| Gangsta rap | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins |
|
| Subgenres | |
| Fusion genres | |
| G-funk | |
| Regional scenes | |
| Other topics | |
Gangsta rap organgster rap, initially calledreality rap, is a subgenre ofhip-hop that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs andstreet hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general through an urban lens.[1][2][3] Emerging in the late 1980s, gangsta rap's pioneers includeSchoolly D andIce-T, later expanding with artists such asN.W.A.[4] In 1992, via record producer and rapperDr. Dre, rapperSnoop Dogg, and theirG-funk sound, gangster rap broadened to mainstream popularity.
Gangsta rap has been recurrently accused of promoting disorderly conduct and broad criminality, especially assault, homicide, anddrug dealing, as well asmisogyny,promiscuity, and materialism.[5][6][7] Gangsta rap's defenders have variously characterized it as artistic depictions but not literal endorsements of real life in American ghettos, or suggested that some lyrics voice rage against social oppression orpolice brutality, and have often accused critics of hypocrisy and racial bias.[5][8] Still, gangsta rap has been assailed even by some black public figures, includingSpike Lee,[9] pastorCalvin Butts and activistC. Delores Tucker. Furthermore, in times ofpublic security crisis, gangsta rap is scapegoated and boycotted as a malignant tumor, due to the general tenor of its lyrics.
Philadelphia rapperSchoolly D is generally considered the first "gangsta rapper",[10][11] significantly influencing the more popular early gangsta rap originator,Ice-T.[12] Ice-T was born inNewark, New Jersey in 1958. As a teenager, he moved toLos Angeles where he rose to prominence in theWest Coast hip hop scene. An early case of using "gangsta" as an adjective and a compliment came in his 1984 singleBody Rock. In 1986, Ice-T released "6 in the Mornin'", which is regarded as the second gangsta rap song. Ice-T had been MCing since the early 1980s, but first turned to gangsta rap themes after being influenced by Schoolly D'sself-titled debut album, and especially the song "P.S.K. What Does It Mean?" (1985),[13] which is regarded as the first gangsta rap song.[12] Schoolly D had "Am I Black Enough For You" album in 1989. In an interview withPROPS magazine, Ice-T said:
In 2011, Ice-T repeated in his autobiography that Schoolly D was his inspiration for gangsta rap.[14] Ice-T continued to release gangsta albums for the remainder of the 1980s:Rhyme Pays in 1987,Power in 1988 andThe Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say in 1989. Ice-T's lyrics also contained strong political commentary, and often played the line between glorifying the gangsta lifestyle and criticizing it as ano-win situation.
Schoolly D's works would heavily influence not only Ice-T, but alsoEazy-E andN.W.A (most notably in the song "Boyz-n-the-Hood"), as well as theBeastie Boys on their seminal hardcore hip hop-inspired albumLicensed to Ill (1986).[15]
Boogie Down Productions released their first single, "Say No Brother (Crack Attack Don't Do It)", in 1986. It was followed by "South Bronx/P is Free" and "9mm Goes Bang" in the same year. The latter is the most gangsta-themed song of the three; in it,KRS-One boasts about shooting a crack dealer and his posse to death (in self-defense).[16] The albumCriminal Minded followed in 1987, and was the first rap album to have firearms on its cover. Shortly after the release of this album, BDP's DJ,Scott LaRock was shot and killed.
The New York–basedRun-DMC andLL Cool J, though originating prior to the establishment of "gangsta rap" as a cohesive genre, were influential in the formation of gangsta rap, often producing early aggressivehardcore hip hop songs and being among the first rappers to dress in gang-like street clothing. The seminal Long Island–based groupPublic Enemy featured aggressive, politically charged lyrics, which had an especially strong influence on gangsta rappers such asIce Cube. The duoEric B. & Rakim would further influence gangsta rap with aggressive, street-oriented raps, especially on the 1987 albumPaid in Full.
