Chapter 38: Hip Hop in the 90s
Chapter 38 follows the rapid growth of hip-hop during the 1990s as regional styles, record labels, and artists competed for commercial and cultural influence. West Coast G-funk and East Coast lyricism developed alongside one another, with performers such as Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, the Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G., Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem contributing to the genre’s increasingly diverse musical vocabulary.
Important Terms
G-Funk – A West Coast hip-hop style built on slow tempos, deep bass, melodic synthesizers, and reworked 1970s funk sounds.
Gangsta Rap – A hip-hop style centered on street life, crime, policing, violence, and survival in marginalized communities.
West Coast Hip-Hop – Hip-hop associated with Los Angeles and nearby scenes, known in the chapter for G-funk and Death Row Records.
East Coast Hip-Hop – Hip-hop associated with New York, known here for dense lyricism, gritty sampling, and a rougher sound.
Battle Rap – Competitive rap in which artists trade insults or direct challenges.
Diss Track – A song meant to attack or criticize another artist.
Sampling – Using part of an existing recording in a new song.
Re-performance – Replaying older musical parts with live musicians, then sampling the new recording instead of the original.
Talk Box – A device that routes an instrument through the mouth to create a speaking or robotic effect.
P-Funk – George Clinton’s funk style and mythology, built around Parliament and Funkadelic.
Death Row Records – Dr. Dre and Suge Knight’s Los Angeles label that brought West Coast gangsta rap to national prominence in the 1990s.
Bad Boy Records – Sean Combs’s New York label, known for polished East Coast hip-hop.
Flow – The rhythm, phrasing, and delivery of rap vocals.
Dilla Feel – A loose, off-grid drum feel associated with J Dilla’s production
Artists Discussed
Dr. Dre – Producer and rapper who created the G-funk sound.
Snoop Dogg – West Coast rapper and Dr. Dre collaborator.
N.W.A. – Group central to the rise of West Coast gangsta rap.
The D.O.C. – Rapper and lyricist connected to Death Row Records.
Marion “Suge” Knight – Co-founder of Death Row Records.
Richard Gilbert “Dick” Griffey – Co-founder of Death Row Records.
Snoop Doggy Dogg – Dr. Dre protégé and key G-funk voice.
Daz Dillinger – Producer and rapper connected to Death Row.
Warren G – Rapper and producer linked to Death Row.
Tha Dogg Pound – Death Row rap duo.
Tupac Shakur (2Pac) – Major West Coast rapper, actor, and political lyricist.
Digital Underground – Oakland group that helped launch Tupac’s career.
The Notorious B.I.G. – East Coast rapper and Bad Boy star.
Christopher Wallace – The Notorious B.I.G.’s given name.
Sean Combs (Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy) – Founder of Bad Boy Records and major East Coast producer.
Bad Boy Records – New York label that helped restore East Coast prominence.
Mary J. Blige – Singer associated with hip-hop soul and the Bad Boy sound.
Jodeci – R&B group associated with Sean Combs’s early career.
Total – R&B group on Bad Boy Records.
Faith Evans – R&B singer on Bad Boy Records.
Mase – Rapper signed to Bad Boy Records.
Craig Mack – Early Bad Boy rapper.
The Wu-Tang Clan – New York rap collective central to East Coast hip-hop.
RZA – Wu-Tang producer and architect.
Tim Dog – Bronx rapper who sparked the coast feud with “F--- Compton.”
Aaliyah – R&B singer central to the 1990s hip-hop soul sound.
Missy Elliott – Rapper, singer, producer, and major architect of late-1990s R&B and hip-hop.
Timbaland – Producer closely associated with Missy Elliott and Aaliyah.
J Dilla – Producer known for the “Dilla feel.”
The Roots – Live-instrument hip-hop group from Philadelphia.
Eminem (Marshall Bruce Mathers III) – Rapper, songwriter, and producer known for complex rhyme schemes, detailed storytelling, and his role in bringing hip-hop to a wider mainstream audience.
