School me on the late 90s hiphop.

85
35
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Everything seemed so gritty and hard. DMX blew up and it seemed like he led or symbolized that era. 



And it seemed like everyone was wearing black leather and I seen in a couple of vids of rappers wearing them dope *** round frames like 

Reggae was also becoming more prominent and everything just felt like a unity between hiphop and reggae. (Brooklyn stayed playing reggae)

IDK it just seems like the late 90s was a perfect blend of the simplicity of the past and how advanced the present is. I'm not sure though cause I'm only 19 so I have little memory of the years 97/98-2000
 
I allways thought the late 90's belonged to Cash Money and No Limit and Screw Music for the south atleast.
 
The golden years. The years where real rap artists were really from the street or poverty level before making it to the ultimate level of stardom. Where they would rap about things that were relevant to what life was like before the contract was signed, not about the things that occured after the money came in (swag, bottles, turning up, etc :rolleyes).

Where DMX/Ruff Ryders and Prodigy from Mobb Deep were untouchable. Nas was actually on a decline in those years considering Nastradamus and the QB project didn't meet expectations. Cash Money introduced a lot of people to southern music. Eminem was on a tear with Dre. Big Pun had just hit his prime before passing. Wu Tang was entering the digital years and was still relevant.

The were years I actually grew into Hip-Hop as a kid to a man..
 
Last edited:
What kinda frames were Nas wearing in that pic ? (Belly)

And someone told me The Tunnel in NYC used to bump crazy.  

It was like literally taking everything from the street and putting it inside a club. People were getting robbed on the way to the bathroom, people would get stabbed and it wouldn't even close, hand-to-hand sales out in the open, all kinds of revolting sexual acts were performed right on the dance floor.

It really was like taking a piece of the street and putting in inside a closed environment. Total freedom of expression.

This true?? Anyone been there??
 
Last edited:
The late 90's in NY hip hop seems way less rugged and raw as the early 90s.

The late 90's was the Jiggy Era, where cats were more about balling thanks to Bad Boy post-Biggie and Rocafella/Def Jam/Violator Management, as well as advances in the kind of money labels were putting into rap videos. Then there was stuff like MTV Cribs and MTV Diary and when Rap City was in Tha Basement where rappers got to stunt and seem super rich without any kind of social media proving that they weren't that rich.

Plus this is when the south was really on the come up nationally, which led to the Atlanta-then-Miami takeover hop maistream rap in the early 2000's.

The late 90's is when alot of NYC rappers from the late 80's and early 90's started fading in popularity, becoming old disgruntled Lord Jamar types. Alot of the ones who did change with the times ended up just selling out. That's why you eneded up with such a strang Underground scene with Rawkus Records, Definitive Jux, all those Heiroglyphics type acts and whatnot. It was great for those of us who loved super lyrical stuff because you got to listen to Mos Def and Talib Kweli drop albums and freestyles and feel like you're tuned into "Real Hip Hop" while you hate on mainstream artists. Meanwhile, if you were into that rich trapper **** you could hate on "Backpackers" and pump that new Soulja Slim or that new Jay Z, or that new Big Pun. It was great music all around, though arguably not as great as the preceding years but also better than what came immediately after until the Mixtape era.

Everything hip hop fans hate about rap nowadays, all those arguments started in the late 90's.

If you look at the 90's, i kind of see it like this:
-Early 90's = rugged and raw, very heavy 5 % influence, lots of musi about just being a dude from around the way
-Mid 90's = Mafioso, cats is rapping about being a boss and luxury lifestyle; the South is making really good music that doesn't really translate to Northeastern tastes past the DMV
-Late 90's = Record labels are investing alot more money into their Rap divisions, well respected OG rappers start selling out little by little to stay relevant; more and more rappers getting record deals, rap game starts getting dilluted and fans start complaining and start aligning themselves along the lines of Underground, Mainstream, and Street.
 
The late-90's also introduced more of the hip-hop/R&B blend of music that kind of watered down the Hip-Hop era going into the Millennium.

Dr Dre/Blackstreet "No Diggity" kind of was the first in breakthrough for the Hip-Hop/R&B combo that dominates in today's hip-hop.
 
 
What kinda frames were Nas wearing in that pic ? (Belly)

And someone told me The Tunnel in NYC used to bump crazy.  

