West Coast hip-hop

West Coast hip-hop is a style of hip-hop music that started in the West Coast of the United States. It became very popular in the early to mid 1990s, thanks to a special sound called G-funk and famous record labels. Important labels included Death Row Records, started by Suge Knight and Dr. Dre, as well as Lench Mob Records by Ice Cube and Ruthless Records by Eazy-E.

Even though the name might make people think of other places in the western U.S. like Northwest hip-hop, West Coast hip-hop is most linked to California. The main cities connected to this music are Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. These places helped shape the sound and culture of this exciting part of hip-hop.

History

African American communities in the Bay Area and southern California became important centers for hip-hop culture in the 1980s. Hispanics in the Los Angeles area also played big roles in shaping West Coast hip-hop.

Several events helped start West Coast hip-hop long before famous rappers like Ice-T, Mellow Man Ace, Too Short, Kid Frost, and Eazy-E became popular. One important event was the Watts riots of 1965. In 1967, Budd Schulberg created a creative space in Los Angeles called the Watts Writers Workshop to help people in the Watts neighborhood express themselves. This led to the formation of a group called The Watts Prophets.

During the 1960s and 1970s, political movements in the San Francisco Bay Area inspired hip-hop growth there. The area developed its own styles of break dancing and graffiti art. Inspired by funk music and movements like the Black Panther Party, hip-hop music grew strong in the Bay.

In the late 1970s in Los Angeles, Alonzo Williams, a young disc jockey from Compton, California, partnered with another DJ named Rodger Clayton from Los Angeles, California. They created a promotion company called Unique Dreams. Williams later started a group called the World Class Wreckin' Cru, while Clayton formed Uncle Jamm's Army, a successful mobile DJ crew. Other small DJ crews also formed during this time. The West Coast hip-hop sound was faster and more electronic than East Coast hip-hop, partly because it focused more on DJing than rapping. This led to dance styles like breakdancing, popping, and locking that gained national attention.

In 1981, Duffy Hooks started the first West Coast rap label, Rappers Rapp Records. Its first act was Disco Daddy and Captain Rapp, whose song "The Gigolo Rapp" was released that year. Later, Captain Rapp released "Bad Times (I Can't Stand It)" in 1983. Uncle Jamm's Army released "Dial-a-Freak," and in 1984, Egyptian Lover released his album On the Nile, featuring the hit "Egypt Egypt." Artists like Dr. Dre, The Unknown DJ, Egyptian Lover, Ice-T, and Kid Frost helped shape the early West Coast hip-hop sound during the 1980s.

A key radio station for spreading West Coast hip-hop was 1580 KDAY AM, the first station to play rap/hip-hop music 24 hours a day.

Ice-T became a pioneer of West Coast hip-hop and gangsta rap with songs like "6 in the Mornin" in 1986. In 1988, he released "I'm Your Pusher," followed by Too Short's album Life is... Too Short. Tone Loc's album Lōc-ed After Dark topped the charts in 1989. Two days later, N.W.A released Straight Outta Compton, drawing attention to West Coast hip-hop, especially Los Angeles. After N.W.A broke up, members like Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and MC Ren became successful solo artists in the 1990s.

The early 1990s saw hip-hop grow strongly. Tupac Shakur's debut album 2Pacalypse Now came out in 1991, addressing issues like racism, police brutality, poverty, crime, drug use, and teenage pregnancy. In 1991, Suge Knight started Death Row Records, which became a major label in the 1990s. In 1992, Dr. Dre released The Chronic, creating the G-funk sound that defined West Coast hip-hop in the 1990s.

Long Beach joined the hip-hop scene in the early 1990s with artists like Snoop Doggy Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound, who released successful albums. Warren G also helped establish Long Beach with his hit "Regulate... G Funk Era_.

Other popular artists from the 1990s included Cypress Hill, The Pharcyde, Souls of Mischief, Ahmad, Xzibit, and Ras Kass.

West Coast hip-hop's mainstream popularity decreased in the late 1990s and 2000s due to competition from other regions. However, established stars like Dr. Dre, Xzibit, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube continued to release albums. The Bay Area's hyphy scene emerged, featuring energetic raps about nightlife, with artists like Mac Dre and E-40.

In the early-to-mid 2010s, West Coast hip-hop saw a resurgence. Producer DJ Mustard helped bring it back to national attention with his "ratchet" sound, producing hits for artists like Tyga, 2 Chainz, Young Jeezy, B.o.B, YG, Ty Dolla Sign, Kid Ink, and Trey Songz. Kendrick Lamar's album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City in 2012 received critical acclaim and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

In June 2024, Kendrick Lamar hosted a concert called The Pop Out: Ken & Friends to celebrate West Coast hip-hop following a public disagreement with another artist.