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East Coast hip hop
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
East Coast hip hop
Stylistic origins
Hip hop dancehall toasting R&B disco funk jazz
Cultural origins 1970s, the Bronx, New York City
Typical instruments
Drum machine synthesizer music sequencer turntables rapping sampler brass piano
human beatboxing
Fusion genres
Boom bap New jack swing Brick City club Baltimore club
Regional scenes
Boston metropolitan area - New York metropolitan area - Philadelphia metropolitan
area - Baltimore metropolitan area - Northeast megalopolis - BosWash
Local scenes
Boston - Providence - Connecticut - New Rochelle - Mount Vernon - Yonkers - New
York City - Long Island - New Jersey - Jersey City - Newark - East Orange -
Irvington - Paterson - New Brunswick - Trenton - Camden - Philadelphia - Wilmington
- Baltimore - Northeast megalopolis - BosWash
East Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that originated in New York
City during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first
in The Bronx, New York;[1] East Coast hip hop only became a distinct subgenre after
artists from other regions of the United States emerged with different styles. In
contrast to other styles, East Coast hip hop music has prioritized complex lyrics
for attentive listening rather than beats for dancing.[1] The main components of
hip hop culture from that time and still today are MC'ing, DJ'ing, break dancing,
and graffiti.

Contents
1 Musical style
2 History
2.1 Emergence (1970s�80s)
2.2 Renaissance (1990s)
2.2.1 Legacy
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
Musical style
In contrast to the simplistic rhyme pattern and scheme utilized in old school hip
hop, East Coast hip hop has been noted for its emphasis on lyrical dexterity.[2] It
has also been characterized by multi-syllabic rhymes, complex wordplay, a
continuous free-flowing delivery and intricate metaphors.[2] East Coast hip hop has
a uniform sound and style, it tends to gravitate to aggressive beats and sample
collages.[1] The aggressive and hard-hitting beats of the form were emphasized by
such acts as EPMD, Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, while artists such as Eric B. &
Rakim, Boogie Down Productions, Big Daddy Kane, Nas, Notorious B.I.G. and Slick
Rick were noted for their lyrical skill.[1] Lyrical themes throughout the history
of East Coast hip hop have ranged from social consciousness by such artists as
Public Enemy and A Tribe Called Quest to mafioso rap themes by rappers such as
Raekwon, MF Grimm and Kool G Rap.[2]

History
Emergence (1970s�80s)
Main articles: Roots of hip hop, Old school hip hop, and New school hip hop
See also: The Bridge Wars
East coast hip hop is occasionally referred to as New York rap due to its origins
and development at block parties thrown in New York City during the 1970s.[2]
According to AllMusic, "At the dawn of the hip-hop era, all rap was East Coast
rap."[1] Early artists of the form, including DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash,
Afrika Bambaataa, the Sugarhill Gang, Kurtis Blow, Jam Master Jay, and Run-D.M.C.,
pioneered East Coast hip hop during hip hop's development.[1] As the genre
developed, lyrical themes evolved through the work of East Coast artists such as
the Native Tongues, a collective of hip hop artists associated with generally
positive, Afrocentric themes, and assembled by Afrika Bambaataa. New York-based
groups such as De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and the Jungle Brothers also
earned recognition for their musical eclecticism.[1]

Renaissance (1990s)

RZA, producer and member of the Wu-Tang Clan.

Nas's 1994 debut album Illmatic was critically acclaimed.

This was called "The Golden Age" of hip hop.[3] Although East Coast hip hop was
more popular throughout the late 1980s, N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton presented
the toughened sound of West Coast hip hop, which was accompanied by gritty, street-
level subject matter.[1] Later in 1992, Dr. Dre's G-Funk record The Chronic would
introduce West Coast hip hop to the mainstream. Along with a combined ability to
keep its primary function as party music, the West Coast form of hip hop became a
dominant force during the early 1990s.[1] Although G-Funk was the most popular
variety of hip hop during the early 1990s, the East Coast hip hop scene remained an
integral part of the music industry. During this period, several New York City
rappers rising from the local underground scene, began releasing noteworthy albums
in the early and mid nineties such as Nas, The Notorious B.I.G. and others.[4]

Nas' 1994 debut album Illmatic has also been noted as one of the creative high
point of the East Coast hip hop scene, and featured production from such renowned
New York-based producers as Large Professor, Pete Rock and DJ Premier.[4]
Meanwhile, The Wu-Tang Clan, Lost Boyz and Mobb Deep became pillars in New York's
hardcore hip hop scene, achieving widespread critical acclaim for their landmark
albums, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993), Legal Drug Money (1996) and The
Infamous (1995) and spawning legions of imitators.[citation needed] Adam Hemleich
comments on the collective impact of these emerging artists: "Along with Wu-Tang
Clan, Nas and Mobb Deep all but invented 90s New York rap [...] Those
three...designed the manner and style in which New York artists would
address...rap�s hottest topics: drugs and violence."[citation needed]