The hip-hop groupBeastie Boys also influenced the gangsta rap genre with their 1986 albumLicensed to Ill, with an early reference to being a "gangster" mentioned in the song "Slow Ride". In 1986, the Los Angeles–based groupC.I.A. (consisting of Ice Cube, K-Dee,Sir Jinx) rapped over theBeastie Boys' tracks for songs such as "My Posse" and "Ill-Legal", and the Beastie Boys' influence can be seen significantly in N.W.A's early albums.[17] TheBeastie Boys had started out as ahardcore punk band, but after introduction to producerRick Rubin and the exit ofKate Schellenbach they became a hip hop group.[18] According toRolling Stone Magazine, the Beastie Boys' 1986 albumLicensed to Ill is "filled with enough references to guns, drugs and empty sex (including the pornographic deployment of aWiffleball bat in "Paul Revere") to qualify as a gangsta-rap cornerstone."[19]
The first blockbuster gangsta rap album wasN.W.A'sStraight Outta Compton (1989). It established West Coast hip-hop as a vital genre and Los Angeles as a legitimate rival to hip-hop's long-time capital,New York City.[20]Straight Outta Compton sparked the first major controversy regarding hip hop lyrics when their song "Fuck tha Police" earned a letter fromFBI Assistant Director, Milt Ahlerich, strongly expressinglaw enforcement's resentment of the song.[21][22] Due to the influence of Ice-T, N.W.A, andIce Cube's early solo career, gangsta rap is often somewhat erroneously credited as being a mostlyWest Coast phenomenon, despite the contributions of East Coast acts like Boogie Down Productions in shaping the genre and despite Philadelphia rapper Schoolly D being generally regarded as the first gangsta rapper.
In the early 1990s, former N.W.A memberIce Cube would further influence gangsta rap with his hardcore, socio-political solo albums, which suggested the potential of gangsta rap as a political medium to give voice to inner-city youth. Ice Cube's early solo albums and EPs, includingAmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990),Death Certificate (1991), theKill at Will EP (1991) andThe Predator (1992) all contributed significantly to the development of gangsta rap. N.W.A's second album,Efil4zaggin (1991) (released after Ice Cube's departure from the group), broke ground as the first gangsta rap album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard pop charts.
Aside from N.W.A and Ice-T,Too Short (fromOakland),Kid Frost and theSouth Gate–based Latino groupCypress Hill were pioneering West Coast rappers with gangsta rap songs and themes.Above the Law also played an important role in the gangsta rap movement, as their 1990 debut albumLivin' Like Hustlers.[23][24]
Ice-T released one of the seminal albums of the genre,OG: Original Gangster in 1991. It also contained a song by his newthrash metal groupBody Count, who released aself-titled album in 1992. Particular controversy surrounded one of its songs "Cop Killer". The rock song was intended to speak from the viewpoint of a police target seeking revenge on racist, brutal cops. Ice-T's rock song gained controversy, with observers ranging from PresidentGeorge H.W Bush and his Vice PresidentDan Quayle, theNational Rifle Association of America, police organizations across the nation to various police advocacy groups.[25] Consequently, Time Warner Music refused to release Ice-T's upcoming albumHome Invasion and dropped Ice-T from the label. Ice-T suggested that the furor over the song was an overreaction, telling journalistChuck Philips "... they've done movies about nurse killers and teacher killers and student killers. Arnold Schwarzenegger blew away dozens of cops as the Terminator. But I don't hear anybody complaining about that." In the same interview, Ice-T suggested to Philips that the misunderstanding of "Cop Killer", the misclassification of it as a rap song (rather than a rock song), and the attempts to censor it had racial overtones: "The Supreme Court says it's OK for a white man to burn a cross in public. But nobody wants a black man to write a record about a cop killer."[25]
Ice-T's next album,Home Invasion, was postponed as a result of the controversy, and was finally released in 1993. While it contained gangsta elements, it was his mostpolitical album to date. After a proposed censoring of theHome Invasion album cover art, he leftWarner Bros. Records. Ice-T's subsequent releases went back to straightforward gangsta rap, but were not as popular as his earlier releases.
In 1992, former N.W.A memberDr. Dre releasedThe Chronic (1992) include "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang", a massive seller (eventually going triple platinum) which showed that explicit gangsta rap could hold as much mass commercial appeal as the pop-oriented rap styles ofMC Hammer,the Fresh Prince andTone Lōc. The album established the dominance of West Coast gangsta rap and Dre's new post-N.W.A label,Death Row Records (owned by Dr. Dre along withMarion "Suge" Knight), as Dre's album showcased a stable of promising new Death Row rappers. The album also popularized the subgenre of G-funk, a slow, drawled form of hip-hop that dominated the rap charts for some time.
