West coast hip hop
The West Coast hip hop is a flow within the hip-hop , which in the 1980s on the West Coast of the United States developed. It was largely established in the beginning by musicians from Los Angeles such as NWA , Ice-T , Egyptian Lover and others who, with their very own style, formed a musical counterbalance to the "classic" East Coast hip-hop from New York City . A popular hand sign is the "W" formed from the fingers, with the ring and middle fingers placed one on top of the other at the tips forming the middle tip and the small and index fingers forming the two outer legs of the W.
history
The beginnings
The beginnings of hip-hop in Los Angeles were on the one hand early gangsta rappers like King Tee , Toddy Tee and Ice-T as well as artists like World Class Wreckin 'Cru , Egyptian Lover and Arabian Prince , who produced a style called electro combined with rap. This style was conceived as catchy dance music and was accordingly criticized by most musicians on the hip-hop scene. However, it could not establish itself in the mainstream either.
The hardcore gangsta rap from Los Angeles became known nationally through its first successes in the second half of the 1980s, for example the single Batterram (1985) by Toddy Tee or the LP 6'n da Mornin ' (1986) by Ice-T. His follow-up album, Rhyme Pays (1987), became the first Westcoast album to gain serious critical acclaim, and it sold unexpectedly well. The album NWA and the Posse by the band NWA, which was released in the same year, helped the West Coast to further success, but at the same time accelerated the demise of rap-heavy electro, which was no longer noticed.
In 1988 NWA's hit album Straight Outta Compton was released, the first big hit for gangsta rap from the West Coast . The album was characterized by hitherto unknown hardcore elements that were heavily influenced by Ice-T, Kid Frost and Cypress Hill , as well as catchy music in the style of MC Hammer and bits of humor such as Digital Underground . The mix was complemented by frugal beats and very open and brutal social criticism . Especially the song Fuck tha Police caused excitement and success at the same time.
West Coast vs. East coast
For a more detailed description see East Coast vs. West coast
In the early 90s, the American hip hop scene was characterized by a strong rivalry between the West Coast and the East Coast. NWA split up and three of the members started successful solo careers. Ice Cube continued the aggressive style influenced by Public Enemy . Dr. Dre developed a new style with his G -Funk based on the P-Funk , which quickly established itself in the West Coast scene. His solo album The Chronic (1992) introduced the beginning of career later G-funk artists like Snoop Dogg and Warren G represents.
The hip-hop war culminated in the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur (West Coast) and Notorious BIG (East Coast). As a result, West Coast hip-hop became increasingly popular with white listeners, primarily through the humor of Snoop Dogg, Coolio and others, while the Wu-Tang Clan and solo artists like Nas emerged on the east coast, who countered the pop- influenced successes fought by Puff Daddy and Bad Boy Entertainment . Hip-hop developed increasingly in other cities such as Atlanta , St. Louis , Detroit , Chicago and New Orleans in the late 1990s , often with very distinct sounds. Westcoast hip-hop lagged a little behind superstars from the east coast like Jay-Z , but stayed mainly due to Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre as well as the Dre-influenced white rapper Eminem .
Examples of classic LPs of the genre
- Eazy-E - Eazy-Duz-It (1988)
- NWA - Straight Outta Compton (1988)
- Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990)
- Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)
- Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle (1993)
- Warren G - Regulate ... G Funk Era (1994)
- Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Food (1995)
- 2Pac - All Eyez on Me (1996)