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Finding high quality and in-depth commentary on 90s hip hop is difficult. From those who think they know to those that know but are too condescending to share, it can be hard for newcomers wanting to take part in this culture. Around my senior year of high school I discovered a book at the public library that didn’t appear too engaging by its cover, but turned out to become on the most addicting and amazing books ever. I present to you: Ego Trip’s Book of Rap Lists.

Credit: Amazon

Perhaps one of the most inadvertent beauties of this book, is the fact that it was published in December 1999, right at the cusp of a new millennium. This is perfect because it ONLY documents hip hop from its genesis in the 70s up to my sweet 90s. If you are looking for loads of pictures then this might not be the book for you and chances are you one of those who has a “90s” blog with tons of visual but ABSOLUTELY no meaningful commentary. The book’s writing is what every hip hop journalist/writer should desire to attain. Humor and wit is balanced with plenty of factual and substansial information. From top charting hits to tall tales that many debate ever happened, this book has it all.

My only minor gripe about this book is that at some points it feels a little biased. Since Ego Trip was originally a New York published magazine, some of their top lists seem to be little more favorable to east coast artists.  Nevertheless, this is a must have for ANYBODY interested in not just the 90s, but Hip Hop’s true culture and the essence of what it is really about.

Biz Markie (born Marcel Theo Hall) is not only a hip hop legend, but one of the most innovate and creative artists to ever pickup a microphone. He has long considered the “Clown Prince of Hip Hop” due to his humorous lighthearted raps, something that hip hop would move farther and farther away from during the 90s. From a career spanning over 30 years to countless hit records, Biz has every right to be boastful but he chooses not. In a this highly competitive culture of money and braggadocious ways, Biz Markie is a true gem that continues to shine.

Last year in August, me and my friend were in Manhattan returning from a Vine event at Washington Square Park. While walking through SoHo we came across a new Pac Sun store’s grand opening. The building was filled with hipsters and members of this generation’s so called “counter-culture”. Most appeared to be lined to get the autograph of Riff Raff, one of the most bizarre artists I have ever seen. While I had absolutely no interest in obtaining his autograph, my curiosity of the place got the better of me especially since I have shopped at Pac Suns previously.

Upon entering the store, the line trailed all the way to the back to where Riff Raff must have been seated out of sight. “Lets just look at some clothes and get outta here”, I said to my friend already feeling overwhelmed by the crowd. IT was just then out of the corner of my eye I spotted a man that looked vaguely familiar. It then dawned on me that it was Biz Markie. At first I was reluctant to approach him but I soon realized that most people are here to see Riff Raff, so me approaching him for a picture has got to make him feel good. After briefly stepping out to his car, Biz came back to pose for a picture with me. “You didn’t I’d come back right?”, he chuckled as I laughed trying to disguise my awe of such a n honest person.

More from the event:

More about Biz Markie:

http://www.mtv.com/artists/biz-markie/biography/

One of the biggest collaboration in the history of arts and entertainment business,  recognized worldwide. Hip-hop and street art, two strong and vast movements that have been walking tall, shoulder to shoulder, punching through walls to make their own path into society.

Their relation dates from back in the 70’s. Two strong movements  that went through tought beginnings and faced repression and discrimination, being seen for society as a bad influence for their young. However both movement went against all odds, punched  through social walls that pretended to hold them back, and had earned a well deserved spot and society. In the case of Hip-Hop becoming one of the most influencial  and successful genre in the music industry. And in the case of  urban art, its community keeps growing, with more fans and massive creative, and talented artists.

This was intended as a guest post by Marcos, for more info please visit my blog site at

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/anonymousartnyc/

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The south has always had a chip on its shoulder unfortunately both musical and geographical. For a long time no one outside of the south wanted to hear what they had to say due to streotypes of southern folks simply being “country” or “slow”. Its funny how the south would go on to dominate the hip hop industry in the 2000s/2010s, even though the music quality decreased tremendously. From day one the south had to fight hard for their seat in hip hop, a fight that lasted all throughout the 90s. With the exception of 2 Live Crew and the comedic bass music, the south had some serious soldiers down to fight for their home.

While the Geto Boys were essentially the  south’s answer to N.W.A., they were from Texas which is the southwest but not the deep south.  Outkast was the first  group out of the deep south to truly  represent for their homewtown of Atlanta. They wern’t the first emcees out of the A Town, as artists like MC Shy D and Sucess N Effect predate them,  but they were certainly the most influential and endearing. Outkast was the antidote, the antithesis of the streotypes that had plagued the south for so long. With their help, the south finally was beginning to get their due.

1994 in many ways could have been the south’s most important year of hip hop during the 90s. For too long they had been ignored and trampled upon and once  Outkast hit with the breathtakingly unique Southernplaylisticadillacmuzik (What a title!), the south was really ready to kick some ass. As stated earlier, Outkast may not have been the first southern rap collective, but they were definitely  one of the first to truly capture the attention and minds of the rest of the country. This is the south and this what we have to say. With Outkast leading the way in ’94, other talented southern emcees followed suit. Such examples are Big Mike and his truly under appreciated classic Somethin’ Serious. UGK’s spectacular sophomore album Super Tight which established the group’s style and flair and of course The Diary by Scarface who is arguably the greatest southern emcee of all time.