Extensively samplingP-Funk bands, especiallyParliament andFunkadelic, G-funk was multi-layered, yet simple and easy to dance to. The simple message of its lyrics, that life's problems could be overcome by guns, alcohol and marijuana, endeared it to a teenage audience. The single "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" became a crossover big hit,[26] with its humorous,House Party-influenced video becoming an MTV staple despite that network's historic orientation towards rock music.
Another success wasIce Cube'sPredator album, released at about the same time asThe Chronic in 1992. It sold over 2 million copies and was No. 1 in the charts, propelled by the hit single "It Was a Good Day", despite the fact that Ice Cube was not a Death Row artist. One of the genre's biggest crossover stars was Dre's protégéSnoop Doggy Dogg (Doggystyle), whose exuberant, party-oriented themes made songs such as "Gin and Juice" club anthems and top hits nationwide. In 1996,2Pac signed with Death Row and released the multi-platinum double albumAll Eyez on Me. Not long afterward, his murder brought gangsta rap into the national headlines and propelled his posthumousThe Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory album (released under the alias "Makaveli") to the top of the charts. Lill 1/2 Dead released gangsta album.Warren G andNate Dogg were other musicians at the forefront of G-funk. Successful G-funk influenced artists also includedSpice 1,MC Lyte andMC Ren, all of them reaching decent positions on the Billboard 100, or soul chart in spite of not being associated with Death Row. Ray Luv released G single "Last Nite" in 1995.
Mafioso rap is ahardcore hip-hop subgenre founded byKool G Rap in the late 1980s.[27] East Coast mafioso rap was partially the counterpart ofWest Coast gangsta rap andG-funk. Mafioso rap is characterized by references to famousmobsters andmafiosi,racketeering andorganized crime (particularly theSicilian Mafia, theItalian-American Mafia,African-American organized crime, andLatin American organized crime ordrug cartels) or has subject matter that would relate to the mafia. Though a significant amount of mafioso rap was grittier and more street-oriented, focusing on street-level organized crime, other mafioso rap artists frequently focused on lavish, self-indulgent,materialistic, and luxurious subject matter associated withcrime bosses and high-level mobsters, such as expensive drugs, cars,champagne, and semi-legitimate businesses. Though the genre died down for several years, it re-emerged in 1995 whenWu-Tang Clan memberRaekwon released his critically acclaimed solo album,Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...[28] That year also saw the release ofDoe or Die byAZ and the release of the album4,5,6 by subgenre originator Kool G Rap. His album featured other mafioso rap artists, includingMF Grimm,Nas, and B-1. These three albums brought the genre to mainstream recognition, and inspired other East Coast rappers, such asJay-Z,Notorious B.I.G.,Nas, andSean Combs to adopt the same themes with their albumsReasonable Doubt,Life After Death,It Was Written, andNo Way Out, respectively.
