What was the nature of the east vs west coast hip-hop clash in the 90s and early 2000s 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry#The_rivalry
East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry - Wikipedia
2006-05-09
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<div><div><div><p><a href="/wiki/File:Suge_Knight_in_2007_(6904212374).jpg"></a></p></div><div><p><a href="/wiki/File:Sean_Combs.jpg"></a></p></div></div><div><p>Suge Knight (left) and Puff Daddy (right), leading figures on opposite sides of the main phase of the rivalry</p></div></div>
<p>The <b>East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry</b> was a <a href="/wiki/Feud">feud</a> between artists and fans of the <a href="/wiki/East_Coast_hip_hop">East Coast hip hop</a> and <a href="/wiki/West_Coast_hip_hop">West Coast hip hop</a> scenes in the United States, especially from the mid-1990s.<sup><a href="#cite_note-1">[1]</a></sup> Focal points of the feud were East Coast–based rapper <a href="/wiki/The_Notorious_B.I.G.">The Notorious B.I.G.</a> with <a href="/wiki/Sean_Combs">Puff Daddy</a> and their <a href="/wiki/New_York_City">New York City</a>–based label, <a href="/wiki/Bad_Boy_Records">Bad Boy Records</a>, and West Coast–based rapper <a href="/wiki/Tupac_Shakur">Tupac Shakur</a> with <a href="/wiki/Suge_Knight">Suge Knight</a> and their <a href="/wiki/Los_Angeles">Los Angeles</a>–based label, <a href="/wiki/Death_Row_Records">Death Row Records</a>. The feud culminated in the murders of both rappers in <a href="/wiki/Drive-by_shooting">drive-by shootings</a>. Although several suspects have been identified, both murders remain unsolved.
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<h2>Rivalry[<a href="/w/index.php?title=East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry&amp;action=edit&amp;section=1">edit</a>]</h2>
<h3>Background[<a href="/w/index.php?title=East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry&amp;action=edit&amp;section=2">edit</a>]</h3>
<p><a href="/wiki/Hip_hop_music">Hip hop music</a> and <a href="/wiki/Hip_hop_(culture)">hip hop culture</a> is widely considered to have originated on the <a href="/wiki/Northeastern_United_States">East Coast of the United States</a> in New York City.<sup><a href="#cite_note-2">[2]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-3">[3]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-4">[4]</a></sup> As a result, New York rappers were often perceived as feeling their hip hop scene was superior to other regional hip hop cultures whereas those on the <a href="/wiki/West_Coast_of_the_United_States">West Coast of the United States</a> had developed an <a href="/wiki/Inferiority_complex">inferiority complex</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-5">[5]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn3-6">[6]</a></sup>
</p><p>By the late-1980s, however, West Coast hip hop was flourishing, led by acts such as <a href="/wiki/Compton,_California">Compton, California</a>'s <a href="/wiki/N.W.A">N.W.A</a>. On November 12, 1991, <a href="/wiki/Bronx">Bronx</a> rapper <a href="/wiki/Tim_Dog">Tim Dog</a> released the album <i><a href="/wiki/Penicillin_on_Wax">Penicillin on Wax</a></i>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-madden-7">[7]</a></sup> It contained several skits which mocked West Coast artists and a <a href="/wiki/Diss_track">diss track</a> directed at the members of N.W.A including <a href="/wiki/Dr._Dre">Dr. Dre</a> entitled "<a href="/wiki/Fuck_Compton">Fuck Compton</a>." Dr. Dre would respond a year later on his debut solo album, <i><a href="/wiki/The_Chronic">The Chronic</a></i>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-madden-7">[7]</a></sup> Although Tim Dog would not figure into the later stages of the feud, his diss track presaged what was to come. This was also the same year that <a href="/wiki/Uncle_Luke">Uncle Luke</a> came out with the album <i><a href="/wiki/In_the_Nude">In the Nude</a></i> which also dissed <a href="/wiki/Dr._Dre">Dr. Dre</a>. <sup><a href="#cite_note-8">[8]</a></sup>
</p><p>In 1991, <a href="/wiki/Suge_Knight">Suge Knight</a> co-founded Death Row Records in <a href="/wiki/Los_Angeles">Los Angeles</a> alongside Dr. Dre, <a href="/wiki/Dick_Griffey">Dick Griffey</a> and <a href="/wiki/The_D.O.C.">The D.O.C.</a><sup><a href="#cite_note-9">[9]</a></sup> Knight, a native of <a href="/wiki/Compton,_California">Compton, California</a> and a <a href="/wiki/Bloods">Blood</a>,<sup><a href="#cite_note-10">[10]</a></sup> was among those in the West Coast hip hop scene irritated by the East Coast's perceived condescension toward the West.<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn3-6">[6]</a></sup>
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<div><div><p><a href="/wiki/File:Lisboa_2011_139_(6474542577)_(cropped).jpg"></a></p></div><div><p><a href="/wiki/File:Mural_of_notorios_b.i.g._in_Brooklyn_NY_(cropped).jpg"></a></p></div></div>
<p>In 1993, fledgling <a href="/wiki/Artists_and_repertoire">A&amp;R</a> executive and record producer <a href="/wiki/Sean_Combs">Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs</a> founded the New York-centered hip-hop label, Bad Boy Records.<sup><a href="#cite_note-hitquarters.com-11">[11]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-12">[12]</a></sup> The next year, the label's debut releases by <a href="/wiki/Brooklyn,_New_York">Brooklyn</a>-based rapper <a href="/wiki/The_Notorious_B.I.G.">The Notorious B.I.G.</a> (also known as Biggie Smalls)<sup><a href="#cite_note-13">[13]</a></sup> and <a href="/wiki/Long_Island,_New_York">Long Island</a>–based rapper <a href="/wiki/Craig_Mack">Craig Mack</a> became immediate critical and commercial successes.<sup><a href="#cite_note-Milwaukee_Journal_Sentinel-14">[14]</a></sup>
</p><p>By 1994, New York-born, California-based rapper and actor Tupac "2Pac" Shakur had released <a href="/wiki/Tupac_Shakur_discography#Studio_albums">two successful albums</a> and starred in <a href="/wiki/Tupac_Shakur#Filmography">three movies</a>. However, at the same time, his career was in jeopardy as he was low on money and standing trial in New York City on charges of <a href="/wiki/Sexual_abuse">sexual abuse</a>, <a href="/wiki/Sodomy">sodomy</a>, and weapons possession.<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn1-15">[15]</a></sup>
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<h3>Quad Studios shooting[<a href="/w/index.php?title=East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry&amp;action=edit&amp;section=3">edit</a>]</h3>
<p>On November 30, 1994, 2Pac was scheduled to record a verse with <a href="/wiki/Shawn_Pen">Little Shawn</a> at Quad Studios in <a href="/wiki/Manhattan">Manhattan</a> to help pay his legal fees. As he arrived, members of <a href="/wiki/Junior_M.A.F.I.A.">Junior M.A.F.I.A.</a>, a group affiliated with Bad Boy, shouted greetings to 2Pac on the street below. Once he entered the building, two gunmen ordered everyone in the lobby to the floor. When 2Pac hesitated, he was shot five times and robbed. As 2Pac was taken out on a <a href="/wiki/Stretcher">stretcher</a>, he <a href="/wiki/The_finger">gave the middle finger</a> to Biggie and other Bad Boy affiliates who were present.<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn1-15">[15]</a></sup>
</p><p>One day later, 2Pac was convicted of sexual abuse.<sup><a href="#cite_note-16">[16]</a></sup> Afterward, 2Pac implied in an interview with <a href="/wiki/Kevin_Powell">Kevin Powell</a> of <i><a href="/wiki/Vibe_(magazine)">Vibe</a></i> that Biggie, Puff Daddy and <a href="/wiki/Uptown_Records">Uptown Records</a> head <a href="/wiki/Andre_Harrell">Andre Harrell</a> were involved in or responsible for the attack at Quad Studios.<sup><a href="#cite_note-ready_to_live-17">[17]</a></sup> Between when that interview was given and when the article was published, Puff Daddy had visited 2Pac at <a href="/wiki/Rikers_Island">Rikers Island</a> and assured him that Bad Boy was not involved in the shooting.<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn3-6">[6]</a></sup>
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<p>C'mere c'mere ... open your fucking mouth ... Didn't I tell you not to fuck with me? ... Can't talk with a gun in your mouth huh? ... Bitch-ass nigga, what?
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<p><cite>- The Notorious B.I.G.</cite>
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<p>In February 1995, "<a href="/wiki/Who_Shot_Ya%3F">Who Shot Ya?</a>," a B-side track from Biggie's "<a href="/wiki/Big_Poppa">Big Poppa</a>" single was released. Although Combs and Biggie denied having anything to do with the shooting and stated that "Who Shot Ya?" had been recorded before the shooting,<sup><a href="#cite_note-19">[19]</a></sup> 2Pac interpreted it as a taunt directed at him.<sup><a href="#cite_note-20">[20]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-21">[21]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-22">[22]</a></sup>
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<h3>Source Awards[<a href="/w/index.php?title=East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry&amp;action=edit&amp;section=4">edit</a>]</h3>
<p>On August 3, 1995, Suge Knight took a dig at Puff Daddy at that year's <a href="/wiki/The_Source_(magazine)">Source Awards</a> in New York City, announcing to the assembly of artists and industry figures: "Any artist out there that want to be an artist and want to stay a star, and don't want to have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos ... All on the records ... dancing, come to Death Row!" - referring to Combs' tendency to appear in his artists' music videos and perform ad-libs in their songs.<sup><a href="#cite_note-23">[23]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-24">[24]</a></sup> To the New York audience, Knight's comments seemed a slight to the entire East Coast hip hop scene, and resulted in boos from the crowd.<sup><a href="#cite_note-25">[25]</a></sup>
</p><p>The crowd booed again when Dr. Dre was named Producer of the Year. In response to the boos, Death Row artist <a href="/wiki/Snoop_Dogg">Snoop Doggy Dogg</a> took the microphone from Dr. Dre and asked the crowd: "The east coast ain’t got no love for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg and Death Row? Y’all don’t love us? Y’all don’t love us?! Well, let it be known then! We don’t give a fuck. We know y’all east coast! We know where the fuck we at!"<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn3-6">[6]</a></sup>
</p><p>Puff Daddy later took the stage as a presenter and told the audience: "[A]ll this East and West—that needs to stop. So give it up for everybody from the East and the West that won tonight. One love."<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn3-6">[6]</a></sup>
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<h3>Murder of "Big Jake" Robles, release of 2Pac, diss tracks[<a href="/w/index.php?title=East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry&amp;action=edit&amp;section=5">edit</a>]</h3>
<p>Problems continued the following month when Suge Knight and Puff Daddy attended a birthday party for musician <a href="/wiki/Jermaine_Dupri">Jermaine Dupri</a> at Platinum House club in <a href="/wiki/Atlanta">Atlanta</a>. Conflict between the two groups spilled outside the club and Jai "Big Jake" Robles, a close friend of Knight's and a Death Row Blood affiliate, was fatally shot as he was getting into a limousine.<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn3-6">[6]</a></sup> Knight accused Combs (also in attendance) of being involved in the shooting.<sup><a href="#cite_note-26">[26]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-27">[27]</a></sup>
</p><p>Shortly after Robles' death, Knight secured 2Pac's release from prison by posting his $1.4 million bond, flying across the country and renting a limousine to pick him up from <a href="/wiki/Clinton_Correctional_Facility">Clinton Correctional Facility</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn3-6">[6]</a></sup> Shortly after his release, 2Pac proceeded to join Knight in escalating Death Row's feud with Bad Boy Records.<sup><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated1-18">[18]</a></sup> 2Pac insulted or threatened Biggie, Bad Boy and its affiliates on several tracks from late 1995 to 1996. Examples include the songs "Against All Odds," "Bomb First (My Second Reply)" and "<a href="/wiki/Hit_%27Em_Up">Hit 'Em Up</a>."<sup><a href="#cite_note-28">[28]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-29">[29]</a></sup> 
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<p>Who shot me? But ya punks didn't finish now you 'bout to feel the wrath of a menace nigga, I hit 'em up!
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- 2Pac</cite>
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<p><a href="/wiki/Queens">Queens</a> group <a href="/wiki/Mobb_Deep">Mobb Deep</a>, which had been called out by name in 2Pac's "Hit 'Em Up," released "<a href="/wiki/Drop_a_Gem_on_%27Em">Drop a Gem on 'Em</a>" in August 1996 as a direct response. In 2011, Mobb Deep's <a href="/wiki/Prodigy_(rapper)">Prodigy</a> recalled his reaction after hearing Hit 'Em Up: "As soon as we heard Tupac saying anything about Mobb Deep, we went in and made that shit about him. We were like, ‘Fuck this nigga, we going right at this nigga and whoever the fuck he’s down with.’"<sup><a href="#cite_note-30">[30]</a></sup>
</p><p>2Pac also interpreted New York rapper <a href="/wiki/LL_Cool_J">LL Cool J</a>'s 1995 track "<a href="/wiki/I_Shot_Ya_(remix)">I Shot Ya</a>" as a <a href="/wiki/Diss_(music)">diss track</a> referring to the Quad Studios shooting.<sup><a href="#cite_note-31">[31]</a></sup> In 1996, 2Pac confronted <a href="/wiki/Keith_Murray_(rapper)">Keith Murray</a>, who was featured on the track, at the California <a href="/wiki/House_of_Blues">House of Blues</a>. Murray made it clear that the record was not about 2Pac.<sup><a href="#cite_note-32">[32]</a></sup>
</p><p>Although Biggie never released an explicit retaliation record, Junior M.A.F.I.A. member <a href="/wiki/Lil%27_Cease">Lil' Cease</a> claimed in a <i><a href="/wiki/XXL_(magazine)">XXL</a></i> interview that 2Pac was the subject of Biggie's track "<a href="/wiki/Life_After_Death#&quot;Long_Kiss_Goodnight&quot;">Long Kiss Goodnight</a>." Puff Daddy, however, steadfastly denied this theory, arguing that if Biggie were to diss 2Pac, he would have called him out by name.<sup><a href="#cite_note-33">[33]</a></sup>
</p><p>During this time, the media became heavily involved and dubbed the rivalry a coastal rap war, reporting on it continually.<sup><a href="#cite_note-34">[34]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-35">[35]</a></sup> This caused fans from both scenes to take sides.<sup><a href="#cite_note-Milwaukee_Journal_Sentinel-14">[14]</a></sup>
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<h3>Faith Evans[<a href="/w/index.php?title=East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry&amp;action=edit&amp;section=6">edit</a>]</h3>
<div><p><a href="/wiki/File:Faith_Evans_1998_(cropped).jpg"></a></p></div>
