in the early 90's if you weren't street/thug/calling women bytches, you weren't popping -Kid N Play

[Rekkapryde]

The whole culture was modified, especially after 1992, to cater to the main consumers
of sex, money, murder, drugs Hip Hop, which were young white males.

That's why Kid N Play, Whodini, Run-DMC, MC Shan, PE, X-Clan, Superlover Cee and Casanova Rudd, UTFO
and so many who came from a different mentality and mindset, could not thrive, or for some, even survive.

Yup. The Chronic dropping was pretty much the timestamp that ended that era.

Corporations started taking over, the Pro Black movement pretty much ended. Not a coincidence which type of rap was being pushed.

And yes there were still outliers and good ones at that but I can see and agree that the "fun" era of rap died as "gangsta" rap was pushed more. They co-existed for years prior, but post 92 was definitely the end of the KnP and other similar acts eras.

Late 80s/early 90s was truly the Golden Age as you had so many different types of rap that co-existed just fine. But once these corporations get involved ran by you know who

 

[SAJ!!]

nah

by '93, x-clan was gone.
by '93, brand Nubian looked like a different group. and to a lesser extent, de la soul did as well.

True.

I was mainly focusing on the time before 1993.

 

[TripleAgent]

the results really showed circa '92, definitely '93.

that's where the focus of this discussion should really be at.





they took on more street personas as a result of the dominance of gangsta rap.

its not so much about the fashion. its moreso the imagery of the videos. everything took a whole different tone, as a result of gangsta rap.





busta became a superstar in '97. whole different time period.

going gold circa '93 wasn't some great feat.

Busta was a star, period. LOTNS could have gone on for years, much like Tribe. They had fans. If they never beefed, Busta may have gone solo and they all popped for years.

Going gold before the sales spike of the late 90s with no pop records, on a small ass label, was a great accomplishment. They made good music.

 

[SAJ!!]

No. Just......no.

I was there. East AND West Cost.

There was a veritable avalanche of 'non-thug' rap acts at that time that were competing with 'New Jack Swing'/RnB and House artists.

IT WAS A GREAT TIME TO BE CLUBBIN' !!!!!!!​

No lies told.

 

[IllmaticDelta]

Yup. The Chronic dropping was pretty much the timestamp that ended that era.

Corporations started taking over, the Pro Black movement pretty much ended. Not a coincidence which type of rap was being pushed.

And yes there were still outliers and good ones at that but I can see and agree that the "fun" era of rap died as "gangsta" rap was pushed more. They co-existed for years prior, but post 92 was definitely the end of the KnP and other similar acts eras.

Late 80s/early 90s was truly the Golden Age as you had so many different types of rap that co-existed just fine. But once these corporations get involved ran by you know who

even when the chronic was hot, most of the songs that were hot on the rap charts were non-gangsta rap. You can look through the charts right here

Rap Songs - 1992 Archive | Billboard Charts Archive

Rap Songs - 1993 Archive | Billboard Charts Archive

 

[Rekkapryde]

even when the chronic was hot, most of the songs that were hot on the rap charts were non-gangsta rap. You can look through the charts right here

Rap Songs - 1992 Archive | Billboard Charts Archive

Rap Songs - 1993 Archive | Billboard Charts Archive

No doubt, but you could see where the push was clearly being targeted at that time as well. That "fun"/pro-black era of rap was being deaded. And the latter especially.

 

[IllmaticDelta]

No doubt, but you could see where the push was clearly being targeted at that time as well. That "fun"/pro-black era of rap was being deaded. And the latter especially.

there was a push for gangsta rap for those who wanted hits on the top 40 (what the white masses listened to) but when you looked at the urban charts (black/hood) the variety was huge and was not gangsta-centric

see, that's the main thing Im getting at. The people that were huge on the "black/urban charts" were not necessarily the same people who were huge on the overall top 40 (white charts). For this discussion on HipHop in it's totality, the only consumers that matter are the black/urban charts because it best reflects what they were listening to and dictates what was poppin. Kwame/Kid N Play's points only ring true in the higher ends of the white charts/top 40. For example

or

or

 

[spliz]

No doubt, but you could see where the push was clearly being targeted at that time as well. That "fun"/pro-black era of rap was being deaded. And the latter especially.

shyt the fun/pro black era also had a serious/pro black era right along side it. It was a balance. The white execs tried to target and pimp out gangsta rap so if someone was not around it makes it seem far more exaggerated than it actually was. Especially when u got groups like Kid n Play who don't tell the whole truth about their fall off and use gangsta rap as a scapegoat. The hood was fukkin wit EVERYTHING. All of it was popular. We could go crazy to a Tribe, De La, or Pharcyde track and turn right around and bump some Wu, Dre, Snoop, and Onyx.

