Gangsta rap was not the only type of rap that was popular in the 90s. How come some people forget that there was party rap, political rap, and rap about worldwide issues in the 90s?

Definitely. I actually associate gangsta rap more with the early 00s than with the 90s.

Not all 90's rap was gangsta rap, it was the pop culture at the time that made it sound hardcore.

I don't think all 90s rap was gangsta rap. Ice Cube made a few political rap songs (especially in his album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted) after he left NWA. Even gangsta rappers made some non-gangsta ones such as "F*ck the Police" by NWA, which gives commentary on the police being rough on blacks, despite it being controversial.

I don't pay to much attention to 90s debates outside of the Late portion of the decade. It does bother me when people are biased against the genre as a whole though.

I don't pay to much attention to 90s debates outside of the Late portion of the decade. It does bother me when people are biased against the genre as a whole though.


It's a bit annoying if some people see rap as mostly gangsta rap, when that's not really the case nowadays.

My radio station has a 90's at noon thing from noon until 1 PM.

They described the 1990's as "Grunge, gangsta rap, and teen pop" in one slogan.

Yeah, it's kind of annoying, but my radio station's slogan is kind of catchy.

My radio station has a 90's at noon thing from noon until 1 PM.

They described the 1990's as "Grunge, gangsta rap, and teen pop" in one slogan.

Yeah, it's kind of annoying, but my radio station's slogan is kind of catchy.


Well, they are the most commonly known genres of the decades. Same with how people think of the 2000s with emo, goth, crunk rap, and electropop.

Definitely not all of it. You had groups like Salt-N-Pepa, which is definitely not "gangsta" rap. MC Hammer's music isn't "gangsta" either. Will Smith also recorded some rap music during the 90s, both as a member of DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince and as a soloist (for example, he sang the title song from the movie Men In Black, which he also starred in), and his music isn't gangsta rap either.

Definitely not all of it. You had groups like Salt-N-Pepa, which is definitely not "gangsta" rap. MC Hammer's music isn't "gangsta" either. Will Smith also recorded some rap music during the 90s, both as a member of DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince and as a soloist (for example, he sang the title song from the movie Men In Black, which he also starred in), and his music isn't gangsta rap either.


MC Hammer and Will Smith (during his Fresh Prince era) were some of the only non-gangsta rappers that were mainstream during the 90s. Which seems sad, because at least 75% of hip hop was gangsta rap throughout most of the decade.

Not all 90's rap was gangsta rap, it was the pop culture at the time that made it sound hardcore.



I don't think all 90s rap was gangsta rap. Ice Cube made a few political rap songs (especially in his album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted) after he left NWA. Even gangsta rappers made some non-gangsta ones such as "F*ck the Police" by NWA, which gives commentary on the police being rough on blacks, despite it being controversial.



MC Hammer and Will Smith (during his Fresh Prince era) were some of the only non-gangsta rappers that were mainstream during the 90s. Which seems sad, because at least 75% of hip hop was gangsta rap throughout most of the decade.



Definitely not all of it. You had groups like Salt-N-Pepa, which is definitely not "gangsta" rap. MC Hammer's music isn't "gangsta" either. Will Smith also recorded some rap music during the 90s, both as a member of DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince and as a soloist (for example, he sang the title song from the movie Men In Black, which he also starred in), and his music isn't gangsta rap either.
Yeah, it definitely wasn't. In fact, I even listening to 90s (even underground) rap last year and I didn't hear any gangsta forms at all. It was rap about social issues, family-hood, parties and other topics. It seems that gangsta rap was really in the minority, and some people were not aware of that.

Well, they are the most commonly known genres of the decades. Same with how people think of the 2000s with emo, goth, crunk rap, and electropop.


Yes, the 00's. R&B, Crunk, Emo, and Electropop, galore!

Yeah, it definitely wasn't. In fact, I even listening to 90s (even underground) rap last year and I didn't hear any gangsta forms at all. It was rap about social issues, family-hood, parties and other topics. It seems that gangsta rap was really in the minority, and some people were not aware of that.


I'm mostly into Eurodance, techno, metal, and house music if we're talking about the 90s. However, most non-rap listeners probably see hardcore hip hop as gangsta rap for some reason.