<p>In November 1995, 2Pac met Biggie's estranged wife, Bad Boy singer <a href="/wiki/Faith_Evans">Faith Evans</a>, at a party and agreed to pay her $250,000 to sing on one of his tracks. According to Evans, after she recorded her part, 2Pac refused to pay her unless she had sex with him and she declined.<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn5-36">[36]</a></sup>
</p><p>While Evans continued to deny rumors that she was involved romantically or sexually with 2Pac, Suge Knight and 2Pac were doing the opposite. In January 1996, they hinted to <a href="/wiki/Lynn_Hirschberg">Lynn Hirschberg</a> of <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times">The New York Times</a></i> that he was in a relationship with Evans in that she had given him gifts and he had repaid her those gifts with what he implied were sexual favors.<sup><a href="#cite_note-sugar_bear-37">[37]</a></sup> Biggie flew into a rage after hearing about the <i>Times</i> article and aggressively confronted Evans. Publicly, however, he tried to brush it off as a joke.<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn5-36">[36]</a></sup> Later, in "Hit 'Em Up," 2Pac made his insinuations explicit, going so far as to say "I fucked your bitch, you fat motherfucker" and "you claim to be a player but I fucked your wife."<sup><a href="#cite_note-38">[38]</a></sup>
</p><p>Hip hop writers including <i><a href="/wiki/Newsweek">Newsweek</a>'</i>s Allison Samuels and <i><a href="/wiki/The_Source">The Source</a></i>'s <a href="/wiki/Kierna_Mayo">Kierna Mayo</a> described Evans as "a pawn" in 2Pac's revenge plot against Biggie and the power struggle between the two men. She was not portrayed sympathetically in the media.<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn5-36">[36]</a></sup> <i>Vibe</i> joked in March 1996 that Evans was "losing weight from all that running back and forth between the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac."<sup><a href="#cite_note-39">[39]</a></sup>
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<h3>"New York, New York"[<a href="/w/index.php?title=East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry&amp;action=edit&amp;section=7">edit</a>]</h3>
<p>In December 1995, <a href="/wiki/Tha_Dogg_Pound">Tha Dogg Pound</a>, a Death Row group, was in <a href="/wiki/Red_Hook,_Brooklyn">Red Hook, Brooklyn</a> filming the <a href="/wiki/Music_video">music video</a> for their single "<a href="/wiki/New_York,_New_York_(Tha_Dogg_Pound_song)">New York, New York</a>." The music for the song used a <a href="/wiki/Beat_(music)">beat</a> that Biggie had rapped over in a commercial for <a href="/wiki/St._Ides">St. Ides</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn5-36">[36]</a></sup> Biggie called into local hip hop station <a href="/wiki/WQHT">Hot 97</a> and said "Red Hook [is where Tha Dogg Pound and 2Pac are] shooting a video. Brooklyn, stand up!" according to Snoop Doggy Dogg's recollection. Tha Dogg Pound, who were listening to the radio at the time, interpreted it as a friendly sentiment and thought Biggie was summoning fans to their video set.<sup><a href="#cite_note-40">[40]</a></sup> Shortly after the call, however, shots were fired at Tha Dogg Pound's trailer on the video set. The gunman was never identified. After the shooting, a scene was added to the music video showing Snoop Dogg destroying buildings and cars in New York City like <a href="/wiki/Godzilla">Godzilla</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-slowburn5-36">[36]</a></sup> In 1996, East Coast rappers <a href="/wiki/Capone-N-Noreaga">Capone-N-Noreaga</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mobb_Deep">Mobb Deep</a> and <a href="/wiki/Tragedy_Khadafi">Tragedy Khadafi</a> recorded a comeback diss entitled "<a href="/wiki/L.A.,_L.A.">L.A., L.A.</a>" It was released in 1996 on <a href="/wiki/Penalty_Recordings">Penalty Recordings</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-41">[41]</a></sup>
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<h3>Tupac vs. The Notorious B.I.G.[<a href="/w/index.php?title=East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry&amp;action=edit&amp;section=8">edit</a>]</h3>
<p>On September 7, 1996, <a href="/wiki/Tupac_Shakur">Tupac Shakur</a> was <a href="/wiki/Murder_of_Tupac_Shakur">shot in a drive-by shooting</a> at the intersection of <a href="/wiki/Flamingo_Road_(Las_Vegas)">Flamingo Road</a> and Koval Lane in <a href="/wiki/Las_Vegas">Las Vegas, Nevada</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-42">[42]</a></sup> He was taken to the <a href="/wiki/University_Medical_Center_of_Southern_Nevada">University Medical Center of Southern Nevada</a>, where he died six days later. In 2002, <a href="/wiki/Chuck_Philips">Chuck Philips</a> wrote the article "Who Killed Tupac Shakur?"<sup><a href="#cite_note-43">[43]</a></sup> reporting, "the shooting was carried out by a <a href="/wiki/Compton,_California">Compton</a> gang called the Southside <a href="/wiki/Crips">Crips</a> to avenge the beating of one of its members by Shakur a few hours earlier ... <a href="/wiki/Orlando_Anderson">Orlando Anderson</a>, the Crip whom Shakur had attacked, fired the fatal shots. Las Vegas police discounted Anderson as a suspect and interviewed him only once, briefly. He was later killed in an "unrelated gang shooting" nearly 2 years later on May 29, 1998. The Philips article and its follow-up, "How Vegas Police Probe Floundered in Tupac Shakur Case"<sup><a href="#cite_note-44">[44]</a></sup> also implicated East Coast rappers including Biggie Smalls.
</p><p>Six months after Tupac's death, on March 9, 1997, <a href="/wiki/The_Notorious_B.I.G.">The Notorious B.I.G.</a> was <a href="/wiki/Murder_of_the_Notorious_B.I.G.">killed in a drive-by shooting</a> by an unknown assailant in <a href="/wiki/Los_Angeles">Los Angeles</a>, <a href="/wiki/California">California</a>.
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<h3>Efforts at reconciliation[<a href="/w/index.php?title=East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry&amp;action=edit&amp;section=9">edit</a>]</h3>
<p>On September 22, 1996, a <a href="/wiki/Summit_(meeting)">peace summit</a> was convened at <a href="/wiki/Mosque_Maryam">Mosque Maryam</a> by <a href="/wiki/Louis_Farrakhan">Louis Farrakhan</a> in the wake of the murder of 2Pac,<sup><a href="#cite_note-45">[45]</a></sup> and another after the shooting of Biggie Smalls in March 1997.<sup><a href="#cite_note-46">[46]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-47">[47]</a></sup>
</p><p>In February 1997, Snoop Dogg and Combs held a press conference where they called for an end to the East Coast–West Coast rap feud that had already claimed the life of 2Pac. "Kids around the world are watching," Snoop said. "By calling for a truce we're giving them something to live for." However, their efforts failed to stop the violence; less than a month later, The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a drive-by shooting while stopping at a stoplight in Los Angeles.<sup><a href="#cite_note-48">[48]</a></sup>
</p><p>On April 3, 1997, Key figures in the rap industry were summoned to Farrakhans Chicago-based minister house for an in-depth meeting. The main thrust was to put an end to the East / West rivalry. On hand were artists like Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Ice Cube, Bones Thugs-n-Harmony and Fat Joe.<sup><a href="#cite_note-49">[49]</a></sup>
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<h2>References[<a href="/w/index.php?title=East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry&amp;action=edit&amp;section=10">edit</a>]</h2>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2012/12/09/lapd-notorious-big-murder/1756471/">"LAPD apologizes to Notorious B.I.G.'s family"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/USA_Today">USA Today</a></i>. 2012-12-09. Retrieved 2019-11-25.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b> <cite>Millar, Aaron (19 May 2018). <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2018/05/new-york-birthplace-hip-hop">"New York: the birthplace of hip hop"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/National_Geographic">National Geographic</a></i>. Retrieved 24 November 2021.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/hip-hop/hip-hop-a-culture-of-vision-and-voice/">"Hip-Hop: A Culture of Vision and Voice"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Kennedy_Center">Kennedy Center</a>. Retrieved 24 November 2021.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b> <cite>Swanson, Abbie Fentress (August 2, 2010). <a href="https://www.wnyc.org/story/89709-south-bronx-hip-hop-year-zero/">"The South Bronx: Where Hip-Hop Was Born"</a>. <a href="/wiki/WNYC">WNYC</a>. Retrieved 24 November 2021.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b> <cite>Quinn, Eithne (2005). <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=GWybXxc952oC&amp;pg=PT84"><i>Nuthin' But a "G" Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap</i></a>. <a href="/wiki/Columbia_University_Press">Columbia University Press</a>. p. 84. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-231-12408-9"><bdi>978-0-231-12408-9</bdi></a>. Retrieved 24 November 2021.</cite>
</li>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-31">^</a></b> <cite>VIBE, Staff (13 September 2010). <a href="https://www.vibe.com/2010/09/tupac-talks-hit-em-vs-who-shot-ya-pg-2">"Tupac Talks 'Hit Em Up' Vs. 'Who Shot Ya?' (Pg. 2)"</a>. <i>www.vibe.com</i>. <q>Niggas been talking shit all while I was in jail. "Who Shot Ya?" <a href="/wiki/LL_Cool_J">L.L. [Cool J]</a> got a song "I Shot Ya." Even if it ain't about me, nigga, you should be like, I'm not putting it out cause he might <i>think</i> it's about him.</q></cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-32">^</a></b> <cite>Harling, Danielle (August 7, 2014). <a href="https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.30128/title.keith-murray-recalls-tupac-approaching-him-over-i-shot-ya">"Keith Murray Recalls Tupac Approaching Him Over "I Shot Ya""</a>. <i>www.hiphopdx.com</i>. <q>Rest in peace to Tupac. I love and respect Tupac to death. I'm not talking bad about Tupac or nothing like that. It's just an incident. So, he came up. Walked up and he was like 'Nah, I just wanted to know because we had—I got shot five times. You know what I'm saying? In New York, so I thought niggas was talking about me'…I can understand why he did that…We was squaring off. Everybody had knives on 'em. But we diffused it and it was peace after that.</q></cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-33">^</a></b> <cite><a href="http://www.xxlmag.com/xxl-magazine/2010/11/8-subliminal-diss-records-that-no-one-claims/4/">"8 Subliminal Diss Records That No One Claims"</a>. <a href="/wiki/XXL_(magazine)">XXL</a>. November 5, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2011.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-34">^</a></b> <cite>"THE RAP WARS / EAST COAST VS. WEST COAST". <i><a href="/wiki/Newsday">Newsday</a></i>. September 23, 1996.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-35">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140610085901/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-796048.html">"Gangsta Life And Death; For Tupac Shakur, Violence Was Part of the Act"</a>. <i>The Washington Post</i>. September 16, 1996. Archived from <a href="http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-796048.html">the original</a> on June 10, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2013.</cite>
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<li>^ <a href="#cite_ref-slowburn5_36-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-slowburn5_36-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-slowburn5_36-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-slowburn5_36-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-slowburn5_36-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <cite>Anderson, Joel (14 February 2020). <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2020/02/transcript-of-slow-burn-season-3-episode-5.html">"Slow Burn Season 3, Episode 5: Wrath of a Menace"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Slate_Magazine">Slate</a></i>. Retrieved 25 November 2021.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sugar_bear_37-0">^</a></b> <cite>Hirschberg, Lynn (14 January 1996). <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/14/magazine/does-a-sugar-bear-bite.html">"Does a Sugar Bear Bite?"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times">The New York Times</a></i>. Retrieved 25 November 2021.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-38">^</a></b> <cite>Dyson, Michael Eric (26 November 2019). <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=wPKgDwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PT77"><i>JAY-Z: Made in America</i></a>. St. Martin's Publishing Group. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-250-27088-7"><bdi>978-1-250-27088-7</bdi></a>. Retrieved 29 November 2021.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-39">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=jCwEAAAAMBAJ&amp;pg=PA131">"20 Questions"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Vibe_(magazine)">Vibe</a></i>. Vibe Media Group (March 1996): 131. March 1996. Retrieved 25 November 2021.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-40">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2018/06/snoop-dogg-pound-biggie-new-york-video/">"Snoop Blames Biggie for Tha Dogg Pound NY Video Shooting"</a>.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-41">^</a></b> <cite>Markman, Rob (April 21, 2011). <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/1662452/prodigy-mobb-deep-tupac-nore/">"Prodigy Didn't Want To Respond To Tupac Dis, N.O.R.E. Says"</a>. <a href="/wiki/MTV_News">MTV News</a>. Retrieved 30 November 2021.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-42">^</a></b> <cite>Planas, Antonio (7 April 2011). <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110410211831/http://www.lvrj.com/news/fbi-outlines-parallels-in-notorious-b-i-g-tupac-slayings-119389104.html">"FBI outlines parallels in Notorious B.I.G., Tupac slayings"</a>. <i>Las Vegas Review-Journal</i>. Archived from <a href="http://www.lvrj.com/news/fbi-outlines-parallels-in-notorious-b-i-g-tupac-slayings-119389104.html">the original</a> on 10 April 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2016.</cite>
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<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-43">^</a></b> <cite><a href="/wiki/Chuck_Philips">Philips, Chuck</a> (6 September 2002). <a href="https://articles.latimes.com/2002/sep/06/business/fi-tupac6">"Who Killed Tupac Shakur?"</a>. <i>Los Angeles Times</i>. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)">ISSN</a> <a href="//www.worldcat.org/issn/0458-3035">0458-3035</a>. Retrieved 1 May 2016.</cite>
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 * (Top)
 * 1 Rivalry
 + 1.1 Background
 + 1.2 Quad Studios shooting
 + 1.3 Source Awards
 + 1.4 Murder of "Big Jake" Robles, release of 2Pac, diss tracks
 + 1.5 Faith Evans
 + 1.6 "New York, New York"
 + 1.7 Tupac vs. The Notorious B.I.G.
 + 1.8 Efforts at reconciliation
 * 2 References
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 East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry

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 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Suge Knight (left) and Puff Daddy (right), leading figures on opposite sides of the main phase of the rivalry

 The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry was a feud between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States, especially from the mid-1990s.[1] Focal points of the feud were East Coast–based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Daddy and their New York City–based label, Bad Boy Records, and West Coast–based rapper Tupac Shakur with Suge Knight and their Los Angeles–based label, Death Row Records. The feud culminated in the murders of both rappers in drive-by shootings. Although several suspects have been identified, both murders remain unsolved.

 Rivalry [ edit ]

 Background [ edit ]

 Hip hop music and hip hop culture is widely considered to have originated on the East Coast of the United States in New York City.[2][3][4] As a result, New York rappers were often perceived as feeling their hip hop scene was superior to other regional hip hop cultures whereas those on the West Coast of the United States had developed an inferiority complex.[5][6]

 By the late-1980s, however, West Coast hip hop was flourishing, led by acts such as Compton, California's N.W.A. On November 12, 1991, Bronx rapper Tim Dog released the album Penicillin on Wax.[7] It contained several skits which mocked West Coast artists and a diss track directed at the members of N.W.A including Dr. Dre entitled "Fuck Compton." Dr. Dre would respond a year later on his debut solo album, The Chronic.[7] Although Tim Dog would not figure into the later stages of the feud, his diss track presaged what was to come. This was also the same year that Uncle Luke came out with the album In the Nude which also dissed Dr. Dre. [8]

 In 1991, Suge Knight co-founded Death Row Records in Los Angeles alongside Dr. Dre, Dick Griffey and The D.O.C.[9] Knight, a native of Compton, California and a Blood,[10] was among those in the West Coast hip hop scene irritated by the East Coast's perceived condescension toward the West.[6]

 Graffiti depictions of Tupac "2Pac" Shakur (left) and The Notorious B.I.G. (right), who would become the faces of the rivalry representing their respective coasts

 In 1993, fledgling A&R executive and record producer Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs founded the New York-centered hip-hop label, Bad Boy Records.[11][12] The next year, the label's debut releases by Brooklyn-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (also known as Biggie Smalls)[13] and Long Island–based rapper Craig Mack became immediate critical and commercial successes.[14]

 By 1994, New York-born, California-based rapper and actor Tupac "2Pac" Shakur had released two successful albums and starred in three movies. However, at the same time, his career was in jeopardy as he was low on money and standing trial in New York City on charges of sexual abuse, sodomy, and weapons possession.[15]

 Quad Studios shooting [ edit ]

 On November 30, 1994, 2Pac was scheduled to record a verse with Little Shawn at Quad Studios in Manhattan to help pay his legal fees. As he arrived, members of Junior M.A.F.I.A., a group affiliated with Bad Boy, shouted greetings to 2Pac on the street below. Once he entered the building, two gunmen ordered everyone in the lobby to the floor. When 2Pac hesitated, he was shot five times and robbed. As 2Pac was taken out on a stretcher, he gave the middle finger to Biggie and other Bad Boy affiliates who were present.[15]

 One day later, 2Pac was convicted of sexual abuse.[16] Afterward, 2Pac implied in an interview with Kevin Powell of Vibe that Biggie, Puff Daddy and Uptown Records head Andre Harrell were involved in or responsible for the attack at Quad Studios.[17] Between when that interview was given and when the article was published, Puff Daddy had visited 2Pac at Rikers Island and assured him that Bad Boy was not involved in the shooting.[6]

 "Who Shot Ya?"[18]

 C'mere c'mere ... open your fucking mouth ... Didn't I tell you not to fuck with me? ... Can't talk with a gun in your mouth huh? ... Bitch-ass nigga, what?

 - The Notorious B.I.G.

