The East Coast, West Coast, and The Dirty South
The East Coast is the birthplace of rap and hip-hop that produced many MCs that focused on “flow”, wit, wordplay, and metaphors. The lyrics of these MCs were motivated by the social or political problems they encountered, but they also included music the audience could groove to. The first MCs appeared on the scene in the heart and soul of east coast rap-New York. The Sugar Hill Gang released “Rappers Delight”-the first rap record released in rap history.
Through out the 80’s hip hop began to develop and gain commercial sucess. Artists such as Run DMC and LL Cool J captured the nation with their free-flowing delivery, multi syllabic rhymes and personal attacks on other rapper. By the 1990s newcomers like Sean “P-Diddy” Combs and The Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie) were waging wars with the up and coming West Coast industry.
Around the same time music was making its mark on the West Coast. Hardcore, gangsta rap sound became so popular when hip-hop was really getting off of the ground out there. That “gangsta sh*t” will always be the foundation for West Coast hip-hop. The East Coast continued to lose ground to the more mainstream styles of West Coast rappers. The infamous group N.W.A took West Coast hip-hop to new soaring heights with their release of “Straight Outta Compton,” which quickly hit platinum status without radio support. The group is known for their hard “gangsta rap” lyrics packed with profanity, violence, and threats, but it gained a considerable amount of media attention. N.W.A. group members-Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Ice Cube, and Easy-E- went on to become legends in the hip-hop industry. This trend brought on the OG’s rapping lyrics about police brutality, drugs and racial profiling. But they also produced clubbangers like Tupac’s “California Love”, and Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice.”
Next up on hip-hops evolutionary map was the Dirty South. Unfortunately the educational system in the South has never been on the level of the North. Subsequently, southern hip-hop lyrics never had to be quite as deep or provocative as they’ve needed to be in the North. This is not to say the South is uneducated, but what they’ve come to expect from their artists is just not the same as in the North. The African-American population in the South is so much greater than in the North that southern artists didn’t have to work as hard to be commercially successful. The majority of their lyrics are based on material things, and showing off how much more money they have compared to the next artist. All you need is a decent beat, a catchy hook, a little bit of swagger and you’re set.
The commercial success of hip-hop in different regions of the US is drastically different, but the industry continues to change. We are slowly incorporating styles from other regions to bring more success. It is unsure of the future of hip-hop, but it is looking up.
