Genre Study (Gangsta Rap)

Gangsta Rap is a sub genre of hip hop that reflects the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths.The genre was pioneered in the mid-1980s by rappers such as Schooly D and Ice T, an popularised by groups such as NWA in the late 1980’s.

After the national attention that Ice-T and N.W.A created in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Gangsta Rap became the most commercially lucrative sub genre of hip hop. The subject matter inherent in gangsta rap has caused a great deal of controversy. Criticism has come from both left wing and right wing commentators, and religious leaders, who have accused the genre of promoting violence, profanity, sex, homophobia, racism, promiscuity, misogyny, rape, street gangs, drive-by shootings, vandalism, thievery, drug dealing, alcohol abuse, substance abuse and materialism.



After viewing the video above, you can begin to understand why Spike Lee has attacked the themes featured in Gangsta Rap, claiming they are akin to black minstrel shows or black face performances, in which performers were made up to look African American, and acted in a stereotypically uncultured and ignorant manner for the entertainment of audiences. Gangsta rappers often defend themselves by saying that they are simply describing the reality of inner-city life and their own upbringing. They also argue that they are only adopting a character, like an actor would when playing a role, who behaves in ways that they may not necessarily endorse.

Before the late 1990s, Gangsta Rap, while a big-selling genre, had been regarded as well outside of the pop mainstream, committed to representing the experience of the inner-city and not "selling out" to the pop charts. However, the rise of Bad Boy Records, propelled by the massive crossover success of Bad Boy head Sean "Puffy" Combs's 1997 ensemble album, No Way Out, on the heels of the media attention generated by the murders of 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G., signalled a major stylistic change in gangsta rap, as it morphed into a new sub genre of hip hop which would become even more commercially successful and popularly accepted. The earlier, somewhat controversial crossover success enjoyed by popular gangsta rap songs like "Gin and Juice" gave way to gangsta rap becoming a widely-accepted staple on the pop charts in the late 1990s.





Many die hard Gangsta Rap fanatics would now argue that the genre is slowly fading away The tradition of the Old school music tracks and videos have been washed down to mere gimmicks of the past, in order to appeal to more audiences and generate more money. Today's Gangsta Rap is riddled with hooks and phrases rather than powerful lyrics and insightful videos, that were demonstrated by pioneers such as Ice-T and Schooly D. Although most of the themes have been kept, the whole style, flow has been moulded into a 'Club Banger' template to suit more audiences rather than simply the Gangsta Rap fans.



The lyrics concern racial profiling and police brutality, as well as the stereotyping of African Americans driving a vehicle with drugs or other contraband on the inside ("riding dirty"). The music video attempts to create a sense of the police abusing their powers for likely racist reasons, juxtaposing police actions with wrestling scenes to show how the police allegedly treat suspects. It was awarded the last Best Rap Video at the MTV Video Music Awards, which was awarded in 2006.