 In February 1995, "Who Shot Ya?," a B-side track from Biggie's "Big Poppa" single was released. Although Combs and Biggie denied having anything to do with the shooting and stated that "Who Shot Ya?" had been recorded before the shooting,[19] 2Pac interpreted it as a taunt directed at him.[20][21][22]

 Source Awards [ edit ]

 On August 3, 1995, Suge Knight took a dig at Puff Daddy at that year's Source Awards in New York City, announcing to the assembly of artists and industry figures: "Any artist out there that want to be an artist and want to stay a star, and don't want to have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos ... All on the records ... dancing, come to Death Row!" - referring to Combs' tendency to appear in his artists' music videos and perform ad-libs in their songs.[23][24] To the New York audience, Knight's comments seemed a slight to the entire East Coast hip hop scene, and resulted in boos from the crowd.[25]

 The crowd booed again when Dr. Dre was named Producer of the Year. In response to the boos, Death Row artist Snoop Doggy Dogg took the microphone from Dr. Dre and asked the crowd: "The east coast ain’t got no love for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg and Death Row? Y’all don’t love us? Y’all don’t love us?! Well, let it be known then! We don’t give a fuck. We know y’all east coast! We know where the fuck we at!"[6]

 Puff Daddy later took the stage as a presenter and told the audience: "[A]ll this East and West—that needs to stop. So give it up for everybody from the East and the West that won tonight. One love."[6]

 Murder of "Big Jake" Robles, release of 2Pac, diss tracks [ edit ]

 Problems continued the following month when Suge Knight and Puff Daddy attended a birthday party for musician Jermaine Dupri at Platinum House club in Atlanta. Conflict between the two groups spilled outside the club and Jai "Big Jake" Robles, a close friend of Knight's and a Death Row Blood affiliate, was fatally shot as he was getting into a limousine.[6] Knight accused Combs (also in attendance) of being involved in the shooting.[26][27]

 Shortly after Robles' death, Knight secured 2Pac's release from prison by posting his $1.4 million bond, flying across the country and renting a limousine to pick him up from Clinton Correctional Facility.[6] Shortly after his release, 2Pac proceeded to join Knight in escalating Death Row's feud with Bad Boy Records.[18] 2Pac insulted or threatened Biggie, Bad Boy and its affiliates on several tracks from late 1995 to 1996. Examples include the songs "Against All Odds," "Bomb First (My Second Reply)" and "Hit 'Em Up."[28][29]

 "Hit 'Em Up"

 Who shot me? But ya punks didn't finish now you 'bout to feel the wrath of a menace nigga, I hit 'em up!

 - 2Pac

 Queens group Mobb Deep, which had been called out by name in 2Pac's "Hit 'Em Up," released "Drop a Gem on 'Em" in August 1996 as a direct response. In 2011, Mobb Deep's Prodigy recalled his reaction after hearing Hit 'Em Up: "As soon as we heard Tupac saying anything about Mobb Deep, we went in and made that shit about him. We were like, ‘Fuck this nigga, we going right at this nigga and whoever the fuck he’s down with.’"[30]

 2Pac also interpreted New York rapper LL Cool J's 1995 track "I Shot Ya" as a diss track referring to the Quad Studios shooting.[31] In 1996, 2Pac confronted Keith Murray, who was featured on the track, at the California House of Blues. Murray made it clear that the record was not about 2Pac.[32]

 Although Biggie never released an explicit retaliation record, Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Cease claimed in a XXL interview that 2Pac was the subject of Biggie's track "Long Kiss Goodnight." Puff Daddy, however, steadfastly denied this theory, arguing that if Biggie were to diss 2Pac, he would have called him out by name.[33]

 During this time, the media became heavily involved and dubbed the rivalry a coastal rap war, reporting on it continually.[34][35] This caused fans from both scenes to take sides.[14]

 Faith Evans [ edit ]

 Faith Evans in 1998

 In November 1995, 2Pac met Biggie's estranged wife, Bad Boy singer Faith Evans, at a party and agreed to pay her $250,000 to sing on one of his tracks. According to Evans, after she recorded her part, 2Pac refused to pay her unless she had sex with him and she declined.[36]

 While Evans continued to deny rumors that she was involved romantically or sexually with 2Pac, Suge Knight and 2Pac were doing the opposite. In January 1996, they hinted to Lynn Hirschberg of The New York Times that he was in a relationship with Evans in that she had given him gifts and he had repaid her those gifts with what he implied were sexual favors.[37] Biggie flew into a rage after hearing about the Times article and aggressively confronted Evans. Publicly, however, he tried to brush it off as a joke.[36] Later, in "Hit 'Em Up," 2Pac made his insinuations explicit, going so far as to say "I fucked your bitch, you fat motherfucker" and "you claim to be a player but I fucked your wife."[38]

 Hip hop writers including Newsweek's Allison Samuels and The Source ' s Kierna Mayo described Evans as "a pawn" in 2Pac's revenge plot against Biggie and the power struggle between the two men. She was not portrayed sympathetically in the media.[36] Vibe joked in March 1996 that Evans was "losing weight from all that running back and forth between the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac."[39]

 "New York, New York" [ edit ]

 In December 1995, Tha Dogg Pound, a Death Row group, was in Red Hook, Brooklyn filming the music video for their single "New York, New York." The music for the song used a beat that Biggie had rapped over in a commercial for St. Ides.[36] Biggie called into local hip hop station Hot 97 and said "Red Hook [is where Tha Dogg Pound and 2Pac are] shooting a video. Brooklyn, stand up!" according to Snoop Doggy Dogg's recollection. Tha Dogg Pound, who were listening to the radio at the time, interpreted it as a friendly sentiment and thought Biggie was summoning fans to their video set.[40] Shortly after the call, however, shots were fired at Tha Dogg Pound's trailer on the video set. The gunman was never identified. After the shooting, a scene was added to the music video showing Snoop Dogg destroying buildings and cars in New York City like Godzilla.[36] In 1996, East Coast rappers Capone-N-Noreaga, Mobb Deep and Tragedy Khadafi recorded a comeback diss entitled "L.A., L.A." It was released in 1996 on Penalty Recordings.[41]

 Tupac vs. The Notorious B.I.G. [ edit ]

 On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was shot in a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane in Las Vegas, Nevada.[42] He was taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he died six days later. In 2002, Chuck Philips wrote the article "Who Killed Tupac Shakur?"[43] reporting, "the shooting was carried out by a Compton gang called the Southside Crips to avenge the beating of one of its members by Shakur a few hours earlier ... Orlando Anderson, the Crip whom Shakur had attacked, fired the fatal shots. Las Vegas police discounted Anderson as a suspect and interviewed him only once, briefly. He was later killed in an "unrelated gang shooting" nearly 2 years later on May 29, 1998. The Philips article and its follow-up, "How Vegas Police Probe Floundered in Tupac Shakur Case"[44] also implicated East Coast rappers including Biggie Smalls.

 Six months after Tupac's death, on March 9, 1997, The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a drive-by shooting by an unknown assailant in Los Angeles, California.

 Efforts at reconciliation [ edit ]

 On September 22, 1996, a peace summit was convened at Mosque Maryam by Louis Farrakhan in the wake of the murder of 2Pac,[45] and another after the shooting of Biggie Smalls in March 1997.[46][47]

 In February 1997, Snoop Dogg and Combs held a press conference where they called for an end to the East Coast–West Coast rap feud that had already claimed the life of 2Pac. "Kids around the world are watching," Snoop said. "By calling for a truce we're giving them something to live for." However, their efforts failed to stop the violence; less than a month later, The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a drive-by shooting while stopping at a stoplight in Los Angeles.[48]

 On April 3, 1997, Key figures in the rap industry were summoned to Farrakhans Chicago-based minister house for an in-depth meeting. The main thrust was to put an end to the East / West rivalry. On hand were artists like Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Ice Cube, Bones Thugs-n-Harmony and Fat Joe.[49]

 References [ edit ]

 1. ^ "LAPD apologizes to Notorious B.I.G.'s family". USA Today. 2012-12-09 . Retrieved 2019-11-25 .
 2. ^ Millar, Aaron (19 May 2018). "New York: the birthplace of hip hop". National Geographic . Retrieved 24 November 2021 .
 3. ^ "Hip-Hop: A Culture of Vision and Voice". Kennedy Center . Retrieved 24 November 2021 .
 4. ^ Swanson, Abbie Fentress (August 2, 2010). "The South Bronx: Where Hip-Hop Was Born". WNYC . Retrieved 24 November 2021 .
 5. ^ Quinn, Eithne (2005). Nuthin' But a "G" Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap. Columbia University Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-231-12408-9 . Retrieved 24 November 2021 .
 6. ^ a b c d e f g Anderson, Joel (14 February 2020). "Slow Burn Season 3, Episode 3: What's Beef?". Slate . Retrieved 24 November 2021 .
 7. ^ a b Madden, Sidney (November 12, 2016). "Today in Hip-Hop: Tim Dog Drops 'Pencillin on Wax' Album". XXL Mag . Retrieved 28 November 2021 .
 8. ^ Barber, Andrew; Tharpe, Frazier (October 13, 2018). "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Diss Songs". Complex . Retrieved 28 November 2021 .
 9. ^ Hodge, Kyle (March 27, 2017). "Tupac's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony Might Be a Mini Death Row Records Reunion". VH1 News . Retrieved 24 November 2021 .
 10. ^ Bakare, Lanre (30 January 2015). "Life and times of Suge Knight — the fall of Compton's notorious music mogul". The Guardian . Retrieved 24 November 2021 .
 11. ^ "Interview with Mark Pitts". HitQuarters. April 26, 2006 . Retrieved November 14, 2011 .
 12. ^ "Alumni Bulletin - Alumni - Harvard Business School". Alumni.hbs.edu . Retrieved 2016-09-28 .
 13. ^ "Slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. was 'ready to die'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. March 10, 1997.
 14. ^ a b "Why the West is Winning: Milwaukee players talk about the rap wars between the coasts". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. May 10, 1995 . Retrieved November 14, 2011 .
 15. ^ a b Anderson, Joel (14 February 2020). "Slow Burn Season 3, Episode 1: Against the World". Slate . Retrieved 24 November 2021 .
 16. ^ Perez-Pena, Richard (2 December 1994). "Wounded Rapper Gets Mixed Verdict In Sex-Abuse Case". The New York Times . Retrieved 25 November 2021 .
 17. ^ Powell, Kevin (14 February 2021). "Ready to Live". Vibe (April 1995) . Retrieved 25 November 2021 .
 18. ^ a b "Notorious B.I.G. Lyrics- "Who Shot Ya"". AZ Lyrics.
 19. ^ "Big Life: The rise and fall of Biggie Smalls". The Guardian. January 31, 2009.
 20. ^ "Gangsta rap: East Coast v.s. West Coast". New Straits Times. May 21, 1997 . Retrieved December 17, 2013 .
 21. ^ "Requiem for a Gangsta". Newsweek. March 24, 1997 . Retrieved December 17, 2013 .
 22. ^ "L.A. Times Links Diddy to 1994 Shooting of Tupac". The Boom Box. March 17, 2008 . Retrieved December 6, 2011 .
 23. ^ "A Source Of Trouble Shots, suits & shaky circulation threaten to rip apart hip-hop mag". New York Daily News. August 3, 2005 . Retrieved December 17, 2013 .
 24. ^ "The Turbulent Life and Times Of a Rap Mogul". The Washington Post. June 17, 2007 . Retrieved December 17, 2013 .
 25. ^ "The Rap Column: Notorious Wins B.I.G., Minor Regional Fracas Among Highlights Of Awards". Billboard. August 26, 1995 . Retrieved 17 December 2016 .
 26. ^ "MTV party shooting revives rap wars". The Times. August 29, 2005 . Retrieved December 17, 2013 .
 27. ^ "Police probe Puff Daddy on Atlanta killing". The Sunday Times. January 28, 2001.
 28. ^ "Man Says He Shot Tupac at Quad Studio". The Root. June 16, 2011. Archived from the original on September 15, 2011 . Retrieved December 6, 2011 .
 29. ^ "Biggie Smalls was murdered 12 years ago. Now Jamal Woolard's portrayal of the rapper in Notorious is bringing pain among the plaudits, such is his uncanny likeness to him". The Scotsman. January 13, 2009 . Retrieved December 6, 2011 .
 30. ^ Ahmed, Insanul (May 12, 2011). "Prodigy Breaks Down His 25 Most Essential Songs". Complex . Retrieved 25 November 2021 .
 31. ^ VIBE, Staff (13 September 2010). "Tupac Talks 'Hit Em Up' Vs. 'Who Shot Ya?' (Pg. 2)". www.vibe.com. "Niggas been talking shit all while I was in jail. "Who Shot Ya?" "L.L. [Cool J]" got a song "I Shot Ya." Even if it ain't about me, nigga, you should be like, I'm not putting it out cause he might "think" it's about him."
 32. ^ Harling, Danielle (August 7, 2014). "Keith Murray Recalls Tupac Approaching Him Over "I Shot Ya"". www.hiphopdx.com. "Rest in peace to Tupac. I love and respect Tupac to death. I'm not talking bad about Tupac or nothing like that. It's just an incident. So, he came up. Walked up and he was like 'Nah, I just wanted to know because we had—I got shot five times. You know what I'm saying? In New York, so I thought niggas was talking about me'…I can understand why he did that…We was squaring off. Everybody had knives on 'em. But we diffused it and it was peace after that."
 33. ^ "8 Subliminal Diss Records That No One Claims". XXL. November 5, 2010 . Retrieved December 6, 2011 .
 34. ^ "THE RAP WARS / EAST COAST VS. WEST COAST". Newsday. September 23, 1996.
 35. ^ "Gangsta Life And Death; For Tupac Shakur, Violence Was Part of the Act". The Washington Post. September 16, 1996. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014 . Retrieved December 17, 2013 .
 36. ^ a b c d e Anderson, Joel (14 February 2020). "Slow Burn Season 3, Episode 5: Wrath of a Menace". Slate . Retrieved 25 November 2021 .
 37. ^ Hirschberg, Lynn (14 January 1996). "Does a Sugar Bear Bite?". The New York Times . Retrieved 25 November 2021 .
 38. ^ Dyson, Michael Eric (26 November 2019). JAY-Z: Made in America. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-250-27088-7 . Retrieved 29 November 2021 .
 39. ^ "20 Questions". Vibe. Vibe Media Group (March 1996): 131. March 1996 . Retrieved 25 November 2021 .
 40. ^ "Snoop Blames Biggie for Tha Dogg Pound NY Video Shooting".
 41. ^ Markman, Rob (April 21, 2011). "Prodigy Didn't Want To Respond To Tupac Dis, N.O.R.E. Says". MTV News . Retrieved 30 November 2021 .
 42. ^ Planas, Antonio (7 April 2011). "FBI outlines parallels in Notorious B.I.G., Tupac slayings". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on 10 April 2011 . Retrieved 1 May 2016 .
 43. ^ Philips, Chuck (6 September 2002). "Who Killed Tupac Shakur?". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035 . Retrieved 1 May 2016 .
 44. ^ Philips, Chuck (30 January 2015). "How Vegas police probe floundered in Tupac Shakur case". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 1 May 2016 .
 45. ^ Coleman, Chrisena (1996-09-18). "Rappers in Peace Summit". Daily News. New York . Retrieved 2016-09-28 .
 46. ^ Loose, Cindy (1997-08-10). "Farrakhan To Sponsor Anti-Violence Rap Concert In D.C." The Washington Post . Retrieved 2016-09-28 .
 47. ^ Muwakkil, Salim (2003-12-15). "Farrakhan and the Beefs of Rap". In These Times . Retrieved 2016-09-28 .
 48. ^ "Rap Artists Call for Truce in Hip-Hop Rivalry". Los Angeles Times. February 13, 1997.
 49. ^ "FARRAKHAN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST RAP STAR FEUDS". Chicago Tribune. April 4, 1997.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
	 