It was like literally taking everything from the street and putting it inside a club. People were getting robbed on the way to the bathroom, people would get stabbed and it wouldn't even close, hand-to-hand sales out in the open, all kinds of revolting sexual acts were performed right on the dance floor.

It really was like taking a piece of the street and putting in inside a closed environment. Total freedom of expression.

This true?? Anyone been there??
This a great article on the Tunnel by Miss Info in the an old issue of Vibe

there was also a piece by Cipha Sounds on Complex a few years ago that accompanied his Tunnel Mixtape

(nt resized the images so here's  the pdf  )
 
Last edited:
The golden years. The years where real rap artists were really from the street or poverty level before making it to the ultimate level of stardom. Where they would rap about things that were relevant to what life was like before the contract was signed, not about the things that occured after the money came in (swag, bottles, turning up, etc :rolleyes).

Where DMX/Ruff Ryders and Prodigy from Mobb Deep were untouchable. Nas was actually on a decline in those years considering Nastradamus and the QB project didn't meet expectations. Cash Money introduced a lot of people to southern music. Eminem was on a tear with Dre. Big Pun had just hit his prime before passing. Wu Tang was entering the digital years and was still relevant.

The were years I actually grew into Hip-Hop as a kid to a man..
Why does it matter if a rapper is from poverty or not?

Doesnt make the music better just makes his music better.

When the watts riot were going om dr dre snoop and others were chillin in calabasas :lol: and ppl think they r real Gs
 
4 albums I remember purchasing in the late 90s was DMX It's Dark and Hell is Hot, Noreaga N.O.R.E. and Memphis Bleek Coming of Age and DJ Clue The Professional.
 
The golden years. The years where real rap artists were really from the street or poverty level before making it to the ultimate level of stardom. Where they would rap about things that were relevant to what life was like before the contract was signed, not about the things that occured after the money came in (swag, bottles, turning up, etc :rolleyes).

Where DMX/Ruff Ryders and Prodigy from Mobb Deep were untouchable. Nas was actually on a decline in those years considering Nastradamus and the QB project didn't meet expectations. Cash Money introduced a lot of people to southern music. Eminem was on a tear with Dre. Big Pun had just hit his prime before passing. Wu Tang was entering the digital years and was still relevant.

The were years I actually grew into Hip-Hop as a kid to a man..
Why does it matter if a rapper is from poverty or not?

Doesnt make the music better just makes his music better.

I disagree. Obviously this post is in appreciation and acknowledging 90's hip-hop as being the best era in rap, and coincidentally - most of those rappers were arising from poverty...so yes, it did make the overall music content better.
 
Last edited:


This was my mess in high school. Had my anti skip portable discman and sony headphones.


This did knock.

I miss the Wu-Tang vs. No Limit/ No Limit vs. CMB debates. Then this video dropped and it was like, well as far as the North/East, the Wu got it. :lol:

But when TRU dropped that No Limit Soldiers cut :smh:
 
The golden years. The years where real rap artists were really from the street or poverty level before making it to the ultimate level of stardom. Where they would rap about things that were relevant to what life was like before the contract was signed, not about the things that occured after the money came in (swag, bottles, turning up, etc :rolleyes).

Where DMX/Ruff Ryders and Prodigy from Mobb Deep were untouchable. Nas was actually on a decline in those years considering Nastradamus and the QB project didn't meet expectations. Cash Money introduced a lot of people to southern music. Eminem was on a tear with Dre. Big Pun had just hit his prime before passing. Wu Tang was entering the digital years and was still relevant.

The were years I actually grew into Hip-Hop as a kid to a man..

"a ***** rappin' 'bout blunts and broads
**** and bras, menage-a-trois, sex and expensive cars
and still leave you on the pavement
" - B.I.G. (1997)

"money, cash, ****...money, cash, **** (WHAT?!) *DMX Voice*" - Jay-Z (1998)

"bling bling, everytime i come around ya city bling bling
pinky ring worth about 50 bling bling
everytime i buy new rides bling bling
Lorenzos on Yokohama tires bling bling"
- Cash Money (1999)


C'mon guys everybody can appreciate the 90s without having convenient amnesia. :lol:
Sure there's an influx of trash rappers but the subject matter hasn't changed much.
Just better rappers.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom