East Coast Hip-Hop
The early 1990s were dominated by hip-hop of the West Coast, in particular the G-funk production of Dr. Dre. The East Coast experienced a resurgence in popularity starting in 1993, with the release of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by the Wu-Tang Clan. The Wu-Tang Clan was unusual among hip-hop groups of the time because it was so large. They refused to sign a record contract unless the label would also allow each individual rapper to produce solo albums either on that label or on other record labels; after lengthy negotiations, RCA finally signed the group
with the understanding that the individual members could record solo albums on other labels. Led by rapper and producer, the Wu-Tang Clan's members also included Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and GZA.
The music of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was dark, gritty, and often witty. The members of the group were heavily influenced by martial arts films, and their group's name came from a film called Shaolin and Wu Tang, and the album's name was inspired by the movie The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. RZA mixed samples of funk records with sound clips from martial arts movies, and he produced the sounds on inexpensive equipment. The overall effect is both muffled and resonant. The title of the single "C.R.E.A.M. ♫" is an acronym for "cash rules everything around me," and this line is articulated by Method Man. "C.R.E.A.M. ♫" also includes verses performed by Raekwon and by Inspectah Deck; the large number of members of the Wu-Tang Clan made it impossible for all members to perform on every song. The song's lyrics address difficult aspects of life, such as growing up with a single parent and selling drugs to make ends meet. In "C.R.E.A.M. ♫," the rappers lament the cycle of poverty and encourage "young black youth" to break free of street life.
Within three years of releasing their first album, RZA, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, GZA, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah all released solo albums, many of which featured other members of the Wu-Tang Clan. The group's solo efforts had similar lyric themes and production styles as Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), which helped both the Wu-Tang Clan and its individual members create a distinctive style that came to characterize the sounds of New York hip-hop in the mid-1990s.
Another definitive voice of East Coast hip-hop was the rapper Nas. His 1994 debut album Illmatic is regarded by critics as one of the most outstanding examples of East Coast hip-hop from the mid-1990s. The lyrics address poverty and violence and are semi-autobiographical. For example, the single "The World is Yours ♫" both praises and critiques living in New York: "Dwellin' in the Rotten Apple, you get tackled / or caught by the devil's lasso, s--- is a hassle." For Nas, like many hip-hop artists of the period, the poignancy of his lyrics came from the mix of pride and shame about his upbringing and experiences.
"I'm no reporter. That's for the man with a suit and tie. I'm just relating to my people the best way I know, bringing them what they know and what they see out on the streets. I'm bringing it to them in a musical way, through a way of partying rather than violence. Now they can party their way through their problems."