                Suge Knight (left) and Puff Daddy (right), leading figures on opposite sides of the main phase of the rivalry  
The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry was a feud between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States, especially from the mid-1990s. [1]  Focal points of the feud were East Coast–based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Daddy and their New York City–based label, Bad Boy Records, and West Coast–based rapper Tupac Shakur with Suge Knight and their Los Angeles–based label, Death Row Records. The feud culminated in the murders of both rappers in drive-by shootings. Although several suspects have been identified, both murders remain unsolved.
Rivalry[edit]
Background[edit]
 Hip hop music and hip hop culture is widely considered to have originated on the East Coast of the United States in New York City. [2]   [3]   [4]  As a result, New York rappers were often perceived as feeling their hip hop scene was superior to other regional hip hop cultures whereas those on the West Coast of the United States had developed an inferiority complex. [5]   [6] 
 By the late-1980s, however, West Coast hip hop was flourishing, led by acts such as Compton, California's N.W.A. On November 12, 1991, Bronx rapper Tim Dog released the album  Penicillin on Wax . [7]  It contained several skits which mocked West Coast artists and a diss track directed at the members of N.W.A including Dr. Dre entitled "Fuck Compton." Dr. Dre would respond a year later on his debut solo album,  The Chronic . [7]  Although Tim Dog would not figure into the later stages of the feud, his diss track presaged what was to come. This was also the same year that Uncle Luke came out with the album  In the Nude  which also dissed Dr. Dre.  [8] 
 In 1991, Suge Knight co-founded Death Row Records in Los Angeles alongside Dr. Dre, Dick Griffey and The D.O.C.  [9]  Knight, a native of Compton, California and a Blood, [10]  was among those in the West Coast hip hop scene irritated by the East Coast's perceived condescension toward the West. [6] 
             
In 1993, fledgling A&amp;R executive and record producer Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs founded the New York-centered hip-hop label, Bad Boy Records. [11]   [12]  The next year, the label's debut releases by Brooklyn-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (also known as Biggie Smalls) [13]  and Long Island–based rapper Craig Mack became immediate critical and commercial successes. [14] 
 By 1994, New York-born, California-based rapper and actor Tupac "2Pac" Shakur had released two successful albums and starred in three movies. However, at the same time, his career was in jeopardy as he was low on money and standing trial in New York City on charges of sexual abuse, sodomy, and weapons possession. [15] 
Quad Studios shooting[edit]
On November 30, 1994, 2Pac was scheduled to record a verse with Little Shawn at Quad Studios in Manhattan to help pay his legal fees. As he arrived, members of Junior M.A.F.I.A., a group affiliated with Bad Boy, shouted greetings to 2Pac on the street below. Once he entered the building, two gunmen ordered everyone in the lobby to the floor. When 2Pac hesitated, he was shot five times and robbed. As 2Pac was taken out on a stretcher, he gave the middle finger to Biggie and other Bad Boy affiliates who were present. [15] 
 One day later, 2Pac was convicted of sexual abuse. [16]  Afterward, 2Pac implied in an interview with Kevin Powell of  Vibe  that Biggie, Puff Daddy and Uptown Records head Andre Harrell were involved in or responsible for the attack at Quad Studios. [17]  Between when that interview was given and when the article was published, Puff Daddy had visited 2Pac at Rikers Island and assured him that Bad Boy was not involved in the shooting. [6] 
C'mere c'mere ... open your fucking mouth ... Didn't I tell you not to fuck with me? ... Can't talk with a gun in your mouth huh? ... Bitch-ass nigga, what?
 - The Notorious B.I.G.
In February 1995, "Who Shot Ya?," a B-side track from Biggie's "Big Poppa" single was released. Although Combs and Biggie denied having anything to do with the shooting and stated that "Who Shot Ya?" had been recorded before the shooting, [19]  2Pac interpreted it as a taunt directed at him. [20]   [21]   [22] 
Source Awards[edit]
On August 3, 1995, Suge Knight took a dig at Puff Daddy at that year's Source Awards in New York City, announcing to the assembly of artists and industry figures: "Any artist out there that want to be an artist and want to stay a star, and don't want to have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos ... All on the records ... dancing, come to Death Row!" - referring to Combs' tendency to appear in his artists' music videos and perform ad-libs in their songs. [23]   [24]  To the New York audience, Knight's comments seemed a slight to the entire East Coast hip hop scene, and resulted in boos from the crowd. [25] 
 The crowd booed again when Dr. Dre was named Producer of the Year. In response to the boos, Death Row artist Snoop Doggy Dogg took the microphone from Dr. Dre and asked the crowd: "The east coast ain’t got no love for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg and Death Row? Y’all don’t love us? Y’all don’t love us?! Well, let it be known then! We don’t give a fuck. We know y’all east coast! We know where the fuck we at!" [6] 
 Puff Daddy later took the stage as a presenter and told the audience: "[A]ll this East and West—that needs to stop. So give it up for everybody from the East and the West that won tonight. One love." [6] 
Murder of "Big Jake" Robles, release of 2Pac, diss tracks[edit]
Problems continued the following month when Suge Knight and Puff Daddy attended a birthday party for musician Jermaine Dupri at Platinum House club in Atlanta. Conflict between the two groups spilled outside the club and Jai "Big Jake" Robles, a close friend of Knight's and a Death Row Blood affiliate, was fatally shot as he was getting into a limousine. [6]  Knight accused Combs (also in attendance) of being involved in the shooting. [26]   [27] 
 Shortly after Robles' death, Knight secured 2Pac's release from prison by posting his $1.4 million bond, flying across the country and renting a limousine to pick him up from Clinton Correctional Facility. [6]  Shortly after his release, 2Pac proceeded to join Knight in escalating Death Row's feud with Bad Boy Records. [18]  2Pac insulted or threatened Biggie, Bad Boy and its affiliates on several tracks from late 1995 to 1996. Examples include the songs "Against All Odds," "Bomb First (My Second Reply)" and "Hit 'Em Up." [28]   [29]  
Who shot me? But ya punks didn't finish now you 'bout to feel the wrath of a menace nigga, I hit 'em up!
 
