East coast west coast Hip Hop and Rap Rivalry of the 90’s in the U.S.
The East coast hip-hop music is a regional exemplification of a subgenre hip-hop music that originated in the New York. The origin of this music is considered to be in the 1970s. The initial origin of hip-hop is thought to be at the East Coast. The style of playing the music emerged in the east coast as a subgenre after several artists from different regions of the country evolved new approaches and genres of hip-hop in the country. The musicians who came from the East Coast relay different styles. In most cases, hip-hop happened to be the new genre of music. This attracted many artists from the East Cost and many other regions of the United States of America.
The style of music from the East Coast was contrasting to the original rhythm and patter of playing hip-hop music. The rhythm that was utilized originated from the . The East Coast music has its sentiments clued to the fact that it emphasized the use of lyrical dexterity. Moreover, it involved several syllabic rhythms, a continuous flow of delivery, intrigued metaphors, and complex wordplay. Nonetheless, hip-hop music from this region did not have uniformity of sound and standard style. It appeared to sample a number of college collections from different rappers within the region and outside the region. The beats were hard beating. Many artists participated in rap music from this section of the country.
The emergence of hip-hop music in the East Coast began in 1970s to 1980s. This section earned the name of the New York rap. Throughout the 1980s, rap music emerged as one of the strong voices and movements from the East Coast. For instance, rappers from this section of the country opted to participate in hip-hop that involved how living was characterized in this region. In most cases, the lyrics and message sin the musical genres contained connotations of enmity, peace, love, and gangster life. The musicians associated in afro centric music like the Bambaataa from Africa. The music touched the lives of many people who were living in this section. Further music emerged as a way of living since it gave a living to many rappers who developed in the industry. Many of the musicians began to collaborate and participate in feuds that enabled them to earn a living (Hess 43-66).
Nas album called Illmatic originated from the East Coast. Other musicians who produced music from the East Coast include Large Professor, Peter Rock, and DJ Premier. Many production houses produced numerous categories of hip-hop music from the region. As of 1990, hip-hop music had taken equitable stability in the region. In fact, it was ready to participate in competition with hip-hop music from the other sections of the town (Price 53).
Notorious B.I.G is another legend who produced music that originated from the East Coast. He was the central figure in the East Coast during the 1990s. During this time, hip-hop music was dominating most of the country from the West Coast. Nonetheless, BIG was able to dominate the East Coast and even influence music from the West Coast. He started his music from the East Coast and then took it to the West Coast through varied collaborations with different musicians. The early hip-hop musicians like Dr. Dre helped to initiate a program and platform that enabled many musicians from the East Coast to be successful in the international realms. For instance, the rise of musicians like Jay- Z rests its support from the early musicians who made way during the early 1970s and 1980s. The success of hip-hop music was directed at individual artists who engaged in varying genres from the East Coast as it had been done in the West Coast (Hess 65).
West Coast hip-hop Music
The West Coast music anticipates exploring new subgenres of hip-hop music as done in the East Coast. Music from the West Coast anticipated practicing original music like that which had been produced in New York City. The music originated from the westernmost region of the city. One of the magnificent musical genres from this region includes Gangsta rap subgenre that began and dominated from a radio play during the early 1990s.
It is believed that the five cultures of hip-hop music existed in the East Coast and West Coast. These five cultures of hip-hop music include B-Boying, MCing, graffiti, DJing, and Beat boxing. Arguments over the name of that the East Coast participated in naming the music genre. Nonetheless, the music was experienced first from the West Coast apart from those that arose from the New York City. The monitoring of the culture is said to have started in the East Coast and ended in the West Coast before the music was developed in the West Coast.
The West Coast hip-hop music started in 1978 when the Uncle Jamm’s Army was founded. The music genre received myriad influences from the East Coast music, Prince, and many other hip-hop music genres in the country. The origin of hip-hop music took root in the West Coast when musicians from the region and others from the other regions collaborated. For instance, one of the hip-hop musicians who engaged in the West Coast music was Tupac. During this time, several groups emerged from the West Coast comprising those from the East Coast. Some of groups, like that of the Rappers Rapp Group, engaged in collaborated and more scene music in the region. By 1991, music had been established in scenes from where new musicians developed and increased the tentativeness of performance.
The Notorious B.I.G
Christopher George Latore Wallace was an American hip-hop rapper. He grew up in New York and made his musical debut in 1994. He was a key man in East Coast hip-hop music during his time. He increased dominance of the East Coast hip-hop when the West Coast was dominating the entire New York. He is one of the principal figures who escalated the feud that existed between the East Coast and the West Coast in the 90s. Unknown assailant killed Christopher George Latore Wallace while on his drive to Los Angeles. His production rose to a higher level even when he had been killed, like the album on “life after death” that was released sixteen days after his death. The major characteristics with while on his drive to Los Angeles were that of storytelling, , and .
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones is raps and acts in the U.S. He was born in September 1973 from a family of a musician called Olu Dara. Since 1994, he has released several musical albums sold profitably. Apart from being a rapper, he is a professional actor. Nas began his musical career in 1991. He featured in one of the musical genres called Main Source track. He made a debut album called lllmatic that was released in 1994. After releasing this album, he came under immense criticism from other rappers and the rapping community together with the hip-hop community. Nonetheless, his album was among the best albums of the time. He featured other several albums that made him the greatest hip-hop musician in the U.S. He belonged to the rapping and hip-hop community.
