During the 90's did the South have more lyrical/content driven HIT SINGLES than any other region?

[H.I.M.]

I believe so...

Outside of KRS & Public Enemy in the earlly 90's...there weren't a whole lot of NY rappers pushing SINGLES with lyrical depth and deep, meaningful content...by the mid-90's most NY rappers were releasing singles that were mimicing the street/gangsta content of the West Coast and putting a NY spin on it...as well as pushing party/club type singles that merged R&B and Rap like "One More Chance" "Big Poppa" "All I Need" "Ain't No nikka" "Hypnotize"etc.

The West had alot of artists that were pushing socially concious material as singles...Pac, Cube even Too Short & Spice 1...But at the forefront of the West Coast rap was Death Row type shyt...Gin & Juice, Nuttin But A G Thang, Deep Cover, Murder Was The Case etc.

Meanwhile...practically all of the South's top COMMERCIAL artists would regularly make hit singles out of songs like these.



















Songs layered with lyrical depth and an underlying message...as opposed to taking the easy route to a hit song...via party/club tracks, songs for hoes and sensationalist street content...

Agree? Disagree?

 

[Stuntone]

Bitter washed up East coast bums in 3... 2... 1....

 

[H.I.M.]

Bitter washed up East coast bums in 3... 2... 1....

I'm district born & raised

But the facts are the facts...

There isn't an era of NY rap where lyrical/socially concious rap was at the absolute forefront of NY rap on a commercial level like it was for an entire era of Southern rap...outside of Melle Mel's era...and even then, most of his contemporaries were "get the party hype" type rappers and battle rappers...during the mid-to-late 80's you had guys like KRS & Public Enemy who represented a niche compared to dudes like Run-DMC & LL who ran NY rap on a commercial level...rapping about their Adidas and "Big ol' Butts"

 

[SirBiatch]

I'm district born & raised

But the facts are the facts...

There isn't an era of NY rap where lyrical/socially concious rap was at the absolute forefront of NY rap on a commercial level like it was for an entire era of Southern rap...outside of Melle Mel's era...and even then, most of his contemporaries were "get the party hype" type rappers and battle rappers...during the mid-to-late 80's you had guys like KRS & Public Enemy who represented a niche compared to dudes like Run-DMC & LL who ran NY rap on a commercial level...rapping about their Adidas and "Big ol' Butts"

 

[H. Selassie]

South always been full of variation and content. A lot of people tend to take one city or one type of artists and unfairly define it though.

 

[H.I.M.]

You can easily find out if u'd like my cacnadian friend

As long as you're comfortable leaving your igloo in Canada that is... and being in the company of a people you idolize and wish you were

 

[SirBiatch]

You can easily find out if u'd like my cacnadian friend

As long as you're comfortable leaving your igloo in Canada that is... and being in the company of a people you idolize and wish you were

Spoiler

Keep on deflecting and ducktaling

 

[mobbinfms]

Interesting thread.
I take it you don't consider "Tootsee Roll" and 2 Live Crew to be hip hop?
Also, I think your argument is much stronger early to mid 90s. But you included that Ball and G track from 99. Now you've got all the 3 6 Mafia shyt, no limit, cash money.

 

[H.I.M.]

Interesting thread.
I take it you don't consider "Tootsee Roll" and 2 Live Crew to be hip hop?
Also, I think your argument is much stronger early to mid 90s. But you included that Ball and G track from 99. Now you've got all the 3 6 Mafia shyt, no limit, cash money.

2 Live Crew and the dudes that made tootsie roll were prominent Southern rap groups in the 90's compared to the gentlemen in the OP?

They represented a niche in Southern rap in the 90's similar to how Public Enemy did in NY rap in the late 80's-early 90's.

No Limit & Cash Money were the biggest commercially successful rap acts from the South in the 90's...so you have a better point there.

As was said above...if anything it shows the diversity that came out of the region...where you had commercial hits that were content heavy & lyrical, hardcore street shyt...and some good ol booty shake music.

 

[mobbinfms]

2 Live Crew and the dudes that made tootsie roll were prominent Southern rap groups in the 90's compared to the gentlemen in the OP?

They represented a niche in Southern rap in the 90's similar to how Public Enemy did in NY rap in the late 80's-early 90's.

No Limit & Cash Money were the biggest commercially successful rap acts from the South in the 90's...so you have a better point there.

As was said above...if anything it shows the diversity that came out of the region...where you had commercial hits that were content heavy & lyrical, hardcore street shyt...and some good ol booty shake music.

2 Live Crew definitely was (although that may have been due to the Court case).
I agree with you that they were a niche. I would take it a step further and say they aren't really hip-hop - but that's another discussion.
I disagree that Public Enemy represented a niche in NY rap. I wouldn't want to do the math to figure it out - and I don't know numbers wise what we are talking about with regard to a "niche", but what PE and KRS started in the late 80s was more than a niche.
South was pretty bullet proof in terms of quality rap up until about 96. 97 is when it really went over the cliff with No Limit, Triple Six and then Cash Money in 98.

 

[H.I.M.]

2 Live Crew definitely was (although that may have been due to the Court case).
I agree with you that they were a niche. I would take it a step further and say they aren't really hip-hop - but that's another discussion.
I disagree that Public Enemy represented a niche in NY rap. I wouldn't want to do the math to figure it out - and I don't know numbers wise what we are talking about with regard to a "niche", but what PE

PE (and KRS) were a niche content wise amongst their NY contemporaries...most of the top rappers from their era didn't cover the same content that they did

 

[mobbinfms]

PE (and KRS) were a niche content wise amongst their NY contemporaries...most of the top rappers from their era didn't cover the same content that they did

When are you talking about?

 

[Ziggiy]

Nas- One Love/If I Ruled The World/ Nas Is Like/ Street Dreams Remix

Lauryn Hill- Doo Wop (That Thing)

Puff Daddy- I'll Be Missing You

Lost Boyz- Renee

Black Star- Respiration/Definition

Pete Rock And CL Smooth- T.R.O.Y



I'm sure there are more I'm missing

 

[letti cook]

singles from nolimit

 

[CrimsonTider]

Nas- One Love/If I Ruled The World/ Nas Is Like/ Street Dreams Remix

Lauryn Hill- Doo Wop (That Thing)

Puff Daddy- I'll Be Missing You

Lost Boyz- Renee

Black Star- Respiration/Definition

Pete Rock And CL Smooth- T.R.O.Y



I'm sure there are more I'm missing

You're proving the OPs point