That time in 1993 where artists had to switch up and go hardcore
- Thread starter DaHNIC82
- Start date
It was set up that way......this was the same year Menace II Society dropped.
They abruptly killed that positive pro black shyt
Rap Doc from 1994 they talk about the change in rap around this team. Some familiar people like Tone Hooker (Original Flavor), Ocean from Natural Resources, Calvin Butts, Ralph McDaniels etc
Reality Check
Keepin' it 100
I grew up in the east coast reign of Wu Tang, Mobb Deep, Onyx, LOX, and MOP. Dancing was only reserved for clown dudes and for women. Some people called dudes "gay" for dancing to New Jack Swing post 93.
When the south blew up in 2003, I paid no mind to dancing. When I went down to HU in the Fall of 2004, I stuck out like a sore thumb. Cats called me "Mr East Coast" in Drew Hall, because I didnt dance to Lil Jon and Lil Scrappy and had the natural mean mug. Crazy, because coming up, even smiling meant that you were SOFT and everyone was on that
shyt. It was a culture shock, and a timeline shock as well when the super thug shyt was no longer dominant in its twilight years.
Great thread. Props.
Disclaimer:
There was definitely a shift with regards to content/styles. A few notes though:
* Rap was still very (VERY) new and record companies took street kids and cleaned them up (marketed them) in what they thought was a presentable manner. But many of those rappers still lived the same way they did prior to making music. We as consumers were being fed an image.
* Social discourse was really coming to the forefront of the world. In '91 there was the Rodney King beating, in '92 the Riots (which lasted almost an entire week in LA; 63 people were killed and 2,373 injured). Murder rates for urban communities were up, Crack was in full swing, etc. Life was darker, and the music reflected that. That's when/why the music companies began pumping out hardcore everything.
* Young men in that 17-21'ish age group grew up and saw/heard/experienced things that we shouldn't have had to. From @ '91-'94, I had multiple young friends die or had young friends end up in prison (some with big numbers on their backs before they turned 21). Of all my friends that passed, only 1 of them died from what I'd call natural causes (motorcycle accident). But I had friends die from guns, stabbing, fighting, high speed chases that lead to fatal crashes, etc and had a close friend who was killed by Hayward Police, shot 14 times. Life was dark and the genuine music reflected that so of course the companies wanted to monetize that. The fact that many young men during this time period had no expectation to live beyond 25 is telling.
* Looking back as an old head, I cannot believe some of the music I listened to from a content perspective. I hear some of those songs these days and cringe. It's no wonder so many from my generation looked at/spoke about women (and other men too) so poorly, the lyrical content was often devastating for a young man developing thoughts/ideas/drives/beliefs. We were taught through our music that life had no value, women were less than human and any man looking at you was challenging you so it was OK to fight/shoot/kill/etc.
* That said, some of these songs are so terrible...LOL. But cash rules everything so they did what they were told.
But even with all that, I still love this artform and appreciate what it has meant to me throughout my life.
Good observation. You think it changed the next generation, too, with how they approach music?
Honestly that’s when hip hop truly died
Yep. Outside of Wu Tang and Nas, it was when that superthug shyt took over and made a generation of black men scared of showing any form of happiness or content on their face. It was an era where people were starting fights for the hell of it.
Great thread. Props.
Disclaimer:
There was definitely a shift with regards to content/styles. A few notes though:
* Rap was still very (VERY) new and record companies took street kids and cleaned them up (marketed them) in what they thought was a presentable manner. But many of those rappers still lived the same way they did prior to making music. We as consumers were being fed an image.
* Social discourse was really coming to the forefront of the world. In '91 there was the Rodney King beating, in '92 the Riots (which lasted almost an entire week in LA; 63 people were killed and 2,373 injured). Murder rates for urban communities were up, Crack was in full swing, etc. Life was darker, and the music reflected that. That's when/why the music companies began pumping out hardcore everything.
* Young men in that 17-21'ish age group grew up and saw/heard/experienced things that we shouldn't have had to. From @ '91-'94, I had multiple young friends die or had young friends end up in prison (some with big numbers on their backs before they turned 21). Of all my friends that passed, only 1 of them died from what I'd call natural causes (motorcycle accident). But I had friends die from guns, stabbing, fighting, high speed chases that lead to fatal crashes, etc and had a close friend who was killed by Hayward Police, shot 14 times. Life was dark and the genuine music reflected that so of course the companies wanted to monetize that. The fact that many young men during this time period had no expectation to live beyond 25 is telling.
* Looking back as an old head, I cannot believe some of the music I listened to from a content perspective. I hear some of those songs these days and cringe. It's no wonder so many from my generation looked at/spoke about women (and other men too) so poorly, the lyrical content was often devastating for a young man developing thoughts/ideas/drives/beliefs. We were taught through our music that life had no value, women were less than human and any man looking at you was challenging you so it was OK to fight/shoot/kill/etc.
* That said, some of these songs are so terrible...LOL. But cash rules everything so they did what they were told.
But even with all that, I still love this artform and appreciate what it has meant to me throughout my life.
the Do or Die generation
Ya' Cousin Cleon
OG COUCH CORNER HUSTLA
Homeboy Runny-Ray
From Around The Way
salt-n-pepa, heavy d & the boyz were more successful than tribe. they had their biggest-selling years in '94.
and as far as tribe & de la goes, they didnt go hardcore but they certainly werent as soft as they were in their earlier days.
lol looking like Three Six
PLEASE STOP.
the jodeci picture is older than the 3-6 mafia album cover, which nobody even knew about.
this board and its 3-6 mafia legacy push.
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