West Coast hip-hop is a regional genre of hip-hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast of the United States. West Coast hip-hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the early to-mid 1990s with the birth of G-funk and the emergence of record labels such as Suge Knight and Dr. Dre's Death Row Records, Ice Cube's Lench Mob Records, the continued success of Eazy-E's Ruthless Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and others.
G-funk, short for gangsta funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre is heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic, often incorporated through samples or re-recordings. It is represented by commercially successful albums such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic (1992), Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle (1993), and 2Pac's All Eyez on Me (1996).
Greatest Hits is a posthumous double-disc greatest hits album by American rapper 2Pac, released by Amaru Entertainment, Death Row Records, Interscope Records, and Jive Records on November 24, 1998.
2Pacalypse Now is the debut solo studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on November 12, 1991, through TNT Recordings and Interscope Records, while EastWest Records America, a division of Atlantic distributed the album. The recording sessions took place at Starlight Sound Studio in Richmond, California. The album was produced by the Digital Underground production team the Underground Railroad, made up of Big D the Impossible, Shock G, Pee-Wee, DJ J-Z, Raw Fusion, and Live Squad. It features contributions from Stretch, Angelique, Dave Hollister, Pogo, Poppi, Ray Luv and Shock G among others. The album's title is a reference to the 1979 war film Apocalypse Now.
Tupac: Resurrection is a soundtrack album for the Academy Award-nominated documentary of the same name. It was released on November 11, 2003, by Amaru Entertainment and Interscope Records.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on December 4, 2001. It compiles 17 of Ice Cube's most well-known songs. Two songs were exclusive to the album, "$100 Bill Y'all" and "In the Late Night Hour".
"Brenda's Got a Baby" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his debut album, 2Pacalypse Now (1991). The song was first released as a promotional CD single a month prior to album's release and then, in February 1992, it was re-released as a double A-side single with the song "If My Homie Calls". The song, which features R&B singer Dave Hollister singing background vocals with Roniece Levias, is about a 12-year-old girl named Brenda who lives in a ghetto and has a baby she can't support. The song explores the issue of teen pregnancy and its effect on young mothers and their families. Like many of Shakur's songs, "Brenda's Got a Baby" draws from the plight of the impoverished. Using Brenda to represent young mothers in general, Shakur criticises the low level of support from the baby's father, the government, and society in general. Shakur wrote the song while filming the feature film Juice, after reading a newspaper article about a 12-year-old girl who became pregnant by her cousin and threw the baby into a trash heap.
Death Certificate is the second studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on October 29, 1991, through Priority Records. The album was produced by Sir Jinx, DJ Pooh, and Ice Cube. It was supported by two singles: "Steady Mobbin'" and "True to the Game".
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... is the second solo studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on February 16, 1993, via TNT Recordings and Interscope Records and distributed by Atlantic Records and Restless Records (LP). The recording sessions took place at Starlight Sound Studio in Richmond, Echo Sound Studio in Los Angeles and Unique Recording Studios in New York. The album was produced by the Underground Railroad and D-Flow Production Squad, as well as Live Squad, DJ Bobcat, DJ Daryl, Akshun, Laylaw, Special Ed, and Truman Jefferson. It features contributions from Live Squad, Apache, Dave Hollister, Deadly Threat, Digital Underground, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Poppi, Treach, and 2Pac's stepbrother Wycked among others.
"Dear Mama" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his third studio album, Me Against the World (1995). It was released on February 21, 1995, as the lead single from the album. The song is a tribute to his mother, Afeni Shakur. In the song, Shakur details his childhood poverty and his mother's addiction to crack cocaine, but argues that his love and deep respect for his mother supersede bad memories. The song became his first top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine. It also topped the Hot Rap Singles chart for five weeks. As of March 2021, the song is certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA.
Live and Let Die is the third and final studio album by the American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo. It was released on November 24, 1992, via Cold Chillin' Records and features Big Daddy Kane, Bushwick Bill, Ice Cube and Scarface. The singles "Ill Street Blues" and "On The Run" both received consistent airplay on Yo! MTV Raps and BET's Rap City upon release.
My Homies is the fifth studio album by an American rapper Scarface. It was released March 3, 1998, by Rap-A-Lot and Virgin Records. The album features production by Mike Dean, Mr. Lee, N.O. Joe, Scarface, and Tone Capone. Upon its release, My Homies peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard 200, becoming a certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as of April 6, 1998. The album features guest performances from 2Pac, Master P, Ice Cube, Devin the Dude, B-Legit, UGK, Too Short, Do or Die, and Willie D. Scarface appeared solo onto two out of thirty songs, while performing with others on thirteen and does not contribute vocals on fifteen. The sequel to the album, My Homies Part 2, was released on March 7, 2006.
The discography of American rapper Tupac Shakur consists of 11 studio albums. Throughout his career and posthumously, Shakur sold more than 75 million records worldwide. He has scored 5 No. 1 albums on Billboard 200 and 8 No. 1 albums on Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums.
Pac's Life is the tenth and final studio album, and sixth posthumous album by American rapper 2Pac, released on November 21, 2006 on Amaru Entertainment. The album serves as Shakur's tenth and final studio album since Amaru Entertainment completed the redo of Shakur's original discography, from 2Pacalypse Now to The 7 Day Theory. The album debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart.
Political hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the 1980s as a form of political expression and activism. It typically addresses sociopolitical issues through lyrics, aiming to inspire action, promote social change, or convey specific political viewpoints. The genre draws inspiration from earlier politically conscious artists, such as The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron, as well as movements like the Black Power movement and the Black Panther Party from the 1960s and 1970s.
The N.W.A Legacy, Volume 1: 1988–1998 is a two-disc compilation by album released on March 23, 1999, through Priority Records. It is composed of 26 songs recorded from 1988 to 1998 by the American hip-hop group N.W.A, including solo material of its members Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and MC Ren, and their affiliates such as The D.O.C., Above The Law, Da Lench Mob, Snoop Dogg, Penthouse Players Clique, Tha Dogg Pound, Westside Connection and 2Pac. Bryan Turner served as executive producer.
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is the debut studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on May 18, 1990, by Priority Records. It was his first solo album, after an acrimonious split from his former group N.W.A. Primarily produced by Public Enemy's production team the Bomb Squad, the album was a critical and commercial success, and was certified platinum in the United States on June 23, 1990.
Make Way for the Motherlode is the debut studio album by the American West Coast hip-hop musician Yo-Yo. Make Way for the Motherlode was released on March 19, 1991, through East West Records and Atlantic Records. The album was produced by Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, and Del tha Funkee Homosapien. Make Way for the Motherlode peaked at number 74 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Make Way for the Motherlode had two singles, including "You Can't Play with My Yo-Yo" and "What Can I Do?", both of which featured Ice Cube. The background vocals for "You Can't Play with My Yo-Yo" were sung by MC SOULA.
Raw Footage is the eighth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on August 19, 2008, by his record label Lench Mob Records and Universal Motown Records. The album features guest appearances from The Game, Butch Cassidy, Musiq Soulchild, Young Jeezy and WC. The album is his most political effort, since over a decade earlier with the release of his album The Predator (1992).
I Am the West is the ninth solo studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on September 28, 2010 through Lench Mob Records and Universal Republic Records, marking his second independent release following 2008's Raw Footage.
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