In 1996 to 2005, he got involved in a publicized feud. He formed it with other rappers like Jay-Z. In 2006, Nasir engaged in Den Jam where he managed to number of releases like that involving Damian Marley, a reggae musician. In 2009, he made his final collaboration after a period of long procedures and releases that made him be named the top hip-hop musicians in the MTV show. Amidst several controversies, including failure, to pay taxes, Nasir survives the ordeal and produces hip-hop in and outside the U.S.
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, known as Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, and songwriter and singer. He is known to have sold over thirty million albums globally. He began his career in 1992 when he came under the limelight by Dr. Dre. He had made several collaborations. Calvin Cordozar Broadus is still alive and practicing his music in the United States of America. Calvin Cordozar Broadus had little significance to the development of the grudge between the West and East Coasts.
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur was an American hip-hop musician and song producer. He came from the East Coast and made several productions in and out of the West Coast. Tupac Shakur had immense significance to the development and escalation of the feud that developed between the two coasts. His rivals and producers killed him amidst the escalation of the East/West coast feud.
East coast west coast Hip Hop and Rap Rivalry
Hip-hop music rivalries have been in existence since the establishment of the music in the United States of America. Many people or rappers who involved in the music engaged in varied competitions in order to make a life and create a difference in the public. With the rise in the levels of performance and payment through the music, many rappers decided to make collaborations. These collaborations were intended to create competition so that one musician could manage to overdo the other in the public domain. Nonetheless, the influence of the music on human life was incredible. Many people who engaged in Hip-hop music were reported to have joined one or more gang activities and groups. It is with the establishment of these groups that escalated the desire to have the music be played in varied public places and clubs. Many scenes demonstrating the music was staged in various sections of the American cities.
The rappers went about performing in live concerns in order to have supporters of their music. Initially, the concerns were categorical of playing the music while the audiences licensed to their while doing other activities. Within a short time, the DJs began to involve the rappers in dancing, live singing, and engaging with audiences. This was done in order to have a more touch of the music being taken by the audience. Since the aspect was done amidst many rappers, it was evident that many of them were trying ways of outdoing their opponents while in stage. Some rappers would shout their names together with the DJs criticize the works of their opponents, praise their styles and skills, while doing all these as a form of fun and humor. Nonetheless, the whole aspect of competition was done an enormous blow when some of the Hip-hop musicians were killed by the supporters of their opponents or by the opponents. The entire music began to take groups that resulted in the establishment and growth of gangs and other illicit groups like those trafficking drugs, robbers, and many more.
During the escalation of the death of rappers in the country, many of who had engaged in collaborations had their lives under threat because their counterparts had to take care of their businesses. Within a short time, it was reported that many of the rappers had developed individual crushes and were engaging in trying to outdo each other even at death. The first complicated case involved Notorious B.I.G and Tupac (Icons of Hip Hop 23-67).
With the exclamations and work of the media, the two sections of the city in the East Coast and West Coast were not left in the creation of separations. Artists from the West Coast engaged in competition and rivalry with those from the East Coast. The media were blamed to have escalated the rivalry since not many of the Hip-hop rappers from the two sections had involved in fierce rivalry. In a bid to stop the media from escalating the entire stories, one of the singers and a group called Roxanne Wars criticized the media through one of the Hip-hop songs. Nonetheless, rivalry was evident since some of the rappers engaged in fierce rivalry like Nas and Jay-Z. Nonetheless, most of their encounters were not violent.
One of the common categories of rapper clash was through disks and trucks. Many of the disks and trucks that involved lyrics had insults that were directed at their opponents. Many rappers diverted the innate messages contained in their Hip-hop music into hate and malicious messages. These messages were either reactions or directions that instructed their opponents in accordance to some form of insults. Rappers engaged in their open battles while the public engaged in competition in support of their preferred musicians. The other subdivision came from the origin of Hip-hop musicians. For instance, those from the East Coast could clash with those from the West Coast. In some other instances, rappers could be seen engaging in open confrontations that resulted in fights often. Amid nineties, the West Coast had engaged in open battles with the East Coast. The same was being replicated amongst the musicians.
Through the same avenues of competition, M.C. Hammer engaged in some altercations with Hip-hop DJs. This began in the mid to late 1980s. Many rappers released musical genres that demanded immediate support from the public in order to outdo those form their opponents. Hammer engaged in feuds with several rappers. He engaged his music when he produced the music named “Please Hammer, do not Hurt ‘Em.” The message behind this message was to tell others that he did not intend to hurt them. Nonetheless, Hammer released another fresh attack on MC Serch of third Bass and LL Cool J, Dres of Black Sheep, and Rodney O. Several other attacks emerged between different musicians. In the end, some of them had to suffer in the hands of their competitors.
How the people of these coasts felt connected to the feud
Many people engaged in support of the rappers from their region. For instance, Tupac went to the West Coast to perform, but he had his supporters from the East Coast. People supported musicians based on their skills and origin. In the end, a separation between those who came from the West Coast and those who came from the East Coast emerged. With the death of a number of musicians and MCs, it was crucial to have them reclaim their original sense and engage in peaceful music. Some of them died like Tupac. Though they still engage in violent activities and feuds, many of today Hip-hop musicians have adopted an independent life where they have audiences from varied categories of life. Less deaths are released today because of increased awareness and creativity involved by the musicians (Lucas 43).
Works cited
Hess, Mickey. Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood
Press, 2010. Internet resource.
Icons of Hip Hop: 2. Westport, CT [u.a.: Greenwood Press, 2007. Print.
Lucas, George. A New Hope: A Novel. New York: Random House, 1986. Print.
Price, Emmett G. Hip Hop Culture. Oxford: Abc-clio, 2006. Print.
Terkourafi, Marina. The Languages of Global Hip-Hop. London: Continuum, 2010. Print.