- 2Pac
 Queens group Mobb Deep, which had been called out by name in 2Pac's "Hit 'Em Up," released "Drop a Gem on 'Em" in August 1996 as a direct response. In 2011, Mobb Deep's Prodigy recalled his reaction after hearing Hit 'Em Up: "As soon as we heard Tupac saying anything about Mobb Deep, we went in and made that shit about him. We were like, ‘Fuck this nigga, we going right at this nigga and whoever the fuck he’s down with.’" [30] 
 2Pac also interpreted New York rapper LL Cool J's 1995 track "I Shot Ya" as a diss track referring to the Quad Studios shooting. [31]  In 1996, 2Pac confronted Keith Murray, who was featured on the track, at the California House of Blues. Murray made it clear that the record was not about 2Pac. [32] 
 Although Biggie never released an explicit retaliation record, Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Cease claimed in a  XXL  interview that 2Pac was the subject of Biggie's track "Long Kiss Goodnight." Puff Daddy, however, steadfastly denied this theory, arguing that if Biggie were to diss 2Pac, he would have called him out by name. [33] 
 During this time, the media became heavily involved and dubbed the rivalry a coastal rap war, reporting on it continually. [34]   [35]  This caused fans from both scenes to take sides. [14] 
Faith Evans[edit]
     
In November 1995, 2Pac met Biggie's estranged wife, Bad Boy singer Faith Evans, at a party and agreed to pay her $250,000 to sing on one of his tracks. According to Evans, after she recorded her part, 2Pac refused to pay her unless she had sex with him and she declined. [36] 
 While Evans continued to deny rumors that she was involved romantically or sexually with 2Pac, Suge Knight and 2Pac were doing the opposite. In January 1996, they hinted to Lynn Hirschberg of  The New York Times  that he was in a relationship with Evans in that she had given him gifts and he had repaid her those gifts with what he implied were sexual favors. [37]  Biggie flew into a rage after hearing about the Times article and aggressively confronted Evans. Publicly, however, he tried to brush it off as a joke. [36]  Later, in "Hit 'Em Up," 2Pac made his insinuations explicit, going so far as to say "I fucked your bitch, you fat motherfucker" and "you claim to be a player but I fucked your wife." [38] 
 Hip hop writers including  Newsweek's Allison Samuels and  The Source 's Kierna Mayo described Evans as "a pawn" in 2Pac's revenge plot against Biggie and the power struggle between the two men. She was not portrayed sympathetically in the media. [36]  Vibe joked in March 1996 that Evans was "losing weight from all that running back and forth between the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac." [39] 
"New York, New York"[edit]
In December 1995, Tha Dogg Pound, a Death Row group, was in Red Hook, Brooklyn filming the music video for their single "New York, New York." The music for the song used a beat that Biggie had rapped over in a commercial for St. Ides. [36]  Biggie called into local hip hop station Hot 97 and said "Red Hook [is where Tha Dogg Pound and 2Pac are] shooting a video. Brooklyn, stand up!" according to Snoop Doggy Dogg's recollection. Tha Dogg Pound, who were listening to the radio at the time, interpreted it as a friendly sentiment and thought Biggie was summoning fans to their video set. [40]  Shortly after the call, however, shots were fired at Tha Dogg Pound's trailer on the video set. The gunman was never identified. After the shooting, a scene was added to the music video showing Snoop Dogg destroying buildings and cars in New York City like Godzilla. [36]  In 1996, East Coast rappers Capone-N-Noreaga, Mobb Deep and Tragedy Khadafi recorded a comeback diss entitled "L.A., L.A." It was released in 1996 on Penalty Recordings. [41] 
Tupac vs. The Notorious B.I.G.[edit]
On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was shot in a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane in Las Vegas, Nevada. [42]  He was taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he died six days later. In 2002, Chuck Philips wrote the article "Who Killed Tupac Shakur?" [43]  reporting, "the shooting was carried out by a Compton gang called the Southside Crips to avenge the beating of one of its members by Shakur a few hours earlier ... Orlando Anderson, the Crip whom Shakur had attacked, fired the fatal shots. Las Vegas police discounted Anderson as a suspect and interviewed him only once, briefly. He was later killed in an "unrelated gang shooting" nearly 2 years later on May 29, 1998. The Philips article and its follow-up, "How Vegas Police Probe Floundered in Tupac Shakur Case" [44]  also implicated East Coast rappers including Biggie Smalls.
 Six months after Tupac's death, on March 9, 1997, The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a drive-by shooting by an unknown assailant in Los Angeles, California.
Efforts at reconciliation[edit]
On September 22, 1996, a peace summit was convened at Mosque Maryam by Louis Farrakhan in the wake of the murder of 2Pac, [45]  and another after the shooting of Biggie Smalls in March 1997. [46]   [47] 
 In February 1997, Snoop Dogg and Combs held a press conference where they called for an end to the East Coast–West Coast rap feud that had already claimed the life of 2Pac. "Kids around the world are watching," Snoop said. "By calling for a truce we're giving them something to live for." However, their efforts failed to stop the violence; less than a month later, The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a drive-by shooting while stopping at a stoplight in Los Angeles. [48] 
 On April 3, 1997, Key figures in the rap industry were summoned to Farrakhans Chicago-based minister house for an in-depth meeting. The main thrust was to put an end to the East / West rivalry. On hand were artists like Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Ice Cube, Bones Thugs-n-Harmony and Fat Joe. [49] 
References[edit]
  ^   "LAPD apologizes to Notorious B.I.G.'s family".  USA Today . 2012-12-09. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  ^  Millar, Aaron (19 May 2018). "New York: the birthplace of hip hop".  National Geographic . Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  ^   "Hip-Hop: A Culture of Vision and Voice". Kennedy Center. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  ^  Swanson, Abbie Fentress (August 2, 2010). "The South Bronx: Where Hip-Hop Was Born". WNYC. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  ^  Quinn, Eithne (2005).  Nuthin' But a "G" Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap . Columbia University Press. p. 84. ISBN  978-0-231-12408-9 . Retrieved 24 November 2021.
^    a       b       c       d       e       f       g    Anderson, Joel (14 February 2020). "Slow Burn Season 3, Episode 3: What's Beef?".  Slate . Retrieved 24 November 2021.
^    a       b    Madden, Sidney (November 12, 2016). "Today in Hip-Hop: Tim Dog Drops 'Pencillin on Wax' Album".  XXL Mag . Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  ^  Barber, Andrew; Tharpe, Frazier (October 13, 2018). "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Diss Songs".  Complex . Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  ^  Hodge, Kyle (March 27, 2017). "Tupac's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony Might Be a Mini Death Row Records Reunion". VH1 News. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  ^  Bakare, Lanre (30 January 2015). "Life and times of Suge Knight — the fall of Compton's notorious music mogul".  The Guardian . Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  ^   "Interview with Mark Pitts". HitQuarters. April 26, 2006. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  ^   "Alumni Bulletin - Alumni - Harvard Business School". Alumni.hbs.edu. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
  ^  "Slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. was 'ready to die'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. March 10, 1997.
^    a       b     "Why the West is Winning: Milwaukee players talk about the rap wars between the coasts". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. May 10, 1995. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
^    a       b    Anderson, Joel (14 February 2020). "Slow Burn Season 3, Episode 1: Against the World".  Slate . Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  ^  Perez-Pena, Richard (2 December 1994). "Wounded Rapper Gets Mixed Verdict In Sex-Abuse Case".  The New York Times . Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  ^  Powell, Kevin (14 February 2021). "Ready to Live".  Vibe  (April 1995). Retrieved 25 November 2021.
^    a       b    "Notorious B.I.G. Lyrics- "Who Shot Ya"". AZ Lyrics.
  ^  "Big Life: The rise and fall of Biggie Smalls". The Guardian. January 31, 2009.
  ^   "Gangsta rap: East Coast v.s. West Coast".  New Straits Times . May 21, 1997. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  ^   "Requiem for a Gangsta".  Newsweek . March 24, 1997. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  ^   "L.A. Times Links Diddy to 1994 Shooting of Tupac". The Boom Box. March 17, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  ^   "A Source Of Trouble Shots, suits &amp; shaky circulation threaten to rip apart hip-hop mag".  New York Daily News . August 3, 2005. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  ^   "The Turbulent Life and Times Of a Rap Mogul". The Washington Post. June 17, 2007. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  ^   "The Rap Column: Notorious Wins B.I.G., Minor Regional Fracas Among Highlights Of Awards".  Billboard . August 26, 1995. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  ^   "MTV party shooting revives rap wars".  The Times . August 29, 2005. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  ^  "Police probe Puff Daddy on Atlanta killing".  The Sunday Times . January 28, 2001.
  ^   "Man Says He Shot Tupac at Quad Studio". The Root. June 16, 2011. Archived from the original on September 15, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  ^   "Biggie Smalls was murdered 12 years ago. Now Jamal Woolard's portrayal of the rapper in Notorious is bringing pain among the plaudits, such is his uncanny likeness to him". The Scotsman. January 13, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  ^  Ahmed, Insanul (May 12, 2011). "Prodigy Breaks Down His 25 Most Essential Songs".  Complex . Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  ^  VIBE, Staff (13 September 2010). "Tupac Talks 'Hit Em Up' Vs. 'Who Shot Ya?' (Pg. 2)". www.vibe.com. Niggas been talking shit all while I was in jail. "Who Shot Ya?" L.L. [Cool J] got a song "I Shot Ya." Even if it ain't about me, nigga, you should be like, I'm not putting it out cause he might think it's about him. 
  ^  Harling, Danielle (August 7, 2014). "Keith Murray Recalls Tupac Approaching Him Over "I Shot Ya"". www.hiphopdx.com. Rest in peace to Tupac. I love and respect Tupac to death. I'm not talking bad about Tupac or nothing like that. It's just an incident. So, he came up. Walked up and he was like 'Nah, I just wanted to know because we had—I got shot five times. You know what I'm saying? In New York, so I thought niggas was talking about me'…I can understand why he did that…We was squaring off. Everybody had knives on 'em. But we diffused it and it was peace after that. 
  ^   "8 Subliminal Diss Records That No One Claims". XXL. November 5, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  ^  "THE RAP WARS / EAST COAST VS. WEST COAST".  Newsday . September 23, 1996.
  ^   "Gangsta Life And Death; For Tupac Shakur, Violence Was Part of the Act". The Washington Post. September 16, 1996. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
^    a       b       c       d       e    Anderson, Joel (14 February 2020). "Slow Burn Season 3, Episode 5: Wrath of a Menace".  Slate . Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  ^  Hirschberg, Lynn (14 January 1996). "Does a Sugar Bear Bite?".  The New York Times . Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  ^  Dyson, Michael Eric (26 November 2019).  JAY-Z: Made in America . St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN  978-1-250-27088-7 . Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  ^   "20 Questions".  Vibe . Vibe Media Group (March 1996): 131. March 1996. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  ^   "Snoop Blames Biggie for Tha Dogg Pound NY Video Shooting".
  ^  Markman, Rob (April 21, 2011). "Prodigy Didn't Want To Respond To Tupac Dis, N.O.R.E. Says". MTV News. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  ^  Planas, Antonio (7 April 2011). "FBI outlines parallels in Notorious B.I.G., Tupac slayings". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on 10 April 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  ^   Philips, Chuck (6 September 2002). "Who Killed Tupac Shakur?". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  ^   Philips, Chuck (30 January 2015). "How Vegas police probe floundered in Tupac Shakur case". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  ^  Coleman, Chrisena (1996-09-18). "Rappers in Peace Summit".  Daily News . New York. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
  ^  Loose, Cindy (1997-08-10). "Farrakhan To Sponsor Anti-Violence Rap Concert In D.C."  The Washington Post . Retrieved 2016-09-28.
  ^  Muwakkil, Salim (2003-12-15). "Farrakhan and the Beefs of Rap". In These Times. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
  ^   "Rap Artists Call for Truce in Hip-Hop Rivalry". Los Angeles Times. February 13, 1997.
  ^   "FARRAKHAN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST RAP STAR FEUDS". Chicago Tribune. April 4, 1997.
East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry
https://www.amny.com/entertainment/east-coast-vs-west-coast-rivalry-a-look-at-tupac-and-biggie-s-infamous-hip-hop-feud-1-13742586/
East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry: A look at Tupac and Biggie's infamous hip-hop feud | amNewYork
2019-03-08
Meghan Giannotta
<div><div>
<figure> </figure>
<figure><figcaption>A look back at the East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop rivalry that shaped the careers and ultimately led to the deaths of Tupac and Biggie. Photo Credit: Charles Eckert</figcaption></figure>
<p>Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (<a href="https://www.amny.com/entertainment/biggie-s-brooklyn-a-notorious-mural-his-favorite-nyc-spots-and-more-1.13203627">The Notorious B.I.G.</a>) became two of hip-hop’s most notable icons amid an infamous rivalry that continues to hold the attention of fans more than two decades after their deaths. </p>
<p>The East Coast-West Coast beef “still resonates today,” “History of Rap and Hip Hop” author Soren Baker says.
	</p><p>There were many factors behind the complex New York vs. Los Angeles turf rivalry that heightened between 1994 and 1997 and ultimatley lead to their deaths. The beef had everything to do with competition among record labels, media coverage, gang culture and two artists with a talent for rhythmic comebacks.</p>
<p><strong>The start </strong>
</p><p>Tupac and Biggie may be synonymous with the rivalry, but it existed, in a sense, before they hit the scene.
	</p><p>“There was always tension — there was always resentment, rather — among some folks on the West Coast for the resistivity from New York DJs and artists to West Coast hip-hop,” says Dan Charnas, a music history associate professor at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute. </p>
<p>With New York City being the birthplace of hip-hop, artists from L.A. felt they weren’t given the same media coverage and public attention as those on the East Coast, says Baker, a former hip-hop journalist. </p>
<p>“The [West Coast] artists felt that when they came to New York, they didn’t receive the same acceptance and admiration as when New York artists came to L.A., because the West Coast’s [artists] were more popular, simply from a sales perspective, than anyone at the time on the East Coast,” Baker adds. </p>
<p><strong>The labels</strong>
</p><p>Pac and Biggie were pitted against each other as their fame, and the genre’s popularity, grew across the country.
	</p><p>The producers behind West Coast’s Death Row Records (Dr. Dre, Suge Knight) and East Coast’s Bad Boy Entertainment (Sean “Diddy” Combs) helped fuel the competition as years passed.</p>
<p>The L.A. scene got a boost when Dr. Dre joined forces with Suge to launch Death Row in 1991, the same time Power 106 (KPWR-FM) branded itself as a hip-hop-focused radio station with its “Where hip-hop lives” slogan. It wasn’t until two years later that Combs branched out into the business with Bad Boy Entertainment in NYC.</p>
<p><strong>Rhythmic shade </strong>
</p><p>So, what exactly does this have to do with Tupac and Biggie? Not much, yet.
	</p><p>The drama took off when Tupac, who was on trial on allegations of sex abuse, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/30/nyregion/rap-artist-tupac-shakur-shot-in-robbery.html?mcubz=2">was shot five times</a> by a group of robbers in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Times Square on Nov. 30, 1994. Tupac believed it to be an inside job, and placed blame on his friends who were also invited to the studio — Biggie, Jimmy Henchman and Combs. It’s unclear why Pac was the target of the robbery, but other artists, including <a href="https://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/05/funkmaster-flex-tupac-shooting-himself-quad-studios/">Funkmaster Flex</a> most recently, have insisted the artist may have shot himself. The incident — whether a message from a rival group, the work of a former friend or a random attack — was enough to create a rift between Pac and Biggie that they were never able to repair.</p>
<p>It didn’t exactly help that Biggie released a track, “Who Shot Ya,” shortly afterward, in which he clearly expressed loyalty to the East Coast and the Bad Boy crew. But responding to accusations via lyrics was already a key part of hip-hop. </p>
<p>“It was how hip-hop grew, these call and response answers. No questions about it,” Charnas says. It’s mirrored today in rap battles and artist feuds, like that between Drake and Meek Mill.</p>
<p><strong>Damaged egos </strong>
</p><p>Pac, feeling betrayed by his former friend, served nine months in Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York on a sexual assault charge when Knight paid him a visit in 1995 and fueled the fire.</p>
<p>The producer went onstage at the Source Awards at Madison Square Garden’s Paramount Theater on Aug. 3, 1995, and threw shade at record label rival Combs. “Any artist out there wanna be an artist, and wanna stay a star, and don’t have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos, all on the records, dancing — come to Death Row,” he said.</p>
<p><strong>“Thug Life”</strong>
</p><p>While the label never addressed what exactly sparked Suge to make the speech on Combs’ turf, timeliness was a factor: Tupac had just signed with Death Row. The move wasn’t just about music. It marked Pac’s acceptance into Suge’s powerful group, known to have gang affiliations.</p>
<p>Pac’s decision ultimately reflected his desire to be viewed as an authoritative figure, Charnas says, referring to the late artist as “royalty.” “He didn’t need credibility. He had credibility, but it wasn’t the kind of credibility he craved. What he wanted, for whatever reason, was to be seen with street credibility … that became his motto: Thug life.”</p>
<p><strong>Rappers’ demise  </strong>
</p><p>After short-lived yet successful careers surrounded by controversy, both Tupac and Biggie were shot and killed not long thereafter. Tupac was critically injured in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas strip and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/14/arts/tupac-shakur-25-rap-performer-who-personified-violence-dies.html?mcubz=2">died</a> on Sept. 13, 1996. Biggie was shot and killed on L.A.’s Miracle Mile six months later on March 9, 1997. While both cases remain unsolved, loyal fans and industry influencers still believe the East Coast-West Coast beef is to blame.</p>
<p>“It’s one thing for a record label to promote an artist who promotes violence. It’s another thing when that violence becomes real and affects people,” Baker said. “It’s not just entertainment anymore. … It became real life and the line between reality and entertainment blurred.”</p>
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 East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry: A look at Tupac and Biggie’s infamous hip-hop feud

