New BWW Series - Hip Hop Through History: Part II - Gangsta Rap

Today, BWW continues its new series, 'Hip-Hop Through History.' Hip-Hop as a genre has a long, complicated and, at times, convoluted history. Although the genre has its roots in the early 70's, when DJ Kool Herc would gather with large crowds, and would use his turntables to loop hard funk records, Hip-Hop, as a recorded form of music began in the late 1970's.

Various records exist that claim to be the first Hip-Hop single, but this late 70's portrait is important only as far as painting a picture of a genre in its infancy, one that, while far from popular at the time, would defy many expectations, and would become one of the most popular genres of music.

Last week, the series explored Run D.M.C's sophomore album, King of Rock, which represented the Golden Age of Hip Hop. Today we'll take a look at another movement which was beginning to emerge on the West Coast of the country; Gangsta Rap.

While Golden Age Rap was deeply focused on the vibe, and on making songs that appealed to wider audiences rather than authentic accounts of experiences, Gangsta Rap had a very different purpose. The rappers that were instrumental in creating, and also popularizing Gangsta Rap felt that Hip Hop music as it was, did not sufficiently describe their lifestyle, and in fact, the lifestyles of many African Americans at the time.

The Gangsta Rap movement sought to change that. In the middle and late 80s, many young, violent, vulgar hoodlums, who felt what they had seen would make for great rap, introduced themselves to the world. Unlike Golden Age artists, Gangsta rappers were hyperfocused on lyricism. Unfortunately, over the years, Gangsta rap morphed into a glorification of violence, but it did not start that way. While the lyrics were extremely violent in nature, the rappers were not glorifying their way of life. In fact, they frequently claimed not to be role models in their music.

Although the first popular albums in Hip Hop had already been made, it was Gangsta Rap that truly made Hip Hop a popular genre. By opening the music up to the masses, specifically those people who had had difficult lives who weren't being described by many musicians, these hooligans and hoodlums helped to make rap popular.

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