A very short report about Gangsta Rap most prominent pionners, those who were arrested, shot at, and ultimately killed.
Often linked with the likes of the notorious Bloods and the Crips gangs - gangsta rap, which originated in Los Angeles in the 1980's, rose to become the most lucrative of the hip hop subgenres.
Hip-Hop Evolution Of Gangsta Rap, Best Rap Songs Of Each Year, Most Popular Rap Songs Of 2019, Best Hip-Hop Songs 2019. Gangsta rap or Gangster rap is a style of hip hop characterized by themes and lyrics that generally emphasize the "gangsta" lifestyle. The genre evolved from hard rap into a distinct form, pioneered in the mid-1980s by rappers such as Schoolly D and Ice-T, and was popularized in the later part of the 1980s by groups like N.W.A. After the national attention that Ice-T and N.W.A attracted in the late 1980s and early 1990s, gangsta rap became the most commercially lucrative subgenre of hip hop. Many (if not most) gangsta rap artists openly boast of their associations with various active street gangs as part of their artistic image, with the Bloods and Crips being the most commonly represented. Gangsta rap parallels other indigenous gang and crime-oriented forms of music, such as the narcocorrido genre of northern Mexico. Hip-hop has arguably been the best genre of music in the past two decades. As hip-hop maintains its title, a lot has changed about the genre, such as the lyrics. Hip-hop has two phases, old school and new school each of which give off a different vibe. Old School “Hip-Hop” has music based prevalently on African American culture. Artists such as Tupac, Biggie Smalls, and Eazy-E often rap about the struggles of growing up in a racialized environment and the work they put in to get where they are today. In popular songs such as “Changes” by Tupac and “Juicy” by Biggie Smalls, the artists explain how they went from “negative to positive” as Biggie put it. Old school hip-hop is still popular today and is regarded as “classic” by many hip-hop fans. “New school” hip-hop has different types of lyrics. Rappers from today’s generation sing typically about girls, money, and cars they have. Some even sing about how they do drugs, drink alcohol, and party which sets a bad example for some listeners. Some of these rappers today did not have it as hard as rappers back in the old days. Also Hip-hop artists now are racially diverse, so African American culture is not necessarily found in music today. People who grew up listening to Tupac, Biggie, Eazy-E, and so on typically do not enjoy hip-hop in today’s era. Songs written when rap was introduced were lyrically better because rappers were able to tell a story using words that rhyme and flow. Some songs are also more appealing to fans because they can relate to the struggles their favorite rappers faced. People of this generation are used to listening to new school hip-hop which is the most played genre on the radio. These same fans reject old school Hip-Hop as a part of the music genre. There are even rappers who know nothing about the most influential Hip-Hop artists. Growing up listening to Eminem has caused me to fall in love with him as an artist. He introduced me to Hip-Hop. But I noticed a change in the music industry. Artists wanted to be part of the mainstream industry and they had to change their music to fit into the mainstream category. Because of new artists in hip-hop, many lessen known artists are rarely noticed. These artists are said to be “underground.” Underground rappers usually do not make it big because they have music related to the messages embodied by old school hip-hop artists would say. Some people think old school Hip-Hop is better than new school Hip-Hop. And there are many people who prefer underground Hip-Hop to mainstream Hip-Hop. What do you think? Source: Hip Hop Universe Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9xyJuY1Xt8
Sorry Slayer, but Body Count's version is better than yours. Maybe it's because I've listened so much Slayer in my teenage years that I was due for a change?! I must admit that the original sounds like a fuckin' ton of bricks.
The Iceberg/Freedom Of Speech... Just Watch What You Say!
The album was released after Ice-T had been encountering censorship problems on tour. In The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck?, the rapper states that "People had already told me what I could not say onstage in Columbus, Georgia. You couldn't say anything they called a 'swear' word. You couldn't touch yourself. They were using the same tactics they used on everyone from Elvis and Jim Morrison to 2 Live Crew". The album's cover, featuring a B-boy with a shotgun shoved in his mouth, and two pistols pressed against each side of his head, reflected Ice-T's experiences with the concept of freedom of speech. "The concept of that picture is, 'Go ahead and say what you want. But here comes the government and here come the parents, and they are ready to destroy you when you open your mouth'".