 By Meghan Giannotta Posted on March 8, 2019

 Sign up for our amNewYork email newsletter to get news, updates, and local insights delivered straight to your inbox!

 A look back at the East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop rivalry that shaped the careers and ultimately led to the deaths of Tupac and Biggie. Photo Credit: Charles Eckert

 Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.) became two of hip-hop’s most notable icons amid an infamous rivalry that continues to hold the attention of fans more than two decades after their deaths.

 The East Coast-West Coast beef “still resonates today,” “History of Rap and Hip Hop” author Soren Baker says.

 There were many factors behind the complex New York vs. Los Angeles turf rivalry that heightened between 1994 and 1997 and ultimatley lead to their deaths. The beef had everything to do with competition among record labels, media coverage, gang culture and two artists with a talent for rhythmic comebacks.

 The start

 Tupac and Biggie may be synonymous with the rivalry, but it existed, in a sense, before they hit the scene.

 “There was always tension — there was always resentment, rather — among some folks on the West Coast for the resistivity from New York DJs and artists to West Coast hip-hop,” says Dan Charnas, a music history associate professor at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute.

 With New York City being the birthplace of hip-hop, artists from L.A. felt they weren’t given the same media coverage and public attention as those on the East Coast, says Baker, a former hip-hop journalist.

 “The [West Coast] artists felt that when they came to New York, they didn’t receive the same acceptance and admiration as when New York artists came to L.A., because the West Coast’s [artists] were more popular, simply from a sales perspective, than anyone at the time on the East Coast,” Baker adds.

 The labels

 Pac and Biggie were pitted against each other as their fame, and the genre’s popularity, grew across the country.

 The producers behind West Coast’s Death Row Records (Dr. Dre, Suge Knight) and East Coast’s Bad Boy Entertainment (Sean “Diddy” Combs) helped fuel the competition as years passed.

 The L.A. scene got a boost when Dr. Dre joined forces with Suge to launch Death Row in 1991, the same time Power 106 (KPWR-FM) branded itself as a hip-hop-focused radio station with its “Where hip-hop lives” slogan. It wasn’t until two years later that Combs branched out into the business with Bad Boy Entertainment in NYC.

 Rhythmic shade

 So, what exactly does this have to do with Tupac and Biggie? Not much, yet.

 The drama took off when Tupac, who was on trial on allegations of sex abuse, was shot five times by a group of robbers in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Times Square on Nov. 30, 1994. Tupac believed it to be an inside job, and placed blame on his friends who were also invited to the studio — Biggie, Jimmy Henchman and Combs. It’s unclear why Pac was the target of the robbery, but other artists, including Funkmaster Flex most recently, have insisted the artist may have shot himself. The incident — whether a message from a rival group, the work of a former friend or a random attack — was enough to create a rift between Pac and Biggie that they were never able to repair.

 It didn’t exactly help that Biggie released a track, “Who Shot Ya,” shortly afterward, in which he clearly expressed loyalty to the East Coast and the Bad Boy crew. But responding to accusations via lyrics was already a key part of hip-hop.

 “It was how hip-hop grew, these call and response answers. No questions about it,” Charnas says. It’s mirrored today in rap battles and artist feuds, like that between Drake and Meek Mill.

 Damaged egos

 Pac, feeling betrayed by his former friend, served nine months in Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York on a sexual assault charge when Knight paid him a visit in 1995 and fueled the fire.

 The producer went onstage at the Source Awards at Madison Square Garden’s Paramount Theater on Aug. 3, 1995, and threw shade at record label rival Combs. “Any artist out there wanna be an artist, and wanna stay a star, and don’t have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos, all on the records, dancing — come to Death Row,” he said.

 “Thug Life”

 While the label never addressed what exactly sparked Suge to make the speech on Combs’ turf, timeliness was a factor: Tupac had just signed with Death Row. The move wasn’t just about music. It marked Pac’s acceptance into Suge’s powerful group, known to have gang affiliations.

 Pac’s decision ultimately reflected his desire to be viewed as an authoritative figure, Charnas says, referring to the late artist as “royalty.” “He didn’t need credibility. He had credibility, but it wasn’t the kind of credibility he craved. What he wanted, for whatever reason, was to be seen with street credibility … that became his motto: Thug life.”

 Rappers’ demise

 After short-lived yet successful careers surrounded by controversy, both Tupac and Biggie were shot and killed not long thereafter. Tupac was critically injured in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas strip and died on Sept. 13, 1996. Biggie was shot and killed on L.A.’s Miracle Mile six months later on March 9, 1997. While both cases remain unsolved, loyal fans and industry influencers still believe the East Coast-West Coast beef is to blame.

 “It’s one thing for a record label to promote an artist who promotes violence. It’s another thing when that violence becomes real and affects people,” Baker said. “It’s not just entertainment anymore. … It became real life and the line between reality and entertainment blurred.”

