What was Hip Hop Like Back in the 80's and early 90's?

[D.Original]

I started listening to hiphop real heavy in 95 and i remember havin a hard time just tryin to keep up with all the dope shit that was comin out on regular basis. plus goin back and gettin everything that i missed a couple years before. it was almost too much. wutang was the ones that were doin it like nobody else tho... from enter the 36 to tical to cuban linx to return to the 36 then liquid swords ironman, wutang forever...that shit was crazy. NO CREW since then has done it like that. and all the regions were killin it too. man..too much to say about the 90s

 

[white715]

Oh yeah, was waiting on Snoop to drop too cuz Deep Cover was a monster. But I guess you really had to be around at the time to know. ANd it was hard to get that Deep Cover without buying the whole sound track. And Redman came out right before I went to overseas to the Gulf in Nov 92. Nas's album dropped almost a whole year after that. I remember my homie went home on leave to NYC and came back with a dj SIlver Surfa mix tape with Biggie, Craig Mack and some other shit, but that Biggie joint had niggas waiting too. I still got some of those old mix tapes around here too, nigga had the Mic Geronimo "Shit's Real" on there too where he cut it to extend the song. But my young homie, like I say, you had to have been around at the time.

Well I think it has to do also with where I'm from, Buffalo usually is late with trends and music back then when the internets weren't around I was a shorty but I was listening to what my cousins, who are a couple years younger than you, and what my older siblings was listening to and I don't remember them bumping Illmatic when it first dropped.

 

[Catalyst2012]

In respect to Heavy D, how big was he (no pun intended) back in the day?

 

[king hassan]

Well I think it has to do also with where I'm from, Buffalo usually is late with trends and music back then when the internets weren't around I was a shorty but I was listening to what my cousins, who are a couple years younger than you, and what my older siblings was listening to and I don't remember them bumping Illmatic when it first dropped.

They probably just did'nt dig him then, you gotta remember it was so much shit out at the time too. They did'nt just latch on to a few rappers then like they do now. But aye young homie, I'll get at yall later, Sandman kicking my ass right about now. Peace

 

[swishers&dank]

if u were a teen in the 90s u were truly truly blessed. u were ol enuff 2 remember some of the golden age hip hop + it seem like '91-'92 there was this urge of new talent. the first rap album i can remember listening 2 was my avi. that 'chucky' song had me spook like a mf lol..

 

[judahxulu]

if u were a teen in the 90s u were truly truly blessed. u were ol enuff 2 remember some of the golden age hip hop + it seem like '91-'92 there was this urge of new talent. the first rap album i can remember listening 2 was my avi. that 'chucky' song had me spook like a mf lol..

...the worst thing that u can do is let me watch yo fucking kids/ cause ima teach how to act, and if they aint acting right- THEY DYING TONITE" LOL...

 

[white715]

In respect to Heavy D, how big was he (no pun intended) back in the day?

Heavy D was popular back then his work with Janet and Michael can attest to that, he was also liked or atleast respected by everyone he could spit and he was funny and he could dance too (females loved that about him), like ya grandma and cats on the block could listen to him.

 

[judahxulu]

keep this thread goin, ima 90s baby and im interested as fuck lol. where all the old niggas at??? was the chronic pretty hyped when it came out or did its impact grow with time?

NIGGA IT WAS INSTANT HEAT. death row couldnt lose for a long time after that. but nigga the chronic?? it wasnt like now where EVERYBODY damn near smokes weed. it was more here and there and in certain circles youd almost be looked at like a hype or maybe a wino for a weed habit. but boy oh boy was that shit the soundtrack to some smoke sessions...

the chronic hit hard but doggystyle was that shit that just shut the game down.

 

[Catalyst2012]

just saw the earlier remixes thread... wanted to know how the remixes where made to back in the day?

 

[Daddy_PeaceBuck$]

if u were a teen in the 90s u were truly truly blessed. u were ol enuff 2 remember some of the golden age hip hop + it seem like '91-'92 there was this urge of new talent. the first rap album i can remember listening 2 was my avi. that 'chucky' song had me spook like a mf lol..

That album dropped when I was in New York. They played My minid playing tricks back to back on Kiss FM.

I knew the South had broke through then.

 

[swishers&dank]

...the worst thing that u can do is let me watch yo fucking kids/ cause ima teach how to act, and if they aint acting right- THEY DYING TONITE" LOL...

bro i was 11 yrs old lol..like i really feel sorry for these kids they really missed out. a good album back then was almost cinematic..

 

[swishers&dank]

just saw the earlier remixes thread... wanted to know how the remixes where made to back in the day?

they remade the beat rather than jus threw new niggaz on the track. i think kanye was the last rapper to really remix his song (power)..

 

[Mr. AJ]

I'm old enough to know... but here is a sample of what we played/breakdance to & what it was like in my day (and I don't bring mainstream shit either)

[video=youtube;DmwEG-vtZB0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmwEG-vtZB0&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;l3sXZKnToeA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3sXZKnToeA[/video]

[video=youtube;eWV5t1SgVj0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWV5t1SgVj0[/video]

[video=youtube;K9jmrZDutMs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9jmrZDutMs&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;v7H_gGA7Qr4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7H_gGA7Qr4[/video]

[video=youtube;r0L_AVc1OjE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0L_AVc1OjE&feature=related[/video]

 

[blank..]

Not gonna lie them 80's joints were some wack beats.