"Shut Up, Be Happy" consists of a spoken word performance by Jello Biafra laid over a sample of the low, heavy, distorted guitar from Black Sabbath's "Black Sabbath". "The Iceberg" alternates between typical violent metaphor, outlandish boasts, and comical sexual situations involving other members of Ice's Rhyme Syndicate. "Lethal Weapon" tells listeners that the mind is the most powerful weapon:
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"The Weapon power has been witnessed upon my page/From Martin Luther's dream, to Hitler's psycho rage."
”
"You Played Yourself" advises listeners to be smart and not let themselves "be played". "Peel Their Caps Back" is about committing a drive-by to avenge a slain friend. Unlike other songs where violence is a metaphor for the rapper's ability to defeat other rappers lyrically, this song is a stark depiction of what could lead to such an event. However, it contains two surprising elements: in the end, the main character is killed, and the whole event is written off by the media as just another gang killing. In "The Girl Tried to Kill Me", Ice-T raps about an encounter with a dominatrix:
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"Said she wanted to take me home to make love / Now that's the kind of rap that brothers dream of / I said, "Fast, slow, hard or soft, baby?" / She said, "All the above!"
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"Black and Decker" starts off with Rhyme Syndicate members complaining about the media's portrayal of their work as meaningless violence. Ice wonders aloud what it would sound like if you drilled into someone's head with a powerdrill. After some gory sound effects, Ice says "Probably sound like that." "Hit the Deck" offers sincere advice to wannabe-MCs:
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"But if it's in your heart, get a pen / Don't stop writing til the inkflow ends / Work and work and don't halfstep / Dog the mic every chance you get."
”
"This One's for Me" offers Ice's take on the rap scene and music industry. "The Hunted Child" is a first-person account of a scared young gang-banger on the run. The busy, multi-layered composition, with its scratched sirens and staccato drums, samples Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise". "What Ya Wanna Do" is a 9-minute party song featuring several members of the Syndicate, including a young Everlast, who became famous as a member of House of Pain. "Freedom of Speech" was one of the first raps to focus on the First Amendment and in particular attacked Tipper Gore's PMRC with unmistakable venom:
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"Hey PMRC, you stupid fuckin' assholes / The sticker on the record is what makes 'em sell gold / Can't you see, you alcoholic idiots / The more you try to suppress us, the larger we get."
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The album ends with in "My Word is Bond", featuring Syndicate members telling one exaggerated story after another against a looped sample of Slick Rick saying "Stop lying" from his song "La Di Da Di".
Ice-T – Freedom of Speech Lyrics
Artist: Ice-T Album: The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech Song: Freedom of Speech
Intro
A-yo Ice, man. I'm working on this term paper for college. What's the First Amendment?
Verse 1
Freedom of Speech, that's some motherfuckin' bullshit You say the wrong thing, they'll lock your ass up quick The FCC says "Profanity - No Airplay"? They can suck my dick while I take a shit all day Think I give a fuck about some silly bitch named Gore? Yo PMRC, here we go, raw Yo Tip, what's the matter? You ain't gettin' no dick? You're bitchin' about rock'n'roll, that's censorship, dumb bitch The Constitution says we all got a right to speak Say what we want Tip, your argument is weak Censor records, TV, school books too And who decides what's right to hear? You? Hey PMRC, you stupid fuckin' assholes The sticker on the record is what makes 'em sell gold Can't you see, you alcoholic idiots The more you try to suppress us, the larger we get
Verse 2
[You have the right to remain silent] Fuck that right! I want the right to talk I want the right to speak, I want the right to walk Where I wanna, yell and I'm gonna Tell and rebel every time I'm on a Microphone on the stage cold illin' The knowledge I drop will be heard by millions We ain't the problems, we ain't the villains It's the suckers deprivin' the truth from our children You can't hide the fact, Jack There's violence in the streets every day, any fool can recognise that But you try to lie and lie And say America's some motherfuckin' apple pie Yo, you gotta be high to believe that You're gonna change the world by a sticker on a record sleeve Cos once you take away my right to speak Everybody in the world's up shit creek
Verse 3
Let me tell you about down south Where a motherfucker might as well not even have a mouth Columbus, Georgia, said they'd lock me up If I got on the stage in my show and said "Fuck" So I thought for a minute and said "No I wasn't even gonna do a damned show" Cos for me to change my words from my rhymes Is never gonna happen cos there's no sell outs on mine But I vowed to get those motherfuckers one day They even arrested Bobby Brown and Cool J Yo, they got their's comin', cos I'm mad and I'm gunnin' Homeboys, and there's no runnin' I'm gonna tell you how I feel about you No bull, no lies, no slack, just straight fact Columbus, Georgia, you can suck my dick You ain't nothin' but a piece of fuckin' shit on the damned map
Verse 4
Freedom of Speech, let 'em take it from me Next they'll take it from you, then what you gonna do? Let 'em censor books, let 'em censor art PMRC, this is where the witch hunt starts You'll censor what we see, we read, we hear, we learn The books will burn You better think it out We should be able to say anything, our lungs were meant to shout Say what we feel, yell out what's real Even though it may not bring mass appeal Your opinion is yours, my opinion is mine If you don't like what I'm sayin'? Fine But don't close it, always keep an open mind A man who fails to listen is blind We only got one right left in the world today Let me have it or throw The Constitution away
Outro (Jello Biafra)
What they're trying to do with radio, with this, uh, McCarran-Walter Act and a lot of other ways, is start by saying that they're protecting the public from wicked rock bands, or girlie magazines, or whatever. But, if you follow the chain of dominoes that falls down what they're really trying to do is shut off our access to information itself.
