Rap has been apart of the music scene from the late seventies. Like rock and roll, it has had its critics who have tired to get it banned but it is still a part of the music scene due in part to some of the artists who are rappers. Here are some of the artists that I feel helped rap gets it rise in the nineties; while some of these rappers had been around earlier than the nineties, they reached the height of the popularity and stayed as masterminds in the genre, in no particular order.
Note: () are meant to show what year the artist came on the scene
Tupac Shakur aka 2Pac (1990)-one of the most recognizable names in the rap genre. While at the surface people find his raps to be nothing more than violent outpouring, if you listen carefully you will hear that he is actually a very intelligent man who has a good grasp on such things as metaphors (as in the song “Me and My Girlfriend”). Also noted for being a pioneer in the whole East Coast/West Coast rivalry that many believe led to his death. Whatever you believe you can’t deny that he is one of the pioneers in the rap game and helped to pave the way for many artists today. My favorite song by 2Pac is “Dear Mama” because it is an appreciative letter to his mother letting him know that he now knows all she sacrificed for him and he appreciates it.
Biggie Smalls (1992)-Tupac’s biggest rival, Biggie Smalls stood out in the genre because he was still shown to be a sexy man despite his size (alleged lover includes Lil’ Kim). He was also a good businessman because he helped to discover new talent like the aforementioned rapper as well as Puff Daddy. One of his first hits was “Big Poppa” which helped to cement his place in the rap world. However, his life was cut short like Tupac’s in a shooting from unknown assailants but he was able to have a posthumous career thanks in part to Puff Daddy and the fact that he had recorded parts of tracks before his death. One of my favorites by Biggie is one of these collaborations “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems” because it has a catchy beat and it tells a certain truth about life which is that no matter how much money you have you will have more problems that come along with it.
Snoop Dogg (1992)-started out as a protégé to Dr. Dre (appearing in the video “Nuthin’ But a G-Thang”) before starting a career on his own with The Dogg Pound. Something that helps Snoop stand out is that he doesn’t rap fast; his rap is slower almost like talking but he still manages to stay in the game. His first hit was “What’s My Name?” which helped introduce him and his group into the world. He has a lot of staying power, as he has changed labels twice in his career going from Death Row to No Limit to Geffen, which is where he is currently at. My favorite song by Snoop was his first single on his latest label “Drop It Like’s It Hot” because it like most of my favorite songs is catchy and it also shows how innovative Snoop is as part of the chorus to that song is someone basically clucking their tongue.
Dr. Dre (1992)-while part of NWA in the eighties, his solo career began this year with his release of The Chronic and his first hit “Nuthin’ But a G-Thang”. He left Death Row for his next album and formed his own label Aftermath which helped pave the way for Dre as an entrepreneur and businessman since he’s discovered many artists in his career (including Eminem) as well as kept himself in the game. His method to business is that he will not release an album for a couple of years as he discovers new talent and then jump back in with hits. My favorite song by him is “Next Episode” off his 2001 album and I don’t imagine he’s going to stop releasing hits anytime soon.
Eminem (1995)-met with a lot of flack when he first entered the rap world because of his color, he was compared to Vanilla Ice. However Eminem is a twisted sort of rapper, rapping about things like prescription drugs and Elvis; if you listen to his raps they seem nonsensical but Eminem is smart in that every single he releases is catchy enough to border on pop so people will buy his albums and hear the other songs he is capable of writing. A protégé of Dre, Eminem is a frequent collaborator with him and vice versa so it seems Eminem will have a long staying power like Dre. My favorite song by Eminem is actually another collaboration between the two “Guilty Conscience” from Em’s first album because it shows (humorously) two conflicting sides of the same scenario.
Coolio (1990)-became a recognizable name with the hit single “Fantastic Voyage” but cemented his place in rap history with his song “Gangsta’s Paradise” from the Dangerous Minds soundtrack which verbalized the struggle of living in the ghetto because everyone has already given up on kids who are in that situation. While Coolio hasn’t released anything mainstream in awhile he has been in the media by focusing his attention on acting, landing roles on Charmed and Futurama. He also is kid friendly, having sung the theme song to the Keenan and Kel show and appeared in the children’s video game DinoPark Tycoon. My favorite song from Coolio is “C U When U Get There” because it is a sweet song about waiting to meet someone in the afterworld but also because it samples the classic music of Pachabel’s Canon in D.
Master P (1991)-known for his trademark grunt, P is yet another artist who made his own label and had a lot of success from that and his rapping career. My favorite song by him is “Make ‘Em Say Uhh! Part 2” which is probably the best song he is known for and a collaboration with him and some of the artists on his label including Mia X, Mystikal, and Silkk the Shocker (who happens to be his brother as well). While he hasn’t released an album in a couple of years, he is still in the public eye with representing artists like the ones mentioned above as well as his son Romeo who he also stars with on a Teen Nick show with the same name. He is also known for helping out in his community even to the point of receiving the key of the city from the Mayor of Memphis.
Bone-Thus-N-Harmony (1990)-noted for their ability to rap exceptionally fast, Bone is also known for their ability to collaborate with many different artists including the rivals Tupac and Biggie. They even won a Grammy for their song “Tha Crossroads” in 1997. When Flesh-n-Bone one of the members was arrested in 2001 the group took a break but was reunited in and the group as the original whole is back in the studio recording. My favorite song by this group is “Days of Our Lives” from the Set It Off soundtrack because it asks the public to look further than the outer surface of someone from the ghetto and think about what their daily life might be like.
Three 6 Mafia (1991)-this group was around long before they received their Academy Award for their song “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp”. What gained them public fame was their song “Stay Fly” but they were an underground sensation in the early nineties. Many critics think it’s because of the satanic connotation with their name that kept them out of the public eye even though they are not Satanists. Since their public introduction they have been making hits left and right. My favorite song by them is one of their underground ones “Tear Da Club Up 97” because the beat is infectious and t is just a good song in my opinion.
Ice Cube (1990)-although he too was apart of the group NWA in the eighties, he began is solo career in the nineties releasing the controversial album AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted causing many to think him a misogynist and racist even though it’s not true. He also started his acting career in those early years starring as Doughboy in the John Singleton classic Boyz in the Hood of which the soundtrack boasts my favorite Ice Cube song “How to Survive in South Central” a somewhat humorous look at the way life in South Central really is. Cube mainly focuses on his acting career now with roles in the Friday franchise and family movies like Are We There Yet?, although he still releases albums his latest being released in 2008.
These are the people I find to be the most important rappers of the nineties. Most of them are still around or planning a comeback if they have not passed on but they will all have a constant place in the history of rap.
