Coast War (Hip Hop)

Hip-hop as a subculture appeared in the 70s on the streets of New York , ^{[1] [2] [3]} as a result of which, during the 80s, hip-hop of the East Coast remained the leading style of the genre. ^[4] But in the late 80s, the attention of the audience gradually turned to rappers from California , of which Ice-T , MC Hammer and NWA became the most popular ^[4] This caused dissatisfaction of the eastern rappers, who unleashed hostility; in 1991, rapper Tim Dog released the track " Fuck Compton ", which was a diss for the band NWA and other artists from California, including DJ Quik . ^{[5] [6] [7]}

At the end of 1992, rapper and beatmaker Dr. Dre released his debut album, The Chronic , on Death Row , ^[8] which received three-platinum status the following year. ^[9] In late 1993, the debut album of Dr. Dre's protégé ^[10] , Long Beach rapper Snoop Dogg 's " Doggystyle ", which received multi-platinum status, was released on the same label. ^[11] Thus, by the beginning of 1994, Death Row, led by Dre and Sug Sug Knight , ^{[12] had} taken the lead on the West Coast. ^[13]

Bad Boy vs. Death Row

In 1993, rapper Puff Daddy founded Bad Boy Records in New York . ^{[14] [15]} The following year, a young rapper from Brooklyn, The Notorious BIG (also known as Biggie Smalls ) and Craig Mack , whose work was commercialized and seemed to enliven East Coast hip hop, debuted on the label. ^[17]

At that time, California rapper Tupac (born in New York), who was the main rival of Notorius, publicly accused him and his producer Sean Combs of the attack on Tupac in a New York record studio on November 30, 1994. ^{[5] [18] [19] [19] [20]} Then Biggie's song “ Who Shot Ya? ", Which was recorded on the back of the single" Big Poppa ", recorded before the assassination attempt (as Biggie and Combs claimed), ^[21] however, most of the rappers perceived this track as a mockery of Tupac . ^{[22] [23]}

In August 1995, the owner of Death Row, Sug Knight, at the Source Awards ceremony , uttered several phrases in his speech, ^[24] which directly offended Combs. ^[25] And although his speech was booed by the public, this marked the beginning of a label conflict. ^[26]

Tensions escalated at Atlanta- based producer Jermaine Dupree 's party, which was attended by the owners of both labels. There, Knight's close friend was shot in the arm, and the owner of Death Row accused Combs of involvement in the crime. ^{[18] [27] [28]} In the same year, Knight paid a $ 1.4 million bail for Tupac, which was signed to Death Row Records. ^[29] In October, the rapper joined the label in his feud with Bad Boy.

2Pac and Biggie Smalls

Tupac, together with Outlawz, released the track Hit 'Em Up , which was a diss not only for artists of Bad Boy, ^[30] but also for Shakur's other enemies - Mobb Deep , Chino XL , Lil' Kim . During 1995-1996, Shakur released several more diss on Biggie and his friends, ^{[31] [32]} in which other New York rappers - Nas , Jay-Z , LL Cool J and others - directly touched. In tandem with his Tupac, his label associates - Snoop Dogg , Tha Dogg Pound and others performed. As a result, the conflict between the two rappers escalated into a coastal war, ^{[33] [34]} in which even fans of the performers took part. ^[17]

In response to Tupac, too many diss were directed by the eastern rappers, who undermined his authority. On September 7, 1996, he got into a skirmish with Orlando Anderson, a member of the Crips gang ; after that, an attempt was made on him, and on September 13 the rapper, without regaining consciousness, died.

It seemed that the coastal war was on the wane, but Biggie was killed on March 9, 1997 - just like his rival, in a “drive-by” (firing from a car). ^[35]

The murder of Biggie drew public attention to the so-called. "Rap war" and called for a reconciliation of both sides. Rappers on both coasts, such as Snoop Dogg , Chuck D , Doug E. Fresh, and others, attended the summit held by Louis Farrahan in Chicago , where they signed a unity agreement that included a joint tour and album.

Subsequently, versions of the killing of rappers were repeatedly cited - among the killers of Tupac were Orlando Anderson, the Combs people, and primarily Suga Knight. Among the killers, Biggie was called his guards; Sug Knight announced that it was he who “ordered” the rapper. However, these crimes have not yet been solved.

• Gangsta rap