East Coast gangsta rap was popular by the late 1990s, and there were more modern mafioso rap albums such asGhostface Killah'sFishscale,Jay-Z'sAmerican Gangster,Raekwon'sOnly Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, andRick Ross'sDeeper Than Rap. In the late 90's the supergroupThe Firm emerged, composed of Nas, AZ,Cormega (replaced byNature), andFoxy Brown, and in 1997 released their debut,The Album, notably with production from Dr. Dre.[29][30] Following the 1990's, many rappers such asT.I.,Fabolous,Jadakiss,Jim Jones, andCassidy have maintained popularity with lyrics aboutAfrican-American organized crime.Lil' Kim's mafioso albumLa Bella Mafia, released in 2003, was a commercial success, receiving platinum certification.[31]
Meanwhile, rappers from New York City, such asWu-Tang Clan,Black Moon andBoot Camp Clik,Onyx,Big L,Mobb Deep,Nas,the Notorious B.I.G.,DMX andthe Lox, among others, pioneered a grittier sound known ashardcore hip hop. In 1994, bothNas and the Notorious B.I.G. released their debut albumsIllmatic (April 19) andReady to Die (September 13) respectively, which paved the way for New York City to take back dominance from the West Coast. In an interview forThe Independent in 1994, the Wu-Tang Clan'sGZA commented on the term "gangsta rap" and its association with his group's music and hip hop at the time:
Our music is not "gangsta rap". There's no such thing. The label was created by the media to limit what we can say. We just deliver the truth in a brutal fashion. The young black male is a target. Snoop (Doggy Dogg) has gone four times platinum and makes more money than the president. They don't like that, so you hear "ban this, ban that". We attack people's emotions. It's a real live show that brings out the inside in people. Like I said, intense.[32]
— GZA
It is widely speculated[by whom?] that the ensuingEast Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry betweenDeath Row Records andBad Boy Records resulted in the deaths ofDeath Row Records'2Pac andBad Boy Records' the Notorious B.I.G.. Even before the murders, Death Row had begun to unravel, as co-founder Dr. Dre had left earlier in 1996; in the aftermath of 2Pac's death, label ownerSuge Knight was sentenced to prison for a parole violation, and Death Row proceeded to sink quickly as most of its remaining artists, includingSnoop Dogg, left. Dr. Dre, at theMTV Video Music Awards, claimed that "gangsta rap was dead". While Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Entertainment fared better than its West Coast rival, it eventually began to lose popularity and support by the end of the decade, due to its pursuit of a more mainstream sound, as well as challenges fromAtlanta and New Orleans–based labels, especially,Master P'sNo Limit stable of popular rappers.
Houston first came on to the national scene in the late 1980s with the violent and disturbing stories told by theGeto Boys (hit single "Mind Playing Tricks On Me"), with memberScarface achieving major solo success in the mid-1990s. After the deaths of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. and the media attention surrounding them, gangsta rap became an even greater commercial force. However, most of the industry's major labels were in turmoil, bankrupt, or creatively stagnant, and new labels representing the rap scenes in new locations sprang up.
Master P's No Limit Records label, based out of New Orleans, became quite popular in the late 1990s, though critical success was very scarce, with the exceptions of some later additions likeMystikal (Ghetto Fabulous, 1998). No Limit had begun its rise to national popularity with Master P'sThe Ghetto Is Trying to Kill Me! (1994), and had major hits withSilkk the Shocker (Charge It 2 Da Game, 1998) andC-Murder (Life or Death, 1998). No Limit releasedMia X, Mr. Serv-On and TRU albums also.Cash Money Records, also based out of New Orleans, had enormous commercial success with Juvenile, B.G., Hot Boys, beginning in the late 1990s with a similar gangsta rap style like No Limit.[33]
Memphis collectiveHypnotize Minds, led byThree 6 Mafia andProject Pat, have taken gangsta rap to some of its darker extremes. Led by in-house producersDJ Paul andJuicy J, the label became known for its pulsating, menacing beats and uncompromisingly thuggish lyrics. However, in the mid-2000s, the group began attaining more mainstream popularity, eventually culminating in theThree 6 Mafia winning anAcademy Award for the song "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" fromHustle & Flow.
Thechopped and screwed genre was developed inHouston, Texas, the location which is still most associated with the style.DJ Screw is credited with the creation of and early experimentation with the genre.[34] DJ Screw began makingmixtapes of the slowed-down music in the early 1990s and began theScrewed Up Click. This provided a significant outlet for MCs in the South-Houston area, and helped local rappers such as Willie D,Big Moe,Lil' Flip,E.S.G.,UGK,Lil' Keke,South Park Mexican, andZ-Ro gain regional and sometimes national prominence.
