The album contained samples from 80’s Pop music and also incorporated R&B hooks both elements began to create a radio-friendly persona for the genre. Commercialised songs like “Big Poppa” & “One More Chance” were encouraged by Puff Daddy to be singles. Puff Daddy and Bad Boy creates an image of a mafioso-esque “Gangsta” for Biggie. Notorious Big’s “Ready To Die” drops and despite Biggie’s original style as shown in his Demo two years earlier, he begins rapping about champagne and clothing labels. Dre‘s stepbrother on the other hand Warren G releases “Regulate: The G-Funk Era” and it is certified 4x platinum. Smif-N-Wessun release the album “Dah Shinin” but it only sells 300,000 copies. The album is an instant classic but only goes gold. They were the most popular Hip-Hop albums of the year. Rolling Stone gives the album 3 stars.Īmidst all these great releases, MC Hammer’s “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em” and Vanilla Ice’s “To The Extreme” would become Number 1 albums. Rolling Stone magazine gives the album 2.5 stars out of 5.Ī Tribe Called Quest release “People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm” and even though it was non-violent, non-political, and completely accessible, it does not become a huge hit. Despite the album having socio-political commentary, the mainstream media labels Ice Cube and his album as “Gangsta Rap”. Ice Cube released “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted” which included commentary on sell-outs, Police brutality, riots, and ghetto life.
This album made the mainstream notice Political Hip-Hop with tracks like “Fight The Power”. In this classic year, Public Enemy released “Fear Of A Black Planet”. Many classic Hip-Hop albums were released this year including LP’s from Eric B & Rakim, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, and Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth. But go through the years and you will realise that even during this time, seeds were planted, bad decisions were made, and sell-outs would emerge that would later destroy Hip-Hop as we know it… So where did it all go wrong? Who was to blame? Let’s start in the nineties, a time that most people refer to as the “Golden Era of Hip-Hop”. Mention Hip-Hop these days, and instead of thinking about graffiti, block parties, two turntables, and a microphone people think about diamonds, champagne, strippers, and chrome rims. The media, The Labels, and all the sell-out Rappers it seems, have done a great job of transforming an underground art-form from credible to incredibly crap. What’s funny is, that when you bring up “real” rappers in an argument more often than not the artists themselves have since disappeared off the face of the map. The only Hip-Hop they’re aware of is the bullshit that gets aired on mainstream radio and television. Every time you bring up reasons why Hip-Hop is great, the majority of people don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. It gets tiring trying to defend Hip-Hop music, especially when the contemporary image is that of misogyny and money.
By What Went Wrong Or Right With.? on Febru
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