One of the most controversial genres of music, if not the most controversial, to ever hit the mainstream. To detractors, it's nothing but gratuitous profanity, perpetuation of racial stereotypes, glorification of violence, glorification of drug dealing, drug use, drinking and gang activities, homophobia, misogyny, and grammatical inaccuracy. Moral Guardians criticized the music and its alleged negative impacts. To fans and proprietors, it's catharsis.
The term Gangsta Rap actually came from the media, not the artists themselves, though some have called the genre "Reality Rap", or prime time news in the form of rap music. The genre in its infancy even had shades of Conscious Hip Hop and Political Rap. There were also a lot of issues with mislabeling. Quite a few rappers who didn't fall into the alt/indie scene were automatically placed under the umbrella term Gangsta Rap. Usually cynically and unfairly. There is also debate going on about whether the genre is still alive and well in the mainstream, or is it deader than a horse. Some proponents feel that it died a long time ago, while opponents (usually alt/indie rap fans) think a watered-down version is still very much alive, continuing the Uncle Tom Foolery and the dumbing down of the genre.
Gangsta rap tends to appear in four flavors:
- Blue Collar: The more down-to-earth, blue collar type. Usually raps about Real Life struggles, problems and horrors of their gang, poverty, and crime ridden inner city neighborhood in a realistic way. Topics generally fall in the Justified Criminal territory. Could also have urban morality tales, with socio-economic and political undertones. Sometimes told from an observer point of view. Is also usually anti-establishment and anti-authoritarian.
- Commercial: The more commercial type, basically a polished, pseudo-hardcore, toned down version of Blue Collar and Hardcore. Keep in mind they still wanna sell records. Usually Overlaps with Glam Rap, and some music critics call this form Post Gangsta.
- Hardcore: The darker, unapologetic, exaggerated, no-holds-barred, hardcore, drug pushing, psycho gangsta rap, sometimes bordering on Horrorcore. A Flanderization of Blue Collar in many cases. When Moral Guardians are talking about the immorality of the Gangsta Rap genre, this is usually the type they have in mind.
- Mafioso: Mafioso rap, gangsta rap which is more akin to romanticized mafioso films and organized crime, than typical gang violence.
See Trap Music where gangsta is stripped to the bare essentials of just a good beat and gangsta cliches.
See Horrorcore, which is when you take gangsta rap and add gory lyrics akin to Death Metal.
After the genre had been around for two decades, many of the rappers who were making hard-hitting Blue Collar albums have softened as they reached their 30s and 40s. Many of them became parents, dramatically changing their opinions on violence and profanity, with many taking up Rated G for Gangsta projects (looking at you, Ice Cube, as well as PSY). There are, however, exceptions (TechN9ne, for example).
Examples:
- 2pac: Blue Collar, with shades of Commercial and Hardcore.
- 2Pacalypse Now (1991)
- Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993)
- Me Against the World (1995)
- All Eyez on Me (1996)
- The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996)
- Above The Law: Blue Collar, with elements of Political Rap
- Anybody Killa: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- Axe Murder Boyz: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- Big L: Hardcore.
- Blaze Ya Dead Homie: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- Bone Thugs-n-Harmony: Their lyrics are definitely Blue Collar and Hardcore. As of recent mostly Blue Collar. But as far as tone goes their music varied though.
- 1995 - E. 1999 Eternal
- Brotha Lynch Hung: Hardcore to the extreme.
- Chief Keef: Hardcore.
- Clipse: Has elements of Blue Collar, Commercial, and Mafioso.
- Cold 187um
- Compton's Most Wanted: Blue Collar.
- Coolio: Blue Collar/Commercial.
- Cypress Hill: Hardcore, with an emphasis on their favorite plant.
- Black Sunday (1993)
- Dayton Family: A bleak, depressing version of Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- Dead Prez: Blue Collar mixed with political rap.
- Dice: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- Dizzee Rascal: A rudeboy take on Blue Collar. Some of his Boastful Rap tracks are Commercial.
- DJ Quik: Fluctuates between Hardcore, Mafioso and Commercial.
- Dr. Dre: Blue Collar and Commercial.
- The Chronic (1992)
- Eazy-E: Hardcore.
- The Game (Rapper): As Blue Collar as it gets, but has occasionally dabbed into Hardcore.
