Sign-In
Cart
Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Birth of West Coast Rap
Paperback
General SociologyHip HopMusic Reference
Publisher Price: $21.99
ISBN13: 9780316344852
Publisher: Da Capo
Published: May 16 2017
Pages: 432
Weight: 1.00
Height: 1.20 Width: 5.90 Depth: 8.90
Language: English
Amid rising gang violence, the crack epidemic, and police brutality, a group of unlikely voices cut through the chaos of late 1980s Los Angeles: N.W.A. Led by a drug dealer, a glammed-up producer, and a high school kid, N.W.A gave voice to disenfranchised African Americans across the country. And they quickly redefined pop culture across the world. Their names remain as popular as ever - Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube. Dre soon joined forces with Suge Knight to create the combustible Death Row Records, which in turn transformed Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur into superstars.
Ben Westhoff explores how this group of artists shifted the balance of hip-hop from New York to Los Angeles. He shows how N.W.A.'s shocking success lead to rivalries between members, record labels, and eventually a war between East Coast and West Coast factions. In the process, hip-hop burst into mainstream America at a time of immense social change, and became the most dominant musical movement of the last thirty years. At gangsta rap's peak, two of its biggest names - Tupac and Biggie Smalls - were murdered, leaving the surviving artists to forge peace before the genre annihilated itself.
Featuring extensive investigative reporting, interviews with the principal players, and dozens of never-before-told stories, Original Gangstas is a groundbreaking addition to the history of popular music.
Also in
Hip Hop
Bust a Move: Matt Dike, Delicious Vinyl, and the Hip-Hop Hits That First Conquered Pop
Relic, Peter
Hardcover
Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm
Charnas, Dan
Paperback
Compton Street Legend: Notorious Keffe D's Street-Level Accounts of Tupac and Biggie Murders, Death Row Origins, Suge Knight, Puffy Combs, and Crooked
Davis, Duane 'keffe D'
Jah, Yusuf
Paperback
Raps of Resistance: How Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole Reignited a Hip-Hop Tradition
Hopkins, Earl
McCool, Jeremy C.
Hardcover
Diary of a Madman: The Geto Boys, Life, Death, and the Roots of Southern Rap
Jordan, Brad Scarface
Ingram, Benjamin Meadows
Paperback
The FBI War on Tupac Shakur: The State Repression of Black Leaders from the Civil Rights Era to the 1990s
Potash, John
Paperback
Orbit: RAP Icons: DMX, Megan Thee Stallion, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wanye
Magno, Diego
Esquivel, Eric M.
Paperback
On Ruben Slikk: A Manifesto on the Purpose of Art and the Value of Transgression
True, Caleb
Paperback
Rock Steady for Life: Bringing Breakdancing to the World
Crew, The Rock Steady
Colón, Richard Crazy Legs
Hardcover
The Dirty Version: On Stage, in the Studio, and in the Streets with Ol' Dirty Bastard
Hess, Mickey
Monk, Buddha
Paperback
Ways of Listening: Building a Deeper Relationship with Music in the Streaming Era
Pemberton, Rollie
Hardcover
The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America
Moore, Marcus J.
Paperback
Promise That You Will Sing about Me: The Power and Poetry of Kendrick Lamar
Lewis, Miles Marshall
Hardcover
The Rap Year Book: The Most Important Rap Song from Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed
Serrano, Shea
Paperback
Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar
West, Donda
Hunter, Karen
Paperback
The BeatTips Manual: The Art of Beatmaking, The Hip Hop/Rap Music Tradition, and The Common Composer
Said, Amir
Paperback
Electro Rap: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Reality in the Circuitry of Hip Hop
Paor-Evans, Adam de
Hardcover
The Hip-Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African-American Culture
Kitwana, Bakari
Paperback
My Brother's Name Is Kenny: The Greatest True Hip-Hop Story Ever Told
Daniels, Rose
Parker, Kenny
Paperback
The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk about When We Talk about Hip Hop--And Why It Matters
Rose, Tricia
Paperback
LL Cool J Presents the Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Greatness
Banks, Alec
LL Cool J.
Tobak, Vikki
Hardcover
Dancing with the Devil, how Puff burned the bad boys of Hip-Hop: Dancing with the Devil
Curry, Mark
Paperback
Hip-Hop Archives: The Politics and Poetics of Knowledge Production
Campbell, Mark V.
Forman, Murray
Paperback
Check the Technique: Volume 2 More Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies
Coleman, Brian
Mansbach, Adam
Paperback
Lgnd Tlk Vol 1: The Fastest Way to a Fresh Start (The Hustle Sold Separately)
Edwards, Marcus Lil Keke
Paperback
The Art of Sampling: The Sampling Tradition of Hip Hop/Rap Music and Copyright Law
Said, Amir
Paperback
Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon
McQuillar, Tayannah Lee
Johnson, Fred L.
Paperback
Bedroom Rapper: Cadence Weapon on Hip-Hop, Resistance and Surviving the Music Industry
Pemberton, Rollie
Paperback