GAngsta rap
"Gangsta rap is a sub-genre of hip-hop music that evolved from hardcore hip-hop"(Gangsta Rap, n.d.) The genre came into existence in the mid 1980s. Gangsta rappers like Ice-T and Schooll helped start the genre while groups like N.W.A helped popularize it. ". . . [I]n the late 1980s and early 1990s, gangsta rap became the most commercially lucrative sub-genre of hip-hop"(Gangsta Rap, n.d.).
The genre created a lot of criticism due to the ideas rapped about in the songs. Religious leaders along with left and right wing commentators were not happy with the music. They claimed the songs encouraged violence, racism, sex addiction, drugs, alcohol, and disobedience to name a few. There is truth to these claims with some gangsta rappers being associated, or allegedly having ties with the Bloods or Crips gangs. Many rappers like Ice-T have spoken out by saying they are being unfairly singled out for addressing public issues that need to be addressed. Others say that white politicans have no desire to understand the music or the problems being faced. The artists also said rap is under attack because it exposed all the contradictions to American society which many claimed were not addressed until this art form emerged (Gangsta Rap, n.d.). |
ICE-T
The rapper, ICE-T was known for rapping about street violence, but most importantly for his contribution to gangsta rap. The rapper lost both his parents at a young age and went to live with his aunt. After high school, he served in the army for four years before following a career as a hustler. He was a big part of inner city crime and would have continued in that direction if his rapping career had not opened. This man became famous in the 1990s for his controversial songs like one called "Cop Killer". After a while, he began a career as an actor too (Ice-T Biography, n.d.).