If they can't do it by law they know there's other ways to do it
This next record is dedicated to some personal friends of mine, the LAPD.
For every cop that has ever taken advantage of somebody, beat em down or hurt em cause they have long hair, listen to the wrong kind of music, wrong colour, whatever they taught was the reason to do it.
For everyone of those fucking police.
I'd like to take a pig out here in this parking lot and shoot em in their motherfucking face.
Cop killer.
Yeah.
I got my black shirt on
I got my black gloves on
I got my ski mask on
This shits been too long
I got my twelve gauge sawed-off
I got my head lights turned off
I'm bout to bust some shots off
I'm bout to dust some cops off
I'm a cop killer, better you then me
Cop killer, fuck police brutality
Cop killer, i know your family's grieving
(Fuck em)
Cop Killer, but tonight we get even.ha ha
I got my brain on hype
Tonight'll be your night
I got this long ass-knife
And your neck looks just right
My adrenalines pumpin'
I got my stereo bumbin'
I'm bout to kill me somethin'
A pig stopped me for nuthin'
Cop killer, better you then me
Cop killer, fuck police brutality
Cop killer, i know your mommas grieving
(Fuck her)
Cop killer, but tonight we get even
Yeah
Die, die, die pig, die
Fuck the police
Fuck the police
Fuck the police
Fuck the police
Fuck the police
Fuck the police
Fuck the police
Fuck the police, yeah
Cop killer, better you then me
Cop killer, fuck police brutality
Cop killer, i know your familys grieving
(Fuck em)
Cop killer, but tonight we get even, ha ha ha ha, yeah
Fuck the police
Fuck the police
Fuck the police
Fuck the police
Fuck the police
Fuck the police
Fuck the police
Fuck the police, break it down
Fuck the police, yeah
Fuck the police, for Daryl Gates
Fuck the police, for Rodney King
Fuck the police, for my dead homies
Fuck the police, for your freedom
Fuck the police, don't be a pussy
Fuck the police, have some motherfucking courage
Fuck the police, sing along
Cop killer
Cop killer
Cop killer
Cop killer, what do you wanna be when you grow up?
Cop killer, good choice
Cop killer, i'm a motherfuckin'
Cop killer!
Cop killer, better you then me
Cop killer, fuck police brutality
Cop killer, i know your mommas grieving
(Fuck her)
Cop killer, but tonight we get even
THE REAL LIFE COP KILLER
Christopher Dorner
This is a live version of Cop Killer by Ice-T & Body Count. They were in New York City August 14, 1991
Ice T playing undercover cop Scotty Appleton in New Jack City (1991)
Self-professed cop hater Ice T (Tracy Marrow) is also an accomplished actor who make a confortable living playing cops on screen. Specially as detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola in Law & Order since 2000.
Body Count - Cop Killer live
Better sound than the above version.
Body Count, the eponymous album, is probably one of the most hardcore and explicit album I've never heard. Violent, brutal, sexual... Ice T's Body Count is A MUST for every metal and hip hop/rap fan around here. This album is a true classic for all serious metalheads in the world.
So grab a couple of dollars and buy this fuckin' album. You cheap son of a bitch!