The Notorious B.I.G. became the central figure in East Coast hip hop during most of
the 1990s. Bad Boy Records comprised a team of producers known as the Hitmen Stevie
J, Derrick "D Dot" Angelletie and Amen Ra directed by Sean Combs to move the focus
on hip hop to New York with the Notorious B.I.G.'s Billboard topping hits.[5] His
success on the music charts and rise to the mainstream drew more attention to New
York at the time of West Coast hip hop's dominance.[5] According to AllMusic editor
Steve Huey, the success of his 1994 debut album Ready to Die "reinvented East Coast
rap for the gangsta age" and "turned the Notorious B.I.G. into a hip-hop sensation
� the first major star the East Coast had produced since the rise of Dr. Dre's West
Coast G-funk".[5] Many saw his dominating presence as a catalyzing factor in the
East Coast/ West Coast hip hop rivalry that polarized much of the hip hop
community, stirring the issue enough to result in the Brooklyn rapper's 1997 death,
as well as his West Coast counterpart, Tupac Shakur, months prior.[6] His
commercial success helped pave the way for the success of other East Coast rappers
such as Jay-Z, Nas, DMX, Busta Rhymes and many upcoming rappers.[5][7]

Legacy
Many knowledgeable hip hop fans look favorably upon this period as a time of
creative growth and influential recordings, describing it as "The East Coast
Renaissance." Music writer May Blaize of MVRemix Urban comments on the nostalgia
felt among hip hop fans for records released during this time:

It was claimed as the East Coast Renaissance. Wu-Tang brought the ruckus with 36
Chambers. The world was ours when Nas released Illmatic. Big L, (The MVP) came out
with Lifestylez ov da Poor and Dangerous. Temperatures rose in clubs when Mobb Deep
came out with The Infamous and Brooklyn�s finest Jay-Z released Reasonable Doubt. .
. And who can forget the powerful uplifting anthem that would brand New York�s
concrete "Bucktown" (Smif-n-Wessun's hit single)? . . .Ahh, it was a beautiful time
in hip-hop history that many of us wish we could return to.[8]

David Drake of Stylus Magazine writes of hip hop during 1994 and its contributions,
stating: "The beats were hot, the rhymes were hot - it really was an amazing time
for hip-hop and music in general. This was the critical point for the East Coast, a
time when rappers from the New York area were releasing bucketloads of thrilling
work - Digable Planets, Gang Starr, Pete Rock, Jeru, O.C., Organized Konfusion - I
mean, this was a year of serious music."[4]

See also
Music of New Jersey
Music of New York City
Culture of New York City
Music of Pennsylvania
Midwest hip hop
West Coast hip hop
East Coast�West Coast hip hop rivalry
List of East Coast hip hop record labels
References
Genre: East Coast Rap. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2009-03-01.
Adaso, Henry. What Is East Coast HIp-Hop. About.com. Retrieved on 2009-03-01.
"The Best East Coast Rappers of All Time". Ranker. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
Gloden, Gabe. I Love 1994. Stylus Magazine. 2004-07-21. Retrieved on 2015-06-21.
Huey, Steve (September 26, 2003). Biography: The Notorious B.I.G.. Allmusic.
Retrieved on 2011-02-10.
Smith, RJ (March 18, 1997). "Murder Was the Case: Notorious B.I.G. Shot Down at
24--To Live and Die in L.A.". The Village Voice.
Huey, Steve (September 26, 2003). Review: Ready to Die. Allmusic. Retrieved on
2011-02-10.
Blaize, May. THE PAST, THE PRESENT, THE ALBUM. MVRemix Urban. Retrieved on 2013-
04-10.
External links
Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation � By Jeff Chang
It's Bigger Than Hip Hop � By M. K. Asante, Jr.
Rap Music and Street Consciousness � By Cheryl L. Keyes
[show] v t e
Hip hop
[show] v t e
Hip hop in the United States
Audio a.svgMusic portal Loudspeaker-crystal-theme.svgHip hop portal Flag of New
York City.svgNew York City portal
Categories: 1970s in American music1980s in American music1990s in American
music2000s in American music2010s in American musicAmerican hip hop genresEast
Coast hip hopAfrican-American cultureHip hop genres
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