Songs Referenced
"Funky Drummer" – James Brown
"Let Me Ride" – Dr. Dre
"Mothership Connection (Star Child)" – Parliament
"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" – Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg
"I Wanna Do Somethin' Freaky to You" – Leon Haywood
"Deep Cover" – Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg
"Who Am I (What's My Name)?" – Snoop Doggy Dogg
"Atomic Dog" – George Clinton
"(Not Just) Knee Deep" – Funkadelic
"Sexual Eruption" – Snoop Dogg
"Brenda's Got a Baby" – 2Pac
"Trapped" – 2Pac
"Part Time Mutha" – 2Pac
"The Streetz R Deathrow" – 2Pac
"Last Wordz" – 2Pac
"Keep Ya Head Up" – 2Pac
"I Get Around" – 2Pac
"Dear Mama" – 2Pac
"Sadie" – The Spinners
"In All My Wildest Dreams" – Joe Sample
"California Love" – 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman
"Woman to Woman" – Joe Cocker
"West Coast Poplock" – Ronnie Hudson and the Street People
"Dance Floor" – Zapp
"Same Song" – Digital Underground
"C.R.E.A.M." – Wu-Tang Clan
"As Long as I've Got You" – The Charmels
"Dollar Bill, Y'all" – Jimmy Spicer
"Juicy" – The Notorious B.I.G.
"Juicy Fruit" – Mtume
"One More Chance" – The Notorious B.I.G.
"Big Poppa" – The Notorious B.I.G.
"F* Compton"** – Tim Dog
"F* wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')"** – Dr. Dre
"Who Shot Ya?" – The Notorious B.I.G.
"Hit 'Em Up" – 2Pac
"One in a Million" – Aaliyah
"If Your Girl Only Knew" – Aaliyah
"4 Page Letter" – Aaliyah
"Work It" – Missy Elliott
"Real Love" – Mary J. Blige
"You Remind Me" – Mary J. Blige
"I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" – Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige
"The Show Stopper" – Salt-N-Pepa
"The Show" – Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick
"Push It" – Salt-N-Pepa
"Let's Talk About Sex" – Salt-N-Pepa
"I'll Take You There" – The Staple Singers
"Let's Talk About AIDS" – Salt-N-Pepa
"Shoop" – Salt-N-Pepa
"Whatta Man" – Salt-N-Pepa featuring En Vogue
"None of Your Business" – Salt-N-Pepa
"Lose Yourself" – Eminem
"Stan" – Eminem
"'97 Bonnie & Clyde" – Eminem
"Kim" – Eminem
Albums
The Chronic – Dr. Dre
Doggystyle – Snoop Doggy Dogg
Tha Doggfather – Snoop Doggy Dogg
Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told – Snoop Dogg
Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss – Snoop Dogg
R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece – Snoop Dogg
Ego Trippin' – Snoop Dogg
2001 – Dr. Dre
The Slim Shady LP – Eminem
2Pacalypse Now – 2Pac
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. – 2Pac
Thug Life: Volume 1 – Thug Life
Me Against the World – 2Pac
All Eyez on Me – 2Pac
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory – Makaveli (2Pac)
This Is an E.P. Release – Digital Underground
Sons of the P – Digital Underground
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) – Wu-Tang Clan
Tical – Method Man
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... – Raekwon
Liquid Swords – GZA
Return to the 36 Chambers – Ol' Dirty Bastard
Ironman – Ghostface Killah
Wu-Tang Forever – Wu-Tang Clan
Ready to Die – The Notorious B.I.G.
No Way Out – Puff Daddy
Forever – Puff Daddy
The Saga Continues... – P. Diddy
Press Play – Diddy
Life After Death – The Notorious B.I.G.
Born Again – The Notorious B.I.G.
Still I Rise – 2Pac and Outlawz
Here After – 2Pac
Supa Dupa Fly – Missy Elliott
Da Real World – Missy Elliott
Miss E... So Addictive – Missy Elliott
Under Construction – Missy Elliott
This Is Not a Test! – Missy Elliott
The Cookbook – Missy Elliott
What's the 411? – Mary J. Blige
My Life – Mary J. Blige
Share My World – Mary J. Blige
Hot, Cool & Vicious – Salt-N-Pepa
Blacks' Magic – Salt-N-Pepa
Very Necessary – Salt-N-Pepa