Narco-rap is a music scene, similar to the early underground gangsta rap scene, that emerged in north-eastern Mexico and southernTexas. Its lyrical content, popular among Latino youth, is violent and focuses on the power of drug cartels and the gruesomeness of theMexican drug war. Narco-rap emerged in the urban areas ofTamaulipas, a Mexican state currently subject to a turf war betweenLos Zetas and theGulf Cartel. Narco-rappers sing about the life of mobsters and the reality of the cities under the cartel's rule. Some of the key players of the genre areCano y Blunt, DemenT and Big Los.[35][36][37][38][39][40][41]
Before the late 1990s, gangsta rap, while a huge-selling genre, had been regarded as well outside of the pop mainstream, committed to representing the experience of the inner-city and not "selling out" to the pop charts. However, the rise of Bad Boy Records, propelled by the massive crossover success of Bad Boy headSean "Puffy" Combs's 1997 ensemble album,No Way Out, on the heels of the media attention generated by the murders ofTupac Shakur andthe Notorious B.I.G., signaled a major stylistic change in gangsta rap (or as it is referred to on the East Coast, hardcore rap), as it morphed into a new subgenre of hip hop which would become even more commercially successful and popularly accepted.Gangsta Boo, Gangsta Blac, and Ghetto Twinz released Gangsta rap albums.
The earlier, somewhat controversial crossover success enjoyed by popular gangsta rap songs like "Gin and Juice" gave way to gangsta rap's becoming a widely accepted staple on the pop charts in the late 1990s.R&B-styled hooks and samples of well-knownsoul and pop songs from the 1970s and 1980s were the staples of this sound, which was showcased primarily inSean "Puffy" Combs's latter-day production work for The Notorious B.I.G. ("Mo Money Mo Problems"),Mase ("Feels So Good") and non-Bad Boy artists such asJay-Z ("Can I Get A...") andNas ("Street Dreams"), which he sampled from 2Pac's song (All Eyez On Me). Also achieving similar levels of success with a similar sound at the same time as Bad Boy wasMaster P and his No Limit label in New Orleans, as well as the New Orleans upstart Cash Money label.[42]Three 6 Mafia, Lil Jon, Pitbull, and Crime Mob released "crunk" CDs.
By the turn of the century, the style of gangsta rap pioneered by N.W.A. had long given way tomaterialism regarding money, women and cars.[43][44] Gangsta rap was hugely popular in the mainstream during the mid-2000s, propelled by50 Cent's influentialGet Rich or Die Tryin' album, which contained "catchy" and melodic music that helped its success on pop charts,[45][46] while rapping about themes of guns and wealth.[47]
By the late 2000s,alternative hip hop had secured its place within the mainstream, due in part to the declining commercial viability of gangsta rap. Industry observers view thesales race between Kanye West'sGraduation and50 Cent'sCurtis, both released on September 11, 2007, as a turning point for hip hop.[48] West emerged the victor by selling nearly a million copies in the first week alone, proving alternative rap’s commercial viability.[49]Cyhi the Prynce called it the "biggest shift in our culture" and that it led to the sound of new rappers likeDrake.[50] Although he designed it as a melancholicpop album rather than a rap album, West's subsequent release808s & Heartbreak would have a significant effect on hip hop music. While his decision to sing about love, loneliness, and heartache for the entirety of the album was at first heavily criticized by music audiences and the album was predicted to be a flop, its subsequent critical acclaim and commercial success encouraged other mainstream rappers to take greater creative risks with their music.[51][52]
During the release ofThe Blueprint 3, New York rap mogulJay-Z revealed that next studio album would be an experimental effort, stating, "... it's not gonna be a #1 album. That's where I'm at right now. I wanna make the most experimental album I ever made."[53] Jay-Z elaborated that like Kanye, he was unsatisfied with contemporary hip hop, was being inspired by indie-rockers likeGrizzly Bear, and asserted his belief that the indie rock movement would play an important role in the continued evolution of hip-hop.[54]
In the 2010s, a new form of gangsta rap known asdrill emerged from the Midwest, gaining popularity via rappers such asLil Durk,Chief Keef,Lil Reese,King Von,Polo G andG Herbo. West Coast rapperVince Staples is part of the new generation of rappers that is influenced by G-funk.[55]Vince Staples'conscious rap albumSummertime '06 (2015) reflects the "challenges of racism, injustice, and violent fallouts in his childhood neighborhood".[56] T.I,Rick Ross, Future, andGucci Mane released new rap style "trap" CDs.
Charlie Row Campo released "Stop Studio Gangstas" album.[57] Other Afro-American and Chicano gangsta rappers who gained small success or big success includeXXXTentacion,Kendrick Lamar, Ms Krazie,[58]Knight Owl,[59] Chino Grande,Lil Rob, Mr. Criminal,[60]Mr. Capone-E, Mr. Sancho,[61] ShooterGang Kony,Mozzy,YNW Melly,Pusha T, Nsanity,[62]Jeezy (Young Jeezy),YG,Nipsey Hussle,Migos,Freddie Gibbs,Meek Mill,A$AP Mob,Jay Rock,ScHoolboy Q,21 Savage,Kodak Black,[63]6ix9ine,[64]Blueface,NBA Youngboy,NLE Choppa,Pop Smoke,Young Dolph andBlocBoy JB.
Gangsta rap's pioneers have met success in other forms of pop culture as well. In 2016,N.W.A was inducted to theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.[65] They were followed up by the lateTupac Shakur in 2017 who was inducted as the first solo hip-hop act, under his first year of eligibility as a nominee.[66][67] Other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Hip-Hop Acts include the 2007 induction ofGrandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, who are considered pioneers of expanding the sound of Hip-Hop from disco inspired partying, to street reality that inspired social change.[68][69] The 2009 induction ofRun-DMC to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened the door for more Hip-Hop inductions, as they were followed up by the 2012 induction ofBeastie Boys, and the 2013 induction ofPublic Enemy.[70][71][72]
The explicit nature of gangsta rap's lyrics has made it heavily controversial. There is also debate about thecausation between gangsta rap and violent behavior. A study by the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in Berkeley, Calif., finds young people who listen to rap and hip-hop are more likely to abuse alcohol and commit violent acts.[73] The study did not find a causal relationship between rap music and alcohol abuse and violent acts, noting that young people who engage in this behavior may listen to rap music for any number of reasons, including to fit into a subculture or to find relatable content that reflects their life experiences and trauma. A 2020 study found no causal relationship betweendrill music, a gangsta rap genre with notoriously violent lyrics, and real-world violence when compared to police-recorded violent crime data in London.[74]
Critics of gangsta rap hold that it glorifies and encourages criminal behavior, and may be at least partially to blame for the existence of street gangs.[75] Those who are supportive or at least less critical of gangsta rap hold that crime on the street level is for the most part a reaction topoverty and that gangsta rap reflects the reality of lower class life. Many believe that the blaming of crime on gangsta rap is a form of unwarrantedmoral panic;The World Development Report 2011, for instance, confirmed that most street gang members maintain that poverty and unemployment is what drove them to crime; none made reference to music.[76]Ice Cube famously satirized the blame placed on gangsta rap for social ills in his song "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It". Many gangsta rappers maintain they are playing a "role" in their music like an actor in a play or film, and do not encourage the behavior in their music.[77]
Moreover, English scholar Ronald A.T. Judy has argued that gangsta rap reflects the experience of blackness at the end of political economy, when capital is no longer wholly produced by human labor but in a globalized system of commodities.[78] In this economy, gangsta rap traffics blackness as a commodifiable effect of "being a nigga".[79] In other words, gangsta rap defines the experience of blackness, in which he locates in gangsta rap's deployment of the word "nigga", in this new global economic system as "adaptation to the force of commodification".[80] For Judy,nigga (and gangsta rap) becomes an epistemologically authentic category for describing the condition of being black in the modern "realm of things".
Despite this, many who hold that gangsta rap is not responsible for social ills are critical of the way many gangsta rappers intentionally exaggerate their criminal pasts for the sake ofstreet credibility.Rick Ross[81] and Slim Jesus[77] among others have been heavily criticized for this.
In 1992, then-U.S. Vice PresidentDan Quayle blasted the recording industry for producingrap music he believed led to violence. Quayle called onTime Warner Inc. subsidiary,Interscope Records, to withdrawTupac Shakur's 1991 debut album2Pacalypse Now from stores. Quayle stated, "There is absolutely no reason for a record like this to be published—It has no place in our society." Quayle's motivation came in light of the murder of a Texas state trooper Bill Davidson, who had been shot byRonald Ray Howard after he had been pulled over. Howard was driving a stolen vehicle while songs from2Pacalypse Now were playing on the tape deck when he was stopped by the officer. The family of Davidson filed a civil suit against Shakur and Interscope Records, claiming the record's violent lyrics incite "imminent lawless action".[82] District Judge John D. Rainey held that Shakur and the record companies did not have the duty to prevent distributing his music when they could not reasonably foresee violence arising from the distribution, nor was there any intent for the usage of the music as a "product for purposes of recovery under a products liability theory". Judge Rainey concluded the suit by ruling the Davidsons' argument that the music was unprotected speech under the First Amendment was irrelevant.