Yeah, there were tons of rap songs about world issues throughout the 90's! Certainly something you don't see at all today in a lot of this era of hip-hop music and trap. Who is to say that every rap song in the 90's was gangsta? They must not have their hip-hop history straight at all.

Definitely. I actually associate gangsta rap more with the early 00s than with the 90s.


I think it's more associated with the late 80s/early 90s, thanks to the NWA making it more popular.

I'm mostly into Eurodance, techno, metal, and house music if we're talking about the 90s. However, most non-rap listeners probably see hardcore hip hop as gangsta rap for some reason.
It's because they think it is all about gangs, drugs, and even hating on cops when that couldn't be further from the truth.


Yeah, there were tons of rap songs about world issues throughout the 90's! Certainly something you don't see at all today in a lot of this era of hip-hop music and trap. Who is to say that every rap song in the 90's was gangsta? They must not have their hip-hop history straight at all.
They sure don't. There was a wide variety of rap in the 90s, and most songs from that decade are even still played on the radio and in clubs.

Well, they are the most commonly known genres of the decades. Same with how people think of the 2000s with emo, goth, crunk rap, and electropop.


I'd add R&B in there too, R&B was the pop music of the first seven (up to 2006, changed in 2007, I think) years of the decade, at least it felt like that to me.

It's because they think it is all about gangs, drugs, and even hating on cops when that couldn't be further from the truth.


Although they haven't been doing songs like that since the very early 2000s.


They sure don't. There was a wide variety of rap in the 90s, and most songs from that decade are even still played on the radio and in clubs.


I think it's like that because rappers like Tupac and Biggie were very mainstream by the mid-late 90s, and they were both shot from a drive-by shooting. Although Tupac seemed more of a criminal, since he did serve a prison sentence. Biggie didn't really do a lot of criminal activity, where he only sold drugs. Although correct me if I'm wrong, since I'm not a big fan of hip hop. Even it was made during the 90s.


I'd add R&B in there too, R&B was the pop music of the first seven (up to 2006, changed in 2007, I think) years of the decade, at least it felt like that to me.


The type of R&B we had now was popular since the late 80s/early 90s. So... I wouldn't really think it was that special during the 2000s.

90's rap it was really divided:

early 90's: pop-rap like Mc Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, Salt N-Pepa, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, and Naughty By Nature.

mid 90's: Gangsta Rap-Notorious BIG, and 2-Pac.

late 90's: sort of a mix maybe?-Puff Daddy, Mase, Will Smith, DMX, Busta Ryhmes, and The Lox. I think of the LL Cool J-Canibus fued when I think of the era it just comes to mind. After Canibus did "2nd Round KO" to diss LL LL came back out with "The Ripper Strikes Back" to maybe end Canibus's career. It is not known though if LL actually ended Canibus's career since Canibus might have just been a "battle rapper" and that's all he was and ever will be. About a decade earlier LL had battled with another MC named "Kool Moe Dee" and LL probably ended his career. I think LL-Kool Moe Dee battle the stakes were higher than the LL-Canibus fued because they both came up in the rap game around the same time so whoever lost that fued their rap career was probably over or severly damaged and unfortunately for him it was Kool Moe Dee.

'90s hip-hop was really divided into three distinct eras and the sound of hip-hop was very different in each of them.  You have the early '90s, which lasted from 1990 to 1993, then the mid 90s which lasted from 1994 through 1997ish, and then late 90s hip-hop in 1998 and 1999 which was very similar in sound to what was popular in the early 2000s.  The gangsta rap era was primarily the early '90s.

'90s hip-hop was really divided into three distinct eras and the sound of hip-hop was very different in each of them.  You have the early '90s, which lasted from 1990 to 1993, then the mid 90s which lasted from 1994 through 1997ish, and then late 90s hip-hop in 1998 and 1999 which was very similar in sound to what was popular in the early 2000s.  The gangsta rap era was primarily the early '90s.


Gangsta rap actually lasted from 1992-1997 or most of the decade.

Gangsta rap actually lasted from 1992-1997 or most of the decade.


Yeah, it was more like that until Biggie was shot in early 1997. Gangsta rap hasn't been the same since.