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