The_Hillsta
Neva missin a beat
When talking about culturally. We have to speak on how HUGE and DIVERSE the WESTCOAST dominance was on every aspect. All of those names you mentioned, all West Coast and Ahmad was actually respected as an emcee back then, but people overlook it because he was a one hit wonder. We can add on Domino as well. And that was indeed part of the problem when you had East Coast publications and media and radio acting as if it was non-existence which sparked a riff. @FreshAIG acknowledged the bias that was going on, but defend that people of hip hop on a cultural aspect knew what's up. And I don't think that's exactly true all the way. there were people from NYC that respected outside their region of hip hop, but I do think many really didn't cared for it like that. We respect and love groups like The Pharcyde and Souls of Mischief, but they weren't getting that same kind of love out East. Especially with the Source. They both gave those albums that we regard today as undisputed classics 3.5 MICS!!! But want to give Apache's (no disrespect for the deceased) GARBAGE freakin' album FOUR MICS that same year. And when youy have bias publications like that, it lead to how people out in New York feeling a kind of way in how they view hip hop culturally in THEIR region only and not universally. And then the animosity of multiple success singles and albums coming from the West that were diverse And it was still all hip hop.
People do look at things retrospectively, but at the moment of the 90's and a huge reason why there was a civil between the two coast was the fact that the west coast emcees were putting in a lot of work, but wasn't getting the proper acknowledgement that they feel they deserve out east.
That's why at the end of the day it all came down to preference. I bought damn near every single issue of the Source. Before that, Right On, Word Up, etc. Read every single review, even if that shyt got 2 1/2 mics, if I saw the video, heard it on the radio, and the shyt was dope, I was gettin it regardless. Back then for me, north, south, east, west, record sales, NONE of that shyt mattered, dope was dope.
That's why I always give it up for our local radio, they played EVERYTHING no bias. A big part of our radio exposing us to hella shyt. Everything from KRS-One, EPMD, Mobb Deep, Nas, Nice N Smooth, Brand Nubian, Redman, Tribe, D Nice, Gang Starr to muthafukkin Kwest The muthafukkin Mad Ladd and Organized Konfusion, on top of ALL our locals... Digital Underground, Too Short, E-40, Pac, RBL Posse, Richie Rich, Spice 1, Dru Down, Hiero, Hobo Junction, Paris, The Coup to all the LA shyt, Cube, Dre, Eazy, Ren, Snoop, Above The Law, to fukkin Volume 10 and Ras Kass. 3 1/2 mics? STILL coppin Soul On Ice and Made In America, lol. Midwest and the South also got much play out here back then. The Bay loved the Geto Boys and Outkast when they first dropped Players Ball.. It wasnt until years later and I went away to school I realized how lucky I was because a lotta radio stations was garbage back then. I was thinking every city was hearing what we were as far as artists and songs, shyt was a trip. Had to have my girl record mix shows and send me tapes through the mail n shyt, wild. Used to play fools Wake Up Show freestyles n battles n exclusives havin muthafukkaz in the dorm