 

[mobbinfms]

Rage is also from the East Coast..

Hardest rapper out of Farmville VA :prodigylol:

 

[Rekkapryde]

shyt the fun/pro black era also had a serious/pro black era right along side it. It was a balance.

Yeah, you had your fun rap, party rap, pro black shyt, serious shyt, gangsta shyt. All existed during the late 80s early 90s.

And while there were still clear exceptions, the bigger labels (owned by cacs and joos who just go into the game) definitely wanted to push more street/gangsta shyt.

 

[Larry Lambo]

instead they platooned themselve into this.

As an 11 year old I liked this song, but today it sounds like so Yo Gabba Gabba sh*t you show your 3 year old kids.

Party at the Funhouse, WTF? Where was the J.D. Roth cameo?

Whereas Nice & Smooth was dropping verses about real life sh*t

 

[Sensei]

I use MEDIA as a blanket term...also referring to Black publications and media outlets like the black owned radio station I worked for....

In fact the first time I came across the term HAPPY RAP was in the monthly magazine known as WORD UP that was owned and edited by an african American woman Cynthia Horner...

And was used alot amongst my peers whom were African American in the industry

And as far as Conscious rap it was NEVER SEEN AS SOFT...

where the hell are u from??

I got threatned many times by my PD at the station for trying to sneak in tracks by PUBLIC ENEMY and BDP..

PE and BDP was well respected in the streets..they just weren't popular with the club hopping hoes whom wanted something more DANCE FRIENDLY

Conscious Rap had a HARDER TIME getting airplay than the GANGSTA SHYT!

nikka let me tell you, if concsicous rap isn't seen as soft how come when mothafukkas like Common made a diss to Ice Cube and Westside Connection he was hit with scrutiny?
How come so many new coming rappers posed as thugs and gangstas instead of professors or enlightened ones?
How come so many mixtapes don't have that much conscious rappers but up and coming hustlers or what have you? And I'm sure you going to name some anomalies but for the most part they didn't exist on a vast scale.

Its cool to see more positive rap now coming out like Kendrick or J Cole but they still few and far in between when it comes to new rappers.

Public Enemy and BDP are from the 80s,Im talking about 90s era bro. Moreover even KRS had to do little gangsta shyt with his content like 9 milimeter or Criminal Minded.Be real about this.

We talking about 90s era when conscious shyt just faded.
If you look Jeru The Damaja's song Playing Yaself(mid 90s).his whole thesis was its difficult to be positive raps because people were not trying to hear conscious rap at the time,WHY ELSE DID GANGSTA RAP get so POPULAR?Most fans black and white took to it ,PERIOD.

 

[delnegro]

Let's also not forget that a lot of bodies were dropping in the nineties. And the newer rappers were direct products of the crack era. So of course hip hop would take on a more street persona, it reflected life. And lol at nikkas acting like Brand Nubian were some weirdo daishiki wearing group. The were regular god body nikkas, so why would they been in a time warp still wearing what they rocked in 89?! I mean Lord Jamar had gold fronts in the slow down video.

 

[Wacky D]

Nah I was basically saying that it wasn't that Will wasn't gangsta enough. It was that that Fresh Prince shyt wasn't gonna fly in the 90s. It was too corny. When he came back out without the Fresh Prince shyt he was fine. And as far as lyricists go. I mean in talking about the 90s as a whole. It was more lyrical than the 80s indefinitely. I don't even see how this is debatable honestly.

DOG

the will smith stuff was cornier. will smith made the fresh prince look like brotha lynch.
the will smith stuff came out in a different climate, and he did it on the back of his Hollywood success - hence, him using his real name. and lets not act like the will smith records were accepted by hip-hop fans.

as for the bolded, I was talking about the early '90s era specifically. that was the era that was the topic of the comment I was responding to.

see, that's the main thing Im getting at. The people that were huge on the "black/urban charts" were not necessarily the same people who were huge on the overall top 40 (white charts). For this discussion on HipHop in it's totality, the only consumers that matter are the black/urban charts because it best reflects what they were listening to and dictates what was poppin. Kwame/Kid N Play's points only ring true in the higher ends of the white charts/top 40. For example

I'm not sure what any of this has to do with my argument.

Its like that in every era.

...not really that much gangtsa rap....a good amount of party/dance-rap and alt rap though

you can see the shift in the '92 video.

 

[hex]

nikka let me tell you, if concsicous rap isn't seen as soft how come when mothafukkas like Common made a diss to Ice Cube and Westside Connection he was hit with scrutiny?

He wasn't at the time, I'm kinda confused what you mean. This wasn't "Electric Circus" era Com....he was shouting out BDs and Vice Lords on "Resurrection". Nobody thought he was super thug gangsta #1 but he wasn't seen as soft, at all, back then.

Fred.