West Coast Rap in a Bubble

            In the late 80’s and throughout the 90’s, West Coast hip-hop was a powerhouse in the music industry. The rise of the gangsta rap group NWA in the late 80’s and early 90’s put not only the music world on notice, but also the United States as a whole for their in your face attitude and disregard for the law. In the late 90’s and throughout the early 2000’s, the West Coast hip-hop movement somewhat died out. Pioneers of West Coast hip-hop such as Eazy-E, Ice Cube, The Pharcyde, Digital Underground, 2Pac, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, DJ Quik, and others paved the way for the resurging West Coast rappers.

     

 

                                                               Courtesy XXL Magazine

If I could compare the new school to the old school, I would compare NWA to Top Dawg Entertainment, or TDE for short. This is a hip-hop label that is the home of rising West Coast stars the likes of Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Isaiah Rashad, and SZA. The latter two are the newest signees and I do not know too much about them, but the other four are already somewhat established. Kendrick Lamar is a soon-to-be Grammy nominated artist and known for his platinum selling debut album. ScHoolboy Q is on the rise with his song “Collard Greens” becoming popular on mainstream radio. Ab-Soul and Jay Rock are on the underground scene for the moment.

          

 

                                                               Courtesy of Noisey.com 

  Some other West Coast cliques are established or on the rise include Tyler, the Creator and his Odd Future cohorts. This group of rappers/entertainers have not only a strong following, but have a TV show in Adult Swim’s Loiter Squad to prove it. Tyler, the Creator is definitely one of my Top 10 as of right now because of his creative, yet crazy and somewhat disturbing storylines. On top of having wild storylines, he also possesses a few alter egos in which take form throughout his music.

            Another up-and-coming West Coast hip-hop conglomerate is the HBK Gang, which features artist such as Iamsu and Sage the Gemini. The latter is known for his widely played song “Gas Pedal.” Iamsu has worked with other artists such as Wiz Khalifa and fellow West Coast rapper, Problem. The group features about five other members and their sound is described as the “ratchet sound.” I simply know it as the sound of the Bay Area rap scene that was development by rap greats such as Too $hort, Mac Dre, and E-40.

          

 

                                                                   Courtesy of Billboard

  I believe the future of West Coast rap music is in good hands. You still have artists such as The Game, Snoop Dogg, E-40, Too $hort, and others that are steady keeping it alive with help from the newcomers. In my opinion, Kendrick Lamar can be the 2Pac for this new age of hip-hop heads. For 90’s babies like myself, we know about 2Pac, but then again we do not. We did not get the same feel someone say born in the 80’s had. The closest thing we got is a 2Pac hologram, which I must admit was pretty amazing. My point is that West Coast hip-hop is alive and well. 

            WHO’S TALKING ‘BOUT THE WEST DIED?!?! – The Game, “The City”

Twitter: @OddKingz