“Gangsta Rap” as an institution is on it’s last legs. One listen to today’s urban radio playlists & it’s overly apparent that it’s limelight has all but dimmed in aboveground music.
In the late 80′s-mid 90′s, it was all the rage. Rap cats couldn’t wait to jump on tracks & emulate their favorite action hero/neighborhood super-criminal. In fact, it was such an in-demand style that most of the Hip Hop nation didn’t care how fake you were. All that mattered was how real you are, if that makes any sense. Things like “street cred” & reputation were bonuses to the music, an accompanying piece, so to speak. It wasn’t mandatory that an artist practiced what he preached (though it wasn’t frowned upon, either), & for the most part, as long as you had a hardbody enforcer in view of the watching public, you didn’t need to. His street cred was your street cred. If you had gangsters around you, even if only in videos, you received a pass. & even in that generous scenario, very rarely did passes need to be shown. That was years ago, though.
When the term “Gangsta Rap” began to float around on a user-friendly level (i.e. N.W.A. getting love on Yo! MTV Raps), it mainly reflected a journalistic, third-person point of view that rappers used to report on what they saw. Approaching it from that perspective, it’s hard to argue a valid point for the need of one’s supposed authenticity. Plenty of times in life, people have told me stories about something that happened, & just because they may have exaggerated doesn’t mean the story isn’t true, it just means that I need to perceive accordingly. When I was younger, I’d often hear water cooler talk of how King Tee & Ice Cube weren’t really gangsters or whatever, but that didn’t matter to me. It was, is, & always will be about the music. But, I digress.
As Hip Hop’s acceptance broadened worldwide, slowly but surely, so did Gangsta Rap’s popularity. Even as groups like X-Clan, Public Enemy, Paris, & Poor Righteous Teachers attempted to kick the truth to the young, Black youth, groups like The Geto Boys & N.W.A. were stronger, & their angst & frustration-filled energy was gaining more momentum with each passing year. Just about halfway through the 90′s, however, the tide shifted as Sean Combs “introduced” a more lighthearted vantage point for Hip Hop’s voice. This voice was, literally, about partying & bullshit, & not much else. Dubbed “The Shiny Suit Era,” for about 5 years, Puff Daddy had the world wanting to replace it’s previous grime with shine. Thanks almost entirely to Christopher George Latore Wallace (& an assload of popular song samples), a floodgate opened, allowing fancy cars & spastic dancing to briefly become equally as important to the Hip Hop world as guns, drugs, & bulletproof vests. By societal standards, Hip Hop is a very young culture. But, any fans old enough to remember the “Golden Era” will agree that it was the most fruitful time period because there were so many lanes. Gangsta Rap just happened to be the most aggressive one until then.
Around the time when 50 Cent’s “How To Rob An Industry Nigga” was making it’s bi-coastal rounds (the old fashioned way – actual mixtapes & CD’s), Hip Hop was over the “Shiny Suit Era.” Tupac was dead, Biggie was dead, & Hip Hop was full of a lot of hostility. Hostility that 50 Cent literally harnessed, making the rap game his personal playground for a few years. He had become the ultimate gangsta rapper, with the statistics sheet to prove it. Some may be hesitant to acknowledge it, but 50 Cent changed the gangsta rap landscape. Where it had been previously leveled by a gaggle of street reporters, now there was a proverbial pitcher’s mound. The shit he said wasn’t from a newsperson’s recollection. It wasn’t generated through eyewitness accounts. His songs came directly from a participant’s experience (not that that’s a good thing). 50 Cent’s official success signaled that Gangsta Rap had royally returned to Hip Hop music in a real & dangerous way.
Gangsta Rap in the 90′s was 1 part creativity mixed with 2 parts emulation. Emulation to the extent that – for a moment – every important rapper had an Italian-esque nickname. They used phrases like “fugazi” & “fagetaboutit” in their raps, so on & so forth. Rap music was still fun then, so it was easy for a talented rapper to slip in & out of different themes to showcase their skills. That’s what’s this is all about, no? Fast forward to today, & the term “Gangsta Rap” has taken on an entirely different connotation.
Some could blame Snoop Doggy Dogg, others Mack 10, but no matter the place of origin, today’s gangsta rapper comes complete with a Crip or Blood gang to represent from cities, counties, & parishes all across America. Gone are the days of imaginary gun fights & “stories,” because today’s gangsta rapper is living the life he professes. Possibly even making it harder to live in the process. Take the blood’s current posterbloodboy Lil Wayne, who clearly has no regard for his, nor his empire of blunt rollers’ safety. He does & says things that would get him killed quickly in plenty parts of my beautiful city, yet he continues to do them, as if gang banging is a fashion or a costume that one removes at bedtime. To a degree, getting a paycheck to be ignorant for a living is a genius move, however, is it still considered a shtick if you get murdered over it?
