When Did the Glorifications of Drug Dealing, Violence and Womanizing become Mainstream and Acceptable in Hiphop?

[Stuntone]

In the begin days it seems most rapper lyrics were more street tales, then glorifying. Even the slightest bragging would be neutralized by the darkside and cons of street life. Somewhere the bragging grew, without all pros and cons. It was all Bragging for most part. Just trying to pinpoint and come with a timeline of sort. Below is not the earliest examples, but they are some of the earliest, popular mainstream music of it's type that I recall. If you have earlier examples please post them.

These examples are all West Coast because there wasnt a lot of mainstream Southern Artist in the late 80s outside of Geto Boys, i thought they did a great job balancing the pros and cons of the streetlife. Personally I didn't listen to any East Coast Hiphop until Biggie.



Drug dealing:
NWA - Dopeman 1987 -
This was definitely bragging on the pros of being the dopeman. And the darkside of being the users.





Womanizing:
Too Short - Life if Too Short 1988 -
heavily influenced by Oakland Pimping. Songs like Freaky Tales and Cocktails bragged about numerous sexual encounters with many women.





Gangs and Violences:
Ice - T - Colors 1988 & NWA Boyz in the Hood 1987 -
Both of these were Monster Hits. I was a little boy and can remember everyone playing it all thru the 90s.
I remember the Color's song and the movie. A lot of gangs with created after these came out. Even way in Louisiana.

 

[RaspberryFitted]

blaxploitation films probably is the genesis

 

[Stuntone]

Personally I think 2pac amplified all

blaxploitation films probably is the genesis

I'm talking musically. I don't recall seeing drug dealing Blaxploitation movies.

 

[Wig Twistin Season]

In the 70s when movie execs couldn’t sell tickets and started the Blaxploitation era. They made the heroes Pimps and Drug Dealers which influenced the youth and eventually turned into Gangster Rap.

Entertainment execs used a similar formula to start Fox, UPN, WB, etc. TV networks.

 

[Stuntone]

I will see, I think 2pac amplified the Streetlife and "Keeping it Real" = Crashing out Ideology.

 

[Iverson_64]

Personally I think 2pac amplified all


I'm talking musically. I don't recall seeing drug dealing Blaxploitation movies.

Pac's music ironically had less of that type of content compared to Biggie and Dr. Dre.

Like others said, though, the Blaxploitation era paved the way for it in the 1st place.

 

[RaspberryFitted]

Personally I think 2pac amplified all


I'm talking musically. I don't recall seeing drug dealing Blaxploitation movies.

you got it breh lol.

My fault for contributing to the thread

 

[Dameon Farrow]

You're bringing up pre 2010 rappers so you are about to lose a lot of people.

 

[Stuntone]

Pac's music ironically had less of that type of content compared to Biggie and Dr. Dre.

Like others said, though, the Blaxploitation era paved the way for it in the 1st place.

Pacs - Thuglife Album and he's Keep it Real / Crash out / Ready to Die personal really influenced Black Culture and music.

On top of he was a sexual symbol. So he poison our women just as much as the men.

 

[Wig Twistin Season]

Personally I think 2pac amplified all


I'm talking musically. I don't recall seeing drug dealing Blaxploitation movies.

 

[Iverson_64]

I lowkey dislike it when people who barely listen to Pac buy into the media narrative that his music was filled with stereotypical gangster elements.

Stop listening to the media narrative and listen to Pac for yourself. His music had some of those elements but Pac's music was conscious as hell. Maybe not as much as Public Enemy or De La Soul but up there. Many of Pac's biggest songs like Keep Ya Head Up, Dear Mama, Temptations, Changes, California Love, I Ain't Mad At Ya, To Live And Die In LA, So Many Tears, etc. had absolutely nothing to do with being a gangster, drug dealer, or thug.

By contrast, Dre, Biggie, and Snoop's entire personas were built around being gangster or drug kingpins(Frank White) whereas Pac always presented himself as a complex person who wrestled with demons and exposed how vulnerable he was to people.

Even Cube's music post Predator succumbed to generic hardcore rap for quite some time and the consciousness of his music fell off big time to the degree that he practically became a totally different artist.

Pac's just an easy scapegoat cause he was targeted by the media more but he was actually one of the less gangster oriented rappers around despite the whole "thug life" image he had.

 

[Bunchy Carter]

Mods send this lame ass thread to the bushes:

 

[Wig Twistin Season]

I lowkey dislike it when people who barely listen to Pac buy into the media narrative that his music was filled with stereotypical gangster elements.

Stop listening to the media narrative and listen to Pac for yourself. His music had some of those elements but Pac's music was conscious as hell. Maybe not as much as Public Enemy or De La Soul but up there. Many of Pac's biggest songs like Keep Ya Head Up, Dear Mama, Temptations, Changes, California Love, I Ain't Mad At Ya, To Live And Die In LA, So Many Tears, etc. had absolutely nothing to do with being a gangster, drug dealer, or thug.

By contrast, Dre, Biggie, and Snoop's entire personas were built around being gangster or drug kingpins(Frank White) whereas Pac always presented himself as a complex person who wrestled with demons and exposed how vulnerable he was to people.

Even Cube's music post Predator succumbed to generic hardcore rap for quite some time and the consciousness of his music fell off big time to the degree that he practically became a totally different artist.

Pac's just an easy scapegoat cause he was targeted by the media more but he was actually one of the less gangster oriented rappers around despite the whole "thug life" image he had.

Tupac’s Gangster era was short compared to his career.

 

[Ty Daniels]

In my opinion...

It was the Late 80's Early 90's when the shift hit.
The popularity of many "Gangsta" artists around that time changed the direction of Hip Hop.

Movies live Boyz n The Hood, the success of NWA, Too-Short, Easy E, Dre and Snopp/Dogg Pound and "G-Funk".

"Gangsta" rappers were around before then, but they weren't "Main Stream".

 

[High Art]

I lowkey dislike it when people who barely listen to Pac buy into the media narrative that his music was filled with stereotypical gangster elements.

Stop listening to the media narrative and listen to Pac for yourself. His music had some of those elements but Pac's music was conscious as hell. Maybe not as much as Public Enemy or De La Soul but up there. Many of Pac's biggest songs like Keep Ya Head Up, Dear Mama, Temptations, Changes, California Love, I Ain't Mad At Ya, To Live And Die In LA, So Many Tears, etc. had absolutely nothing to do with being a gangster, drug dealer, or thug.

By contrast, Dre, Biggie, and Snoop's entire personas were built around being gangster or drug kingpins(Frank White) whereas Pac always presented himself as a complex person who wrestled with demons and exposed how vulnerable he was to people.

Even Cube's music post Predator succumbed to generic hardcore rap for quite some time and the consciousness of his music fell off big time to the degree that he practically became a totally different artist.

Pac's just an easy scapegoat cause he was targeted by the media more but he was actually one of the less gangster oriented rappers around despite the whole "thug life" image he had.

And to be fair, a decent amount of rap music back then actually lessons in their music. They'd actually tell you what would go wrong if one continued the lifestyle.