Overview
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, hip-hop had become increasingly diverse in its sounds, styles, and messages. In this lesson, we will survey several major styles of hip-hop that were popular at the end of the 1980s, including political hip-hop, pop rap, gangsta rap, and sample-based hip-hop. By this time, hip-hop ran the gamut from family-friendly pop rappers such as MC Hammer to the hard, streetwise tales spun by the members of N.W.A.
Objectives
- Identify the characteristics of several styles and subgenres of hip-hop from the late 1980s and early 1990s, including political hip-hop, sample-based hip-hop, gangsta rap, and pop rap
- Recall the significance of sampling in the music of groups such as De La Soul, the Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy
- Recall why some pop rap artists such as MC Hammer were accused of “selling out” when their music had crossover appeal
Conclusion
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the sounds and styles of hip-hop had diversified. Groups such as Public Enemy delivered a strong political message, encouraging their listeners to take charge of their lives and be their own advocates in a society that might otherwise oppress them. Public Enemy, De La Soul, and the Beastie Boys also incorporated hundreds of sampled sounds into their music, which was a popular approach to creating hip-hop until lawsuits and copyright issues put a stop to the practice in the early 1990s. Gangsta rappers such as N.W.A. rapped about life in impoverished, drug-ridden, and gang-run communities, but they were criticized for their explicit lyrics.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Fresh Prince and MC Hammer avoided profanity in their lyrics and sold millions of records that had tremendous crossover appeal. Hip-hop had become a way to communicate many different messages.
"Public Enemy started out as a benchmark in rap music in the mid-1980s. We felt there was a need to actually progress the music and say something because we were slightly older than the demographic of rap artists at the time. It was a time of heightened rightwing politics, so the climate dictated the direction of the group."