When I was in the 9th grade, some well-known bloods & crips came together & recorded an album called “Bangin’ On Wax,” in an effort to foster more unity & less violence in south central Los Angeles. During that time, the closest we had to real-time gang bang music was DJ QUIK, & he didn’t fully expose his gang affiliation until later in his career. In a sense, he blazed the trail, but “Bangin On Wax,” which was released 2 years later, set the rest of the forest ablaze. The difference between BOW & today’s gangsta rapper is sincerity. Those crips & bloods risked their lives to go to studios & rap for a greater purpose. (A purpose that they were/are the cause for, but my point remains.) They weren’t rappers who adopted a persona & used it to generate funds. & if I’m not mistaken, 3 of the guys who participated in that album have been killed. Probably more. Gang banging isn’t the rhythmic farce that some of these rappers may have you to believe it is.
Taking into consideration that people really do grow up in gang families (because I know a few), I won’t discount every “new” rapper as a bang-for-dollars package, but it’s not a coincidence that “bloods” & “crips” being mentioned on rap songs is now a normalcy. & the game will get more dangerous once the name-calling sets in (which it will). Once a rapper crosses the line by calling another rapper a crab or a slob, that will remove the Hip Hop entertainment aspect of banging, & take it back to the street, where teenagers get stomped to death because of the color of their shirt. It’s a cold world, & for all the pretty things money can buy you, it can’t buy you another chance.
It’s great to witness Hip Hop refocusing it’s sights on creativity & art these days. Lyrics & good production are definitely making strides to become the centerpieces they once were. In the meantime, though, be careful at these rap shows. Parking lot drive-by’s can’t be too far off in the distance.
awesome write up, extra points for the xclan Paris PE and PRT mentions, though they and others at the time insisted on calling my white arse devil, i dug the shit outta them cats. Funny grand$ on how we are the near the same damn age and grew up with this hip hop stuff on opposite sides of the planet. i remember that banging on wax joint, i imported that and a joint by lifers group back in the day at about the same time. damn memories… and that we all in the same gang joint … i feel old lol
But yeah kinda a worrying trend in hip hop on how cats are claiming sets again and trying to be real, hell i knew cube and others weren’t real gangstas just selling good music. and like you say grand$ the entertainment vs the street is gonna end up with peeps getting hurt. i enjoyed gangsta rap as entertainment (gangstas in australian culture are kinda seen as pussies because they need to swarm to be tough) but i loved the shit out of the music.
Bloody great post mate
Peace
Lifers Group was signed to Hollywood Basic, the label that released Organized Konfusion’s first album.
Damn. That was a long time ago.
& thanks.
That last paragraph is what gives me hope for hip hop. Many are learning to admire rappers who spit with skill & sincerity. However, there are still quite a few cats still holding onto whatever appeal gangster rap had on them. With the streets still being hungry with all of the poverty and hard times that people are going through, I believe gangster rap will continue to have a firm foothold in hip hop.
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Ice Cube was not a “real” gangster. But Eazy-E was. I’m not sure if he was an actual crip or just affiliated like Ice-T. So gangbangers and drug dealers always were part of gangsta rap (see also AZ from Mob Style). But yeah, like you say Tony, in the end it was about the music, thus Ice Cube becoming super stars and Mob Style remaining obscure. It’s interesting how Quik, Eazy, or Ice-t didn’t need to play up their gang affiliations or to go into too much detail about their hustlin’ and bangin’ days to become successful. Completely the opposite to fake bangers like Lil Wayne or Rick Ross. Maybe gang signs and colors rise in popularity and become a commodity at the same time as the impact and importance of actual gangs sink? Is it safer today to flash signs as it was in the days of the Pac and Biggie murders?
I’m 35 & born/raised Los Angeles, CA. Trust me when I tell you that DJ Quik become popular in the late 80′s for gang banging, fam.
“So all y’all remember that I can be stopped, what’s the name of my hood?”. The response to that question is “Treetop,” as in Piru. Quik has been blooding since day one. Check out all the referencing he does to gang life on his first album Quik Is The Name. Eazy’s affiliiation is supposedly through Compton’s Kelly Park crip, but I can’t confirm that & he never flaunted it. Ice-T never claimed to be a gangbanger. He’s a hustler & a gangster. HUGE difference. Cube never said he banged & become politically active on Americas Most.