Niggas in general rapping in the 80's had a fetish for wack, monotone beats.

 

[rapmastermind]

Here's what I wrote in a different thread where a "90's baby" said he felt robbed by the year he was born. Here's what I told him:

I feel bad for you homey and all the 90's babies that were either too young or just didn't understand that history was happening. Lucky for me I was born in 1980 and my High school years were:

9th Grade: 94-95
10th Grade: 95-96
11th Grade: 96-97
12th Grade: 97-98

Tupac and Biggie died my 11th grade year. I was 16 when Pac went and 17 when Biggie went so the heart of my Hip Hop Life was right there in the 90's. We had it all, the artist, the classics. The singles back then were much more diverse, you would have your commerical stuff but all the underground stuff got airplay also. The Movies like "Juice", "Above the Rim", "Menence II Society", "Boyz In the Hood", "Poetic Justice", "New Jack City". And Yes even the wack artist of the 90's still made better music than the weak dudes now. We had Rap City before it was the bassment and after, we had Yo MTV raps. Watching Rap videos after school = GOAT. It was just a great time to be a hip hop fan. My Avi of NaS and Biggie was a photo taken of them together in 1993, I post that picture because at that moment when they dropped, that's when I knew I will forever love rap music. It's this era that has kept me holding on to this genre even past my 30's. This last decade was a huge step down for the genre but there was still some good music.

Just think about it though, Naughty By Nature, Tribe, Dre, Snoop, Ice Cube, Warren G, Dogg Pound, Biggie, NaS, Jay Z Tupac, Redman, Wu Tang, DMX, Bone Thugs, Big Pun, Puffy, Bootcamp Click, Jeru da damja, Fugees, Outkast, Scarface, No Limit, Lil Kim, Foxy We even got Rakim back in the last 90's. It was just THAT Era. 80's era is the only thing that rivals it. So I sympathize with what the O/P is saying about not being old enough to truly appreicate the era. I feel the same way about the 80's because I was a youngin during the Golden Era 82-89 so though I heard the music through family I wasn't old enough to appreciate it. Remember, everyone his their own era in life so it's not that you got cheated, destiny brought you here when it did. With that said I feel blessed that my teenage years was 90's Hip Hop, Classic Ish which is why no matter how old I get, I pop in those songs and it's like hoppin in the deloeran and going back in time to when Hip Hop was just uncut pure crack rock, lol. My 1st Clubbing experiences was to that great 90's era, going to the club with 90's Hip Hop, they were playing album cuts in the club not just singles, that's how dope Hip Hop was.

With Heavy D passing and Nate Dogg earlier this year, it really hit 80's babies hard, we grew up on all that ish. I was lucky again cause even though I was a child of the 80's, I grew up in the Hip Hop generation cause my Dad was a hip hop head. I remember him playing Kool Moe Dee's "Wild, Wild, West", LL Cool J, Run DMC as well as Rakim while I was growing up. My 1st rap CD ever was "He's the DJ and I'm Rapper" from Will and Jeff. Overall I can say with complete honesty, not just nostalgia, the 80's and 90's is why I will forever love hip hop. The 2000's are the Dark Ages. Even the weak ish from previous era's outshines a lot of stuff today. Example, most rap fans thought Puffy's "No Way Out" was way to commercial and that diddy couldn't really rap. Well "No Way Out" shits on a lot of albums in the 2000's. I rest my case.

 

[achewon87]

Midnight Marauders, Enter the 36 Chambers and Doggystyle all dropped the same month, the same month! 3 Classics in 1 month. There is a lot to say about the 90's in regards to hip hop but the game was truly blessed November '93.

 

[rapmastermind]

Not gonna lie them 80's joints were some wack beats.

Niggas in general rapping in the 80's had a fetish for wack, monotone beats.

You see, I don't agree with the 80's have weak beats or hooks. The issue is rap really evolved lyrically that's why the "ABC"/Dr Suess Rhymes styles of the 80's seem dated. But they were WAY more creative than rappers today, with hooks and samples. And looking how Lyricism dropped dramatically in the 2000's, I argue that the 80's lyricist are better than a lot of rappers rapping now. Heavy D flow and skills are better than mad rappers right now and he's came from the that 80's style.

 

[Mr. AJ]

Well, ya gotta look at it like this.. it was the Model T, experimental era of hip hop (the 80's). Music technology was sub-par and wasn't advanced to the point where it could compliment hip hop production. I mean the 80's was like the quarter Pac Man arcade game and hip hop over the past decade is on a ps3/Xbox level.

 

[achewon87]

aint that wild?
them three shits are so different and got love from everybody...
shit was all love...

That's the way it should be, make great music and you should get burn no matter the region, game's a little different today.

 

[rapmastermind]

Also for the record Biggie did bring the East Back. NaS and Wu did get the ball rolling but quality wasn't the issue for New York. The Fact is between LL's "Mamma said knock you out" which was released in 90, no New York solo emcee went Platinum. New York was in a serious sales drought after all the success from the 80's. Beastie Boys, Tribe, Onyx and Black Sheep saw success as groups but none of them were able to stop Dre and Snoop's as well as Death Row's takeover. It wasn't until "Ready To Die" dropped that all changed. Not only was it the most success solo album for a New York Rapper, it literally shifted the sound of Hip Hop at that time and open the door for other New York Emcees to flourish. So "36 chambers and ILLmatic" started the camp fire, Biggie threw gasoline on it.