| Dirty rap | |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 1980s, United States |
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Dirty rap (also known asporno rap,porn rap,dirty hip hop,sex rap,booty rap, orpornocore) is a subgenre ofhip hop music that contains lyrical content revolving mainly around sexually explicit subjects.
The lyrics are often overtly explicit and graphic, sometimes to the point of being comical or offensive. Historically, dirty rap often contained a distinctlybass-driven sound, which arose from the popular (and usually sexually explicit)Miami bass rap scene. However, dirty rap has recently also been heavily influenced byBaltimore club,ghetto house, andghettotech. Many dirty rap songs have been used assoundtracks topornographic movies since the 2000s, replacing the traditionalporn groove.
Thegenre had been around since at least the 1970s or the 1980s, withBlowfly'sRapp Dirty release. However, it was not until later that decade, whenOaklandrapperToo Short released the 1985albumDon't Stop Rappin' containing multiple dirty sex subjects, that sex became a central focus. Although the release did not see much attention outside of his hometown of Oakland, he would continue to use provocative and sexual lyrics throughout his career, gaining him six platinum albums and three gold.
The controversial rap group2 Live Crew brought "dirty rap" to the mainstream with theirMiami bass debut2 Live Crew Is What We Are. With the graphic sexual content of their X-rated party rhymes, 2 Live Crew garnered much negative publicity. However, it was not until their 1989 album,As Nasty as They Wanna Be, that dirty rap became a legitimate genre.[1] After being attacked by conservative critics, censors, and attorneys, 2 Live Crew responded with the 1990 albumBanned in the USA, a much more political and angry album.
2 Live Crew returned to their utterly pornographic roots with 1991'sSports Weekend: As Nasty as They Wanna Be, Pt. 2, which was lambasted by many critics as running the sexually deviant lyrics ofAs Nasty As They Wanna Be into the ground. FromSport's Weekend onward, the Crew continued to make dirty rap and party rap.
Various rappers followed with dirty rap in the wake of 2 Live Crew's popularity. The groupPoison Clan became widely successful, as did the groupBytches With Problems.Sir Mix-A-Lot's 1992hit single "Baby Got Back" could arguably be considered within the dirty rap genre; however, the majority of Mix-A-Lot's work is not sexually explicit enough for him to be considered a true dirty rapartist. Similarly, thenew jack swing hip hop groupWreckx-n-Effect scored a dirty rap hit with their 1992 single "Rump Shaker".
In the early 1990s, theBaltimore club scene first began gaining an identity separate fromhouse music and mainstream hip hop. Baltimore club, or gutter music, often features sexually explicit lyrics, and has influenced many current dirty rappers. Bothghettotech andghetto house (or "booty house") also evolved around the same time, and, to an even greater extent than Baltimore club, frequently contain pornographic and sexually explicit content, as exemplified byDJ Assault andDJ Funk, two artists who pioneered ghettotech and ghetto house, respectively.
Dirty rap was a popular subgenre into the 1990s and 2000s, particular inSouthern hip hop.[2]Luke Campbell of 2 Live Crew continued to produce dirty rap as a solo artist into the 2000s.
Kool Keith described the lyrical content of his 1997 albumSex Style as "pornocore".[2] The album features Keith variously portraying himself as characters ranging frompimps toperverts.[2] Keith also uses sexual metaphors todiss other rappers, many of which involveurolagnia.[2] Kool Keith later appeared on the 2001 albumPorn Again, a dirty rap or pornocore concept album by the Smut Peddlers.
Lil Wayne was ranked one of the dirtiest rappers byBillboard in 2012.[3]