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A look back at the East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop rivalry that shaped the careers and ultimately led to the deaths of Tupac and Biggie. Photo Credit: Charles Eckert 
Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.) became two of hip-hop’s most notable icons amid an infamous rivalry that continues to hold the attention of fans more than two decades after their deaths. 
The East Coast-West Coast beef “still resonates today,” “History of Rap and Hip Hop” author Soren Baker says.
	 There were many factors behind the complex New York vs. Los Angeles turf rivalry that heightened between 1994 and 1997 and ultimatley lead to their deaths. The beef had everything to do with competition among record labels, media coverage, gang culture and two artists with a talent for rhythmic comebacks.
 The start 
 Tupac and Biggie may be synonymous with the rivalry, but it existed, in a sense, before they hit the scene.
	 “There was always tension — there was always resentment, rather — among some folks on the West Coast for the resistivity from New York DJs and artists to West Coast hip-hop,” says Dan Charnas, a music history associate professor at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute. 
With New York City being the birthplace of hip-hop, artists from L.A. felt they weren’t given the same media coverage and public attention as those on the East Coast, says Baker, a former hip-hop journalist. 
“The [West Coast] artists felt that when they came to New York, they didn’t receive the same acceptance and admiration as when New York artists came to L.A., because the West Coast’s [artists] were more popular, simply from a sales perspective, than anyone at the time on the East Coast,” Baker adds. 
 The labels
 Pac and Biggie were pitted against each other as their fame, and the genre’s popularity, grew across the country.
	 The producers behind West Coast’s Death Row Records (Dr. Dre, Suge Knight) and East Coast’s Bad Boy Entertainment (Sean “Diddy” Combs) helped fuel the competition as years passed.
The L.A. scene got a boost when Dr. Dre joined forces with Suge to launch Death Row in 1991, the same time Power 106 (KPWR-FM) branded itself as a hip-hop-focused radio station with its “Where hip-hop lives” slogan. It wasn’t until two years later that Combs branched out into the business with Bad Boy Entertainment in NYC.
 Rhythmic shade 
 So, what exactly does this have to do with Tupac and Biggie? Not much, yet.
	 The drama took off when Tupac, who was on trial on allegations of sex abuse, was shot five times by a group of robbers in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Times Square on Nov. 30, 1994. Tupac believed it to be an inside job, and placed blame on his friends who were also invited to the studio — Biggie, Jimmy Henchman and Combs. It’s unclear why Pac was the target of the robbery, but other artists, including Funkmaster Flex most recently, have insisted the artist may have shot himself. The incident — whether a message from a rival group, the work of a former friend or a random attack — was enough to create a rift between Pac and Biggie that they were never able to repair.
It didn’t exactly help that Biggie released a track, “Who Shot Ya,” shortly afterward, in which he clearly expressed loyalty to the East Coast and the Bad Boy crew. But responding to accusations via lyrics was already a key part of hip-hop. 
“It was how hip-hop grew, these call and response answers. No questions about it,” Charnas says. It’s mirrored today in rap battles and artist feuds, like that between Drake and Meek Mill.
 Damaged egos 
 Pac, feeling betrayed by his former friend, served nine months in Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York on a sexual assault charge when Knight paid him a visit in 1995 and fueled the fire.
The producer went onstage at the Source Awards at Madison Square Garden’s Paramount Theater on Aug. 3, 1995, and threw shade at record label rival Combs. “Any artist out there wanna be an artist, and wanna stay a star, and don’t have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos, all on the records, dancing — come to Death Row,” he said.
 “Thug Life”
 While the label never addressed what exactly sparked Suge to make the speech on Combs’ turf, timeliness was a factor: Tupac had just signed with Death Row. The move wasn’t just about music. It marked Pac’s acceptance into Suge’s powerful group, known to have gang affiliations.
Pac’s decision ultimately reflected his desire to be viewed as an authoritative figure, Charnas says, referring to the late artist as “royalty.” “He didn’t need credibility. He had credibility, but it wasn’t the kind of credibility he craved. What he wanted, for whatever reason, was to be seen with street credibility … that became his motto: Thug life.”
 Rappers’ demise  
 After short-lived yet successful careers surrounded by controversy, both Tupac and Biggie were shot and killed not long thereafter. Tupac was critically injured in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas strip and died on Sept. 13, 1996. Biggie was shot and killed on L.A.’s Miracle Mile six months later on March 9, 1997. While both cases remain unsolved, loyal fans and industry influencers still believe the East Coast-West Coast beef is to blame.
“It’s one thing for a record label to promote an artist who promotes violence. It’s another thing when that violence becomes real and affects people,” Baker said. “It’s not just entertainment anymore. … It became real life and the line between reality and entertainment blurred.”
East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry: A look at Tupac and Biggie's infamous hip-hop feud | amNewYork
https://www.amny.com/entertainment/east-coast-vs-west-coast-rivalry-a-look-at-tupac-and-biggie-s-infamous-hip-hop-feud-1-13742586/
https://hip-hop-music.fandom.com/wiki/East_Coast-West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry
East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry
1996-01-01
None
<div><div><figure> 	<a href="https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/hip-hop-music/images/a/ad/The_Notorious_B.I.G._%26_2Pac.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150309103236"></a> 	 	<figcaption> 	 	 	 	<p><a href="/wiki/The_Notorious_B.I.G.">The Notorious B.I.G.</a> and <a href="/wiki/2Pac">2Pac</a> in 1994.</p> 	 	</figcaption> </figure><p><b>West Coast hip hop rivalry</b> was a feud in the 1990's between artists and fans of the <a href="/wiki/East_Coast_hip_hop">East Coast hip hop</a> and <a href="/wiki/West_Coast_hip_hop">West Coast hip hop</a> scenes in the United States. The two main parties involved were West Coast-based rapper <a href="/wiki/Tupac_Shakur">Tupac Shakur</a> and his Los Angeles-based label <a href="/wiki/Death_Row_Records">Death Row Records</a>, East Coast-based rapper <a href="/wiki/The_Notorious_B.I.G.">The Notorious B.I.G.</a> and his New York-base’s label <a href="/wiki/Bad_Boy_Records">Bad Boy Records</a>. Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were killed by unknown assailants in 1996 and 1997, respectively.
</p>
<h2>Origin[]</h2>
<p>Hip hop emerged in the 1970's on the streets of the South Bronx, New York. Powered by DJ's such as <a href="/wiki/DJ_Kool_Herc">Kool Herc</a>, <a href="/wiki/Grandmaster_Flash">Grandmaster Flash</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Afrika_Bambaataa">Afrika Bambaataa</a>, the new genre became popular throughout the city's neighborhoods. The New York City area remained at the forefront of hip hop music throughout the early-to-mid-1980's and was the home of most popular hip hop acts of violence. They were killers among the south given the fact that all of them together have 86 bodies, (<a href="/wiki/DJ_Kool_Herc">Kool Herc - 27</a> ,) (<a href="/wiki/Grandmaster_Flash">Grandmaster Flash - 39)</a> ( <a href="/wiki/Afrika_Bambaataa">Afrika Bambaataa</a> - 20)
</p><p>In 1986, inspired by Philadelphia-based rapper <a href="/wiki/Schoolly_D">Schoolly D</a>, Los Angeles rapper <a href="/wiki/Ice-T">Ice-T</a> released the song "<a href="/wiki/6_in_the_Mornin%27">6 in the Mornin'</a>". It is considered by many music writers as the very first <a href="/wiki/Gangsta_rap">gangsta rap</a> song and assisted with the emergence of the burgeoning West Coast hip hop scene. A young drug dealer named <a href="/wiki/Eazy-E">Eric "Eazy-E" Wright</a> saw the potential profits and fame of the hip hop lifestyle, so he founded the group <a href="/wiki/N.W.A">N.W.A</a> with <a href="/wiki/Dr._Dre">Dr. Dre</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ice_Cube">Ice Cube</a>, <a href="/wiki/MC_Ren">MC Ren</a>, <a href="/wiki/DJ_Yella">DJ Yella</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Arabian_Prince">Arabian Prince</a>. The group released their groundbreaking debut album, <i><a href="/wiki/Straight_Outta_Compton">Straight Outta Compton</a></i>, in 1988, and redefined the hip hop genre and cemented the West Coast's presence in the nation's hip hop scene. Financial issues led to the disestablishment of the group. Eazy-E remained as the wealthy owner and manager of his <a href="/wiki/Ruthless_Records">Ruthless Records</a> label, Ice Cube released a string of successful albums starting with 1990's <i><a href="/wiki/AmeriKKKa%27s_Most_Wanted">AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted</a></i>, and Dr. Dre went on to co-found Death Row Records with <a href="/wiki/Suge_Knight">Suge Knight</a>, <a href="/wiki/The_D.O.C.">The D.O.C.</a> and Dick Griffey.
</p><p>During his tenure at Death Row, Dr. Dre released one of the most influential hip hop albums of all time with <i><a href="/wiki/The_Chronic">The Chronic</a></i> in 1992. The album singlehandedly revolutionized the <a href="/wiki/G-funk">G-funk</a> movement. Other successful stars on the Death Row label included <a href="/wiki/Snoop_Doggy_Dogg">Snoop Doggy Dogg</a>, <a href="/wiki/The_Lady_of_Rage">The Lady of Rage</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nate_Dogg">Nate Dogg</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Daz_Dillinger">Daz Dillinger</a> and <a href="/wiki/Kurupt">Kurupt</a> of <a href="/wiki/Tha_Dogg_Pound">Tha Dogg Pound</a>. By the early 1990s, the West Coast had separated itself as the dominant region in hip hop.
</p>
<h2>The rivalry[]</h2>
<h3>Beginnings[]</h3>
<p>In 1991, disgruntled by the record companies' rejection of East Coast artists in favor of West Coast ones, Bronx rapper <a href="/wiki/Tim_Dog">Tim Dog</a> decided to voice his anger on the infamous song "<a href="/wiki/Fuck_Compton">Fuck Compton</a>". It contained shots at the entire Los Angeles rap scene, particularly the members of N.W.A, and had a music video contained violent gestures towards Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and <a href="/wiki/DJ_Quik">DJ Quik</a> lookalikes.
</p><p>The song received many responses, with the most notable being "<a href="/wiki/Fuck_wit_Dre_Day_(And_Everybody%27s_Celebratin%27)">Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')</a>" by Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg from <i>The Chronic</i>. <a href="/wiki/Compton%27s_Most_Wanted">Compton's Most Wanted</a>, DJ Quik, <a href="/wiki/Rodney-O_%26_Joe_Cooley">Rodney-O &amp; Joe Cooley</a> and <a href="/wiki/Tweedy_Bird_Loc">Tweedy Bird Loc</a> also made response songs.
</p>
<h3>Bad Boy vs. Death Row[]</h3>
<p>In 1993, fledgling A&amp;R executive and record producer <a href="/wiki/Sean_Combs">Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs</a> founded the New York-based label Bad Boy Records. The next year, the label's debut releases by Brooklyn-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. and Long Island-based rapper <a href="/wiki/Craig_Mack">Craig Mack</a> became immediate critical and commercial successes and seemed to revitalize the East Coast hip hop scene by 1994. 
</p><p>On 30 November 1994, California-based rapper Tupac Shakur was shot five times and robbed in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan. Shakur accused The Notorious B.I.G., Sean Combs and Andre Harrell of being involved. Shortly after 2Pac's shooting, "Who Shot Ya", a B-side track from B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa" single was released. Although Combs and B.I.G. denied having anything to do with the shooting and stated that "Who Shot Ya?" was recorded before the shooting, 2Pac and the majority of the hip hop community interpreted it as B.I.G.'s way of taunting him.
</p><p>In August 1995, Death Row CEO Suge Knight took a shot at Bad Boy and Combs at that year's Source Awards; announcing to the assembly of artists and industry figures: "Any artist out there that want to be an artist and stay a star, and don't have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos ... All on the records ... dancing, come to Death Row!". It was a direct reference to Combs' tendency to ad-lib on his artist's songs and appear dancing in their videos. With the ceremony being held in New York, to the audience, Knight's comments appeared to be an attack on the entire East Coast hip hop scene and resulted in many boos from the crowd.
</p><p>That same year, Knight posted the $1.4 million bail of the then-incarcerated Shakur, in exchange for his signing with Death Row. Shortly after the rapper's release for five counts of sexual