Politicians such asC. Delores Tucker have cited concerns with sexually explicit and misogynistic lyrics featured in hip-hop tracks. Tucker claimed the explicit lyrics used in hip-hop songs were threatening to the African-American community. Tucker, who once was the highest-ranking African American woman in the Pennsylvania state government, focused on rap music in 1993, labeling it as "pornographic filth" and claiming it was offensive and demeaning to black women. Tucker stated, "You can't listen to all that language and filth without it affecting you." Tucker also handed out leaflets containing lyrics from rap music and urged people to read them aloud. She picketed stores that sold the music and handed out petitions. She then proceeded to buy stock inTime Warner,Sony and other companies for the sole purpose to protest rap music at shareholders meetings. In 1994, Tucker protested when theNAACP nominated rapperTupac Shakur for one of its image awards as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture from his role inPoetic Justice.
Some rappers labeled her "narrow-minded", and some ridiculed her in their lyrics, notably Shakur, who mentions her multiple times in his diamond certified 1996 albumAll Eyez on Me. Shakur mentions Tucker in the tracks "Wonda Why They Call U Bitch" and "How Do U Want It", where Shakur raps "Delores Tucker, you's a motherfucker/Instead of trying to help a nigga you destroy a brother." Tucker filed a $10 million lawsuit against Shakur's estate for the comments made in both songs. In her lawsuit, she claimed that the comments were slanderous, caused her emotional distress and invaded her personal privacy. The case was eventually dismissed. Shakur was not the only rap artist to mention her in his songs, asJay-Z,Eminem,Lil' Kim,the Game andLil Wayne have all previously criticized Tucker for her opposition of the genre.[83][84][85]
Gangsta rap has also raised questions of whether it is protected speech under theFirst Amendment to the United States Constitution, since lyrics may express violence and may be consideredtrue threats. The Supreme Court ruled inElonis v. United States (2015) thatmens rea, the intent to commit a crime, is necessary to convict someone of a crime for using threatening words in a rap song.
In a notable case, rapper Jamal Knox, performing as "Mayhem Mal", wrote a gangsta rap song named "F*** the Police" shortly after he was arrested for gun and drug charges in Pittsburgh.[86] The song's lyrics specifically named the two arresting officers, and included explicit violent threats including "Let's kill these cops cuz they don't do us no good". One of the officers, believing to be threatened, subsequently left the force.
Knox was convicted of makingterroristic threats and ofwitness intimidation in a bench trial, and the conviction was affirmed by theSupreme Court of Pennsylvania, which held that the song's lyrics amounted to a true threat.[86][87] Knox petitioned theSupreme Court of the United States to hear the case, and academics joined rappers Killer Mike, Chance the Rapper, Meek Mill, Yo Gotti, Fat Joe and 21 Savage in anamicus curiae brief arguing that Knox's song should be seen as a political statement and thus is protected speech.[88] The Supreme Court declined review in April 2019.[89][90][91]
The gangsta-rap movement in Germany derived its roots from the 1990s; since 2003–2004, it has become a successful subgenre of German hip-hop. Contextually and musically, it borrows its influences from the French and US-based gangsta rap andbattle rap. Although there is a certain correlation between street-rap and gangsta-rap, gangsta-rap is not considered as a derivative genre since it is only partially related to street-rap and has contextually little to do with the other subgenre.[92]
Pioneers of the subgenre gangsta-rap, who have been active since the 1990s, areKool Savas andAzad. Within the genre, they implemented an incredibly explicit, broken and aggressive text, that originally still had much influence from English text elements.[93] This style of rap, after the turn of the century, was implemented by the majority of gangsta-rappers in Germany and is, therefore, a very well respected form on the approach of German gangsta-rap. On the other hand, Savas distanced himself from these vulgar and explicit texts.[94] One of the founding fathers of German gangsta-rap, Charnell, the little-known rapper and martial-arts artist, thematized growing up in the midst of a social renaissance.