labels overcame lives as drug dealers, to become prominent hip-hop artists. Now, with their new wealth, it has become routine to rap about their current, opulent lifestyle (after the struggle), whereas before it was about the daily grind. Brian "Baby" Williams and Percy Miller (Master P) the owners of each label, respectively, idealize this trend to a T. Most of the music produced by the aforementioned labels is concerned with the megamoney lifestyle. The "bling bling" trend isn't limited to the deep south hustlas, but nationwide. Midwest artists like Nelly, Murphy Lee, and Chingy also popularize the mode. While on the east coast, Fabolous is a prime example of the materialism in today's hip-hop.

'went from, nasty nas to esco's trash
had a spark when you started but now you're just garbage
fell from top ten to not mentioned at all'
-jay-z "Takeover," The Blueprint
'what you think, you gettin girls now 'cause of your looks?
ne-gro please
you no mustache havin, with whiskers like a rat
compared to beans you wack'
-nas "Ether," Stillmatic
  
     Today's rap music also contains another unique niche. While decades ago rival artists would make big talk of violence against each other, today's musicians outduel each other in lyrics (battle tracks). Battles have occured since the LL Cool J 80's scene, but have gained prominence today. Recently, major artists such as 50 Cent and Ja Rule have produced battle tracks against each other, as well as Nas and Jay-Z, and Eminem and Benzino. Since the death of Tupac and Biggie, artists have embraced the expression, "the pen is mightier than the sword." Most have seen first hand the dangers of gangs, drugs and street life and have preferred to settle disputes on paper or in the studio rhyming--to defeat their foes lyrically as opposed to physically.