& being a gangbanging rapper wasn’t popular until very recently, so of course no one would get rich screamin “Crip!!” before Snoop. All those old acts weren’t the same caliber as today’s actual gangsta rapper. The game has changed.
Ice-T claimed to be down with the Rolling 60 Crips. Not himself a gangbanger, but he knew them. That’s what I think is you can call affiliated, right? I think he talks about that in his ’94 book (a long time ago I read it tho)
And again, Tony, can you confirm my theory that fake banging became fashionable for rappers because they mustn’t fear being shot like in the Suge Knight days mid 90′s?
And btw wouldn’t it be Pac who made claiming gang and throwing signs all trendy, much more than Snoop and Mack 10?
no knocking, just some questions. Love for you to go deeper into this issue.
“Ice-T claimed to be down with the Rolling 60 Crips. Not himself a gangbanger, but he knew them. That’s what I think is you can call affiliated, right? I think he talks about that in his ’94 book (a long time ago I read it tho)”
^
Hmmm…I don’t call “knowing” or “being down with” an affilation, necessarily. I know LOTS of 83st Gangster Crips, & I grew up in Front Hood Rollin 60′s, but I’m not affiliated with them. I don’t go through their bullshit with them. When there’s trouble, they don’t call me to ride. Yet I know their moms, kids, etc. I know them, but I’m not affiliated with their gang. That’s how ppl get killed “accidentally.”
“can you confirm my theory that fake banging became fashionable for rappers because they mustn’t fear being shot like in the Suge Knight days mid 90′s?”
^
Fake banging is a derivitive of real banging, which has nothing to do with music. Fake bangers are just wanna be’s, like oreo’s & black guys who perm their hair. Gang banging in America is a culture. All cultures eventually have influence. What easier thing to influence than what surrounds you (rap music).
“wouldn’t it be Pac who made claiming gang and throwing signs all trendy, much more than Snoop and Mack 10?”
^
If I had to chose one who made the signs & claiming you set in your music trendy, I’d give more credit to Snoop. Pac was bigger than set claiming & c walking. As for Snoop, there was a time when Long Beach Crip was all that he talked about. He still wears black & yellow ofter.
Thanks for responding. Good point about gang banging being a culture.
Sure, Pac was much more than banging. But I would say in the end he had much more “cultural” influence than Snoop – with the bad as well as the good. But yeah, you’re right, Snoop came earlier with it, and too wasn’t about the unity stuff.
And, not to diss the man (rip pac), but wouldn’t he be the first fake banger, too? Screaming M.O.B. all over his ’96 songs? Whereas the og generation was mostly about unity and about turning blue and red to green (Ice-T’s Gotta Lotta Love, Ice Cube’s Westside Connection with Crip affiliate (or member?) WC and Mack 10 claiming the red team), We’re All In The Same Gang, and the Bangin On Wax project you mentioned). Pac, who never really ran the streets, was throwing that shit around quite recklessly (probably instigated by his newly found father figure Suge).
And other than the contemporary fakers he paid the ultimate price for that (if it was indeed Orlando Anderson who hit him, which seems to be the consensus these days.)
If Pac was yelling “cuz” or “blood” then yes, I’d say he was faking. He didn’t do that, he repped his crew, which isn’t a gang that I heard of until he tried to make it one. There’s a difference between starting a crew & claiming a “side” that you’re not on.
Well, he didn’t say flat out “blood”, but M.O.B. said enough, right? (Yeah, I know he tried to sell it as “Money Over Bitches” but I’m sure he wanted that other meaning to linger there). And when he ran with Suge he basically his side (and made sure no one mistook it – see Orlando Anderson. That he really was about it by attacking that dude might actually save him from being deemed a fake banger, but maybe not. He just started it and then had Suge’s gorillas stomp him out,)
*basically picked his side*
Sorry for 3rd comment in row, but I need to revise my question / theory: Obviously a rapper today doesn’t need fear being shot as long as he doesn’t lay hands on an actual banger like Pac did. So, my theory is: With Suge out of business and money in the music industry dried up, and generally having lost influence, gangs don’t mess with rappers anymore other than on a superficial level, and don’t check them like they used to. So that today you can go and claim gang affiliation without even knowing one actual banger. Turning it into a fashion trend.