Gangsta Rap
Anchor moment: Eazy-E releases 'Boyz-n-the-Hood' — Ruthless Records' breakthrough single
Musical signatures
Funk-, electro-, and later P-funk-derived production; first-person street narratives detailing gang life, policing, drug economies, and Los Angeles geography; profane, confrontational delivery often over heavy 808 kicks and minor-key synth lines.
Pioneers
Associated scenes
- los-angeles-late-80s
Moments in this sub-genre 2
Notes
Schoolly D's 'P.S.K. What Does It Mean?' (1985) and Ice-T's '6 in the Mornin'' (1986) are the canonical Philadelphia/LA precursors; the style peaked commercially with N.W.A's 'Straight Outta Compton' (1988).
Citations 2
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