Backgrounds of the Coasts

Origins


Hip hop emerged in the 1970s on the gritty streets of South Bronx. Powered by DJs such as Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa, the new genre became popular throughout the city's neighborhoods. The New York City area remained the forefront for rap music throughout the mid-80's, becoming home to numerous stars like Run-DMC, LL Cool J, KRS-One, Dougie Fresh, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Slick Rick, Salt-n-Pepa and others. In the early 1990s hip hop functioned to give the black community a voice in the public sphere.Hip hop gained appeal within the black community because of the authentic and relatable nature of the lyrical content. Over time, hip hop and gangsta rap became a tool for competing record labels and associated gangs. Record labels wanted to build up a reputation in order to achieve commercial success and profit off of the lucrative music business.

East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry

Home of the rivalry between coasts

The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry was a feud in the 1990s between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States. Focal points of the feud were East Coast-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (and his New York-based label, Bad Boy Records) and West Coast-based rapper 2Pac (and his Los Angeles-based label, Death Row Records), both of whom were assassinated by unknown assailants.

 

Notorious B.I.G y 2Pac