Rap Music - History and Genres

Those who are young or relatively new to theon the West Coast with N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta
HipHop culture don't realize that Rap Music has manyCompton" release, while others credit Ice T with
different genres:taking Gangsta Rap to national acclaim. Characterized
East Coast: The East Coast, most notably New Yorkby lyrics glamorizing elements of a criminal lifestyle,
City, was the genesis for rap music hitting theviolence, promiscuity, misogyny, and materialism,
mainstream. Run-D.M.C. led the pack, with Rakim andGangsta Rap's controversy came to a head with the
Big Daddy Kane also breaking through to make rapmurder of the West Coast Tupcac Shakur in 1996,
emerge as a national phenomenon.and the subsequent murder of the East Coast's The
West Coast: While HipHop was cooking in the East,Notorious B.I.G. in 1997.
West Coast rap music gained national recognition inPop Rap: Known for its widespread, mainstream
the mid-1980s with performers like Ice T and Tooappeal, Pop Rap's first breakout star was LL Cool J.
$hort.The Fresh Prince and MC Hammer quickly rose to the
Dirty South: While most of the music world'stop of the Pop Rap scene and the music charts with
attention focused on rap coming from New York andlyrics that were less controversial than those of the
Los Angeles, HipHop artists in the South were turningGangsta Rap genre, and thus were more likely to
to independent music labels to release their work.receive radio airplay.
Geographically, the Dirty South genre encompassedChristian Rap: While HipHop was garnering a
places as diverse as Houston, Birmingham, and Miami,reputation for less than savory lyrics and artists for
and was greatly influenced by Ghetto Mafia in thequestionable activities, other artists were expressing
mid-1990s. Musically, Dirty South rap is known for istheir faith through HipHop. Christian Rap took off in
danceabilty and rhythmic delivery.the late 1980s and early 1990s with rap groups like
Gangsta Rap: Some say Gangsta Rap first emergedP.I.D. and S.F.C.