The Truth Behind The 90s East Coast Rap

It seems that rap music has transformed every decade since it began.

Not only do a new group of rappers come along, but they elevate the style of rap music as well.

Beginning in the 1970s in the United States, this style of music came to the forefront thanks to a mix of cultures in the Bronx—specifically African Americans and Latinos.

The combination created a rhythmic style of music that was combined with poetic rhymes.

As Rap TV explains, it was a way for many Americans to be able to express themselves and stay true to their origins while living in one of the biggest melting pots on earth!

As with any style of music, it evolves with time, technology, and musicians.

But one of the most important periods of rap music has been the 1990’s East Coast Rap.

We are going to dive into this in a bit more detail and reveal the truth behind this iconic time in the music industry.

Here are five things you need to know about the 90s East Coast Rap.

1 – The 1990s Rap was dubbed the ‘Golden Era’

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After two decades of sorting out the teething issues and growing confidence as an individual music genre, East Coast Rap led the way to create the ‘Golden Era’ of rap music in the 1990s. 

While nothing ground-breaking was done, the mastery of the art had come into full fruition amidst numerous rap and hip-hop artists. Many raps from this era are still referred to as the greatest of all time!

2 – There was a rivalry between the East and the West

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As rap music grew nationwide, more and more artists were keen to master the craft.

So it was no surprise that by the 1990s, rap music had made its way from New York to Los Angeles.

Because the East Coast was responsible for developing the genre, they held a bit of a grudge towards the West Coast Rap and how they were trying to take over.

Rappers like Tim Dog, Bad Boy, Death Row, B.I.G, and 2Pac would battle it out with rap songs to lock themselves in as the king of rap music.

3 – Two rap stars were murdered during the 90s

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Unfortunately, the rivalry in the rap world did not just stop on the streets.

Many rappers were brought up in lower-income areas and many were also associated with gangs.  T

herefore, their rivalries became a bit more vicious.

While the East Coast rappers were trying to stay on top of the West Coast rappers, two big rap stars were both murdered in drive-by shootings.

East Coast rap lost The Notorious B.I.G and the West Coast rap lost Tupac.

4 – East Coast rap took it out in the lyrics

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Many East Coast rappers took out their frustrations in their lyrics, which is why many of their songs are so raw and emotional.

For example, rapper Tim Dog did a whole rap song that was a diss at Compton, California—where many of the West Coast rappers were trying to establish themselves.

And rappers even came out with songs like “Who Shot Ya?” as a way to taunt the other side about the actual violence that was plaguing rap music.

5 – Despite the crime, East Coast Rap remains special

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Even though many rappers from the East Coast during the 90s had both a strong rap game and a criminal history, their actions have not clouted their musical success.

Many argue that it is because of their hardships and life-experiences that they were able to create such powerful music, to begin with!

The truth about the East Coast Rap of the 90s is that it was both the golden era for rap music and a bloody era for the actual rappers!

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