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The rise of the west. Its the stuff of legends and without the west coast, hip hop probably would never evolve into the powerhouse it was in the 90s. As stated earlier, the east coast monopoly lasted from its creation til the late 80s. While hip hop from birth was forged in the streets of struggle and crime, the west coast tale is a little bit different. Although gangs have existed all across America, the gang culture of Los Angeles and LA County was in many ways the foundation of west coast hip hop and its gangsta rap offspring.
Although Philadelphia emcee Schoolly D is often credited as being one the first gangsta rappers, it was the west coast that took it to new heights in the late 80s. West coast rap prior to its late 80s explosion was much cleaner and dance friendly. Although LA’s gang culture was stronger than ever in the early to mid 80s , most artists wanted their funky, disco related music to serve as more an escape from the gangs. Electro hop soon died thanks in part to N.W.A. who were former elctro hop artists themselves. Once Ice T and N.W.A. flipped the script with their honest and in your face tales of gang violence, other talented groups followed suit and the west coast’s feet were firmly planted by the 90s.
However, 1994 ushered in a new generation of emcees and much like the transformation occurring on the east coast, the west was grooming its own share of heavy hitters to represent their turf. Artists like Warren G and his mellow masterpiece Regulate..G Funk Era, the highly unorthodox Bay Area genius E40 with his The Mailman EP, and the timeless veteran MC Eiht with We Come Strapped.
Like I mentioned in the earlier post, Gangsta’ rap was actually quite old by 1994, but it was artists like these that kept renewing and refreshing the concept. From Warren’s soft but menacing vocals to Eiht’s magnificent production team to E40’s unbelievable diction and skill, the west coast was alive and better than ever before.