If you listen to all of the albums I have suggested during this series, you will see just how much variety and flavors there were too choose from! Now a days everybody sounds so similar and to make things worse,most don’t even CARE to sound any different. This is the what made the 90s beautiful. EVERYBODY had their own style, and eve when there were groups and artists that shared strong similarities, they STILL managed to be distinctive from one another.

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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.

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Despite its historical roots in Jamaican reggae and dancehall, its an undeniable fact that hip hop was birthed in 1970s New York, specifically the Bronx.  Throughout the late 70s and mid 80s, New York and other east coast cities pretty much dominated the hip hop landscape almost to point of it being a monopoly. From LL Cool J to Run DMC to Beastie Boys, the east coast was living large and seemed to be the ONLY authority when it came to the newly created hip hop genre. However due to the rise  of gangsta rap on the west coast, the east was no longer the only game in town and a musical power shift would so occur.

Although east coast hip hop never fell off, many artists that were riding high in the 80s, began to lose that momentum at the start of the 90s. A prime example of this would Run DMC’s 1990 effort Back from Hell which was both a critical and commercial failure. Despite the east no longer being in the hip hop throne, all was not lost for the east coast renaissance of the mid 90s began to restore the east coast to the glory that they once enjoyed. Probably one of the most prolific years of this renaissance was 1994, which was also tremendous year for hip hop as a whole. A new breed of raw east coast emcees such as Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Jay-Z,  Wu Tang Clan, and Mobb Deep exploded and the scene to reclaim what they felt was originally theirs.

The 90s as whole may have been a huge melting pot of variety, but 1994 was one of the greatest years to demonstrate this characteristic. From Redman’s psychedelic, weary raps on  Dere is a Darkside to Nas’ somber, razor sharp social observations on Illmatic to the raw, unfiltered basement sounds of Method Man on Tical. And of course, no discussion of ’94 would be complete without mention of the legendary Notorious B.I.G. and his magnum opus Ready to Die. Gangsta’ rap and emcees professing street tales was already old in ’94, but B.I.G. took the formula and dropped it on its head. At the time of of its release, there was nothing in hip hop that sounded anything like Ready to Die and because of that it has permanently been enshrined in hip hop history.  All of these albums mentioned are true masterpieces and are excellent for a 90s newcomer to start with before moving on to more obscure albums. These albums also exemplify a sprit of pride and ingenuity since the east coast had now returned, if not exceeded their previous achievements.

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Amongst 90s enthusiasts and serious hip hop fans, the general consensus is that 1994 was one of the most prolific and evolutionary years in hip hop. It was as if there a mist of creativity that infiltrated the minds of young men and women from Oakland to New York. 1994 was the debut as many hip hop mainstays, some of which are still active today. From Nas to Outkast to the legendary Notorious B.I.G to Method Man., it was as if the flood gates busted open in 1994 and everybody came stampeding in to a grab a piece of the musical pie.

Things were especially prosperous on the East coast since they had finally bounced back after several years of west coast overshadowing. Hip hop music had changed drastically as a whole and those that lacked tenacity and persistence would quickly be swept aside into obscurity. The series that follows will focus on the three major regions of hip hop that were active during the 90s. The east, the west, and south will not only be analyzed, but I will also discuss some of my favorite albums from each region. So kick back and relax because school will soon be in session.

I look forward to in the future of this blog is connecting with new people that share this passion with me. One of the beauties of todays technology and social networking is that countless 90s underground tapes anfromd records that are being shared with a wider audience. Alot of this music is being heard again for the first time in years. As a result of this, people from San Diego to Pittsburgh are being introduced to new styles and sounds everyday. Through this shared love of 90s hip hop can lead to forging new friendships which could include some of the artists themselves. Many 90s enthusiasts not only can share value knowledge and experiences, but many also have huge record collections.

Those that were of age in the 90s can contribute greatly to educated younger 90s enthusiasts.
With todays technology there is nearly an infinite amount of possibilities and networking options. Since my major is graphic communication and design, I study alot of album covers and music ads from the 90s. While tumblr and pinterest are mostly visual, there is a wealth of rare 90s scans from magazines and other print media. From articles to rare ads, i have already developed a following of my pinterest board that features 90s magazine covers. I feels so good see so many people that share the same interests with me and time will tell just how many wonderful folks i will meet.

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/100-blog-topics-i-hope-you-write/

Like any other culture or history, it is essential for those interested to develop a reverence and appreciation for the days of old. Although everyone has their one interests and tastes, for too long supposed hip hop fans think they can just waltz into the culture and claim something that they have barely participated in or followed with conscious effort. As with other music genres, the greatest period of  prosperity and influence is often a hot topic of debate.

If the 70s and 80s laid an undeniable foundation for hip hop, then the 90s was the skyscraper built on top of it. When many people my age think of the 90s, they tend to solely think of things like Nickelodeon and  Sonic the Hedgehog. And while this is not entirely their fault, it annoys me when they sometimes expect me to view the 90s the same way. I view the 90s through a completely different lens, a lens founded upon hip hop and urban culture.

They say Power Rangers, I say Yo MTV Raps. They say Ninja Turtles, I say Fresh Prince or Martin. Get my drift?   Some of my friends jokingly ask why am “old school”, but I proudly declare and profess my love for the 90s. There is no question that there are still talented artists in hip hop, its just that they have become increasingly more obscure and difficult to get into. The 90s were magical and the levels of creativity and variety have yet to be seen again in the world of hip hop.  Hey, if people can obsess of Ancient Rome or the 1880s England, whats wrong with 90s hip hop?