[95] Gangsta-rap in other countries, that resembled the music of theRödelheim Hartreim Projekt in Germany, was commercially successful in the 2000s. Germany at the time, however, had few rappers active in this subgenre; allowing certain artists in the Berlin underground-hip-hop scene an opportunity to establish themselves with their lyrics representing a certain hardship acquired through the criminal lifestyle which had previously been popularized. Recognizable names from the underground scene are Bass Sultan Hengzt,Fler,MC Bogy orMOK. Another notable rapper and pioneer of gangsta-rap in Germany is Azad. Although he came from the ruralFrankfurt am Main, he was a big reason this subgenre became popular in Germany. In his lyrical text, he thematized the rigid and rough lifestyle of living in the northwest district of Frankfurt.[96]
At the beginning of 2003, the process of commercialization of this subgenre began. Contrary to popular belief, a variable of the German gangsta-rap became popular before the actual subgenre itself did. WhenSido, a notoriously known rapper from Berlin, released his albumMaske which thematized gangs, drugs and violence, this album became the first of its genre to sell 100,000 copies. Following that album Sido released another two namedIch andIch und meine Maske which both had over 100,000 sold copies and emphasized the success of his first album.[97][98][99]
Following the success of Sido and his albums,Bushido became the next artist to emerge from the German gangsta-rap scene. He established himself a career and became the most important representative of German gangsta-rap of his time.Aggro Berlin, the label those two artists were both represented by, stated that this version of rap was the second, more aggressive evolution of German hip-hop.[100] Bushido's albumsCarlo Cokxxx Nutten with Fler and Bushido's debut albumVom Bordstein bis zur Skyline had relatively little success although the prominent topics on his album reflected directly with the themes that made Sido popular.[101][102]
Following the continuous success of Sido and Bushido came a wave of rappers who were trying, with the help of major-labels, to establish themselves and be recognized by the populace. Eventually came Massiv, who was signed with Sony BMG, and was crowned by his label to be the German50 Cent. This artist did not reach the success of 50 Cent.[103] Further artists such asBaba Saad orKollegah have since then established themselves as relatively successful in the German charts. As of recently, names such asFarid Bang, Nate57, Majoe & Jasko andHaftbefehl have appeared on the charts regularly.
Road rap (also known as British gangsta rap or simply UK gangsta rap) is a genre of music pioneered inSouth London, primarily inBrixton andPeckham.[104][105] The genre was pioneered by groups such asPDC, SMS, SN1, North Star, MashTown, U.S.G. and artists such asGiggs,K Koke,Nines andSneakbo.[106][107] The genre came to the fore as a backlash against the perceived commercialisation ofgrime in the mid-late 2000s in London.[108] The genre came to prominence around 2007 with the rise of Giggs.[107] Road rap retained the explicit depictions of violence and British gang culture found in some early grime music and combines it with a musical style more similar to American gangsta rap than thesound system influenced music of grime,dubstep,UK garage,jungle,reggae anddub.[109]
Gangs played a large part in the genre, with gangs such as thePeckham Boys (with its various sets such as SN1, PYG and OPB), based in Peckham andGAS Gang, based in Brixton, becoming notable in the road rap scene during the 2000s.[110][111][104]
The road rap scene centres around mixtape releases and YouTube videos with some of the genres more popular acts getting mainstream recognition.[108] The genre has been criticised for the relentless nihilism and violence in its lyrics as well as its links to gangs and gun crime with many rappers serving prison sentences.[109][112][113] In keeping with grime, road rap has suffered from pre-emptive policing with Giggs claiming that theMetropolitan Police have set out to deny him the opportunity to make a living from music having banned him from touring.[114] In 2011, Stigs was served the first ever gang injunction that banned him from rapping about anything that may encourage violence.[115]
In the early 2010s, the American genredrill began to emerge in the UK, pushed by groups such as 150,67 andSection Boyz.[116]UK drill has been referred to as subgenre of road rap due to the influence it has had on the genre.[117][118][119] Road rap also went on to influenceafroswing, which emerged in the mid-2010s.[120]