- Geto Boys: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- Scarface is purely Blue Collar nowadays, although he ventured into Hardcore early on (especially with his debut, Mr. Scarface Is Back).
- Greyson And Jasun: Hardcore.Their debut album "Sweatin' Me Wet" was one of the many examples of violent East Coast hardcore/gangsta rap. What makes it more uncomfortable to listen to, is their apparent lack of remorse for their crimes described, although "Livin like a Troopa" was a morality tale.
- Ice Cube: Blue Collar.
- Ice-T: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- Jay-Z: Mafioso in the beginning, but then delved into Commercial with shades of Blue Collar during the late-90's. In the early-2000's, he more-or-less moved away from Gangsta Rap in favor of traditional Glam Rap but briefly returned to it six years later on his concept album, American Gangster, where his style is Blue Collar and eventually a disillusioned version of Commercial.
- Kendrick Lamar: Blue Collar in the most unglamorous sense on the first two thirds or so of good kid, m.A.A.d city.
- Kool G Rap and DJ Polo: Blue Collar.
- Kool G Rap on his own was pretty much the precursor for many of Mafioso gangsta rappers like AZ and Raekwon. Check his 1995 solo debut album "4, 5, 6", then the 1998 follow-up quasi-concept album "Roots Of Evil". Still an active artist, his rhymes now incorporate elements of Blue Collar, Hardcore, and Mafioso with Blue Collar being the most predominant.
- Kool Moe Dee, arguably the originator of Blue Collar hardcore hip hop. his post How Ya Like Me Now albums took a Commercial approach while retaining his Blue Collar style.
- KRS-One: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- Maxo Kream: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- MC Ren: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- MF Grimm: Blue Collar most of the time with a little bit of Hardcore. Mostly found in his concept album about a gangster gingerbread man.
- Mobb Deep: Primarily Hardcore and Mafioso, with occasional touches of Commercial.
- M.O.P: Purely Hardcore. In fact, one of their most popular songs is called: "How about some Hardcore?"
- Naughty By Nature: Hardcore, with the occasional Blue Collar song.
- Nas is Blue Collar, although his second album is more Mafioso.
- Illmatic (1994)
- No Limit Records- The record label had artists that ran the gamut of all four types. Mostly Blue Collar and Hardcore though.
- Notorious B.I.G: Commercial, Hardcore, and Mafioso.
- Ready to Die (1994)
- Life After Death (1997)
- Nipsey Hussle: Blue-Collar
- N.W.A: Blue Collar (when Ice Cube was with them) and Hardcore.
- Straight Outta Compton (1988)
- Onyx: Hardcore.
- Papoose: Blue Collar and Hardcore
- Project Born: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- PSY is a Korean K-Pop take on this trope. Started out as Hardcore in his debut album but he shifts between all four flavors before completely going Blue Collar and Commercial Pop Rap in The New '10s, at least in his music videos. His most popular songs like Gangnam Style are firmly in Commercial flavor.
- Psychopathic Rydas: Blue Collar.
- Remy Ma: Hardcore.
- ScHoolboy Q: Evenly balanced between Blue Collar and Hardcore
- Schoolly D: Blue Collar and Hardcore. One of the pioneers of the genre. Ice-T credits his song "P.S.K. (What The Hell Does That Mean") as the first Gangsta Rap song.
- Schoolly D (Album) (1985)
- Saturday Night! – The Album (1986)
- Slick Rick: Hovers between Blue Collar and Commercial, though he's largely Blue Collar, as most of his songs tend to be fairly realistic.
- Snoop Dogg: Blue Collar and Commercial.
- South Central Cartel
- Spice-1: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- Three 6 Mafia: Firmly in Hardcore early on. Later works lean towards Commercial.
- Too $hort
- Top Authority: Blue Collar.
- Tweety Bird Loc: Hardcore. However, a lot of his songs are comical in nature more than about violence.
- Vince Staples: Strictly Blue Collar, although he doesn't classify himself as a gangsta rapper.
- Woodie: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- Tommy Wright III: Blue Collar and Hardcore.
- Wu-Tang Clan: Blue Collar mixed with a good portion of Hardcore.
- X-Raided: Hardcore.
- YG: Blue Collar and Commercial.
