90's Rap misconceptions?

[BmoreGorilla]

Misconception: Master P and No Limit weren't TRU LYRICISSSESS COULDN'T RAP FOR SHYYT

Truth: Master P showed them bums how to profit off the shady ass music industry and released real hood records. Fiend, Mac, Mia X, Mystikal talent and contributions > most bummy eastcoast MCs, Wu Fam crackheads and back pack hobos

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Yeah every generation kinda cycled through the same topics generally. I think the only real difference is Hip Hop had more storytelling to it back then which lended itself to more things, but overall, you are correct. Especially once we got to 95 onward.

I can't co-sign this. Most of the big acts in the early to mid 90s all had substance in their music. Not every track but if you had the album at least half of it would be about some real shyt no matter who it was.. Pac, Nas, AZ, Mobb Deep, shyt Wu Tang had substance to their music.. most all the mainstream artists did and many of those tracks got radio airplay.

I don't think you can say the same about this era.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

False. "Po Pimp" went gold in 1996, was #1 on the rap charts, and #22 on the Pop charts. This was definitely a national hit.

It was featured on MTV on YO! the whole time it was a hit too. That's national TV network playing the video lol. People sayin shyt just to say it now. "Po Pimp" was a big hit back then.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

the idea that outkast was this huge group running chit. they were 2nd tier at best.

and before people call me a hater, im gonna put one of my favorite rappers on blast - the idea that 2pac was a top-tier rapper thru '91-94.

and the idea that pac & biggie were undisputed rulers of rap.
that and people thinking pac & biggie were the top sellers.

Pac had the #1 album in the country while he was in jail and not even promoting it. MATW was a huge album and it was more difficult to be #1 then.. Even before that he had tracks like keep ya head up that were national hit records. All Eyez on Me was the biggest album out in '96. Pac was the top seller even before his death

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Yes he was. Specifically from 93-95, he 100% was. He was actually a bigger deal than Biggie when Ready to Die dropped. Biggie didn't fully surpass Meth in popularity until like late 95 going into 96. Between C.R.E.A.M., Bring the Pain, Ice Cream and All I Need Remix, Meth was as popular as any solo act on the East Coast during that 2 year period.

Why you think Big went out his way to get Method Man (the only feature) on his debut?

The "All I Need" record was massive... I don't think people understand how big of a hit that was

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Death Row was a dynasty, I don't see how u gonna downplay it. From The Chronic through Doggystyle ... Above the Rim Soundtrack, Murder was the Case Soundtrack, Dre had keep ya heads ringin off the Friday soundtrack even tho that was Priority, Dogg Food, then Pac gets outta jail and they hit you with All Eyez On Me..

minimum everything mentioned was at least double platinum. Snoop sold damn near a million in his first week. We aren't talkin fake numbers era bullshyt, literally nearly a million people went into a store and bought Doggystyle in its first week..

That was a dominant run.

 

[FreshAIG]

I can't co-sign this. Most of the big acts in the early to mid 90s all had substance in their music. Not every track but if you had the album at least half of it would be about some real shyt no matter who it was.. Pac, Nas, AZ, Mobb Deep, shyt Wu Tang had substance to their music.. most all the mainstream artists did and many of those tracks got radio airplay.

I don't think you can say the same about this era.

I'm speaking more generally though. And to be fair, some of the people you listed topics didn't vary all that much, they may have added more substance to the topic and their music was significantly better but it was pretty much revolving around a certain lifestyle and didn't delve much beyond that often (Mobb Deep, AZ).

 

[FreshAIG]

You compare one and a half years of being more popular to 25 years?

I literally said from 93-95, not their entire careers. Did you not see the context brought multiple times or are you purposefully not trying to see it?

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

I'm speaking more generally though. And to be fair, some of the people you listed topics didn't vary all that much, they may have added more substance to the topic and their music was significantly better but it was pretty much revolving around a certain lifestyle and didn't delve much beyond that often (Mobb Deep, AZ).

that goes back to the storytelling you described I think. When you break down Mobb Deep and AZ their records had more storytelling and lyrical wordplay than a lot of mainstream records you will see today so while the subject matter might be similar there is an art to what Mobb Deep and AZ are doing...

I know some will disagree but I feel that art has been lost in the mainstream (the pure volume of it has been lost, there's still cole, kendrick etc), it still exists if you want to find it.

 

[FreshAIG]

Pac had the #1 album in the country while he was in jail and not even promoting it. MATW was a huge album and it was more difficult to be #1 then.. Even before that he had tracks like keep ya head up that were national hit records. All Eyez on Me was the biggest album out in '96. Pac was the top seller even before his death

Pac was a big deal since his second album dropped. After he did Juice, he was a star. He gradually got bigger as controversy grew but he was huge pretty much his entire solo career.

 

[FreshAIG]

that goes back to the storytelling you described I think. When you break down Mobb Deep and AZ their records had more storytelling and lyrical wordplay than a lot of mainstream records you will see today so while the subject matter might be similar there is an art to what Mobb Deep and AZ are doing...

I know some will disagree but I feel that art has been lost in the mainstream (the pure volume of it has been lost, there's still cole, kendrick etc), it still exists if you want to find it.

Agreed.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Pac was a big deal since his second album dropped. After he did Juice, he was a star. He gradually got bigger as controversy grew but he was huge pretty much his entire solo career.

and Poetic Justice came out in '93. doing movies with Janet

 

[shopthatwrecks]

thats not even his song. he aint have a hit until 2004.

and truth be told, "po pimp" wasnt really a national hit anyway.
i never heard it on the radio ever.




.

po pimp made it to texas n stayed on rotation up n down i-45

 

[Bigsuk]

I like this topic..

Biggie and Pac were widely loved by everybody. No different than the top rappers at any given time in history, fans/other artists were mixed about them. Some people loved them, some people hated them.

There was a bunch of different rap acts getting major play. If you watched Video Music Box and other local/smaller Hip Hop shows, you'd definitely get mid-tier underground acts videos getting played but the bigger Hip Hop shows on MTV and BET pretty much only played what was popular or what the label was pushing. Mainstream Hip Hop media has always been about numbers. Don't let these nikkas lie to you.

Fresh .... reguarding the pac n biggie bit .... people were deffo taking sides tho which heightened them both .... for the wrong reasons really tho in retrospect....

 

[Bigsuk]

Yeah I believe the bio-pic is more because of how big he has become post-death. There's like folklore attached to him now. It's surreal because I love Big L so it's weird for me to feel like I'm downplaying his greatness or shytting on him, but I like being right and exact about the history of rap. And I just can't let people rewrite history that I was there for.

Yeah ... I think he was about to blow up tho .... wasn’t he gona sign to rockafella ?? .... but your right tho dope artists and lyrics but when he was alive he was just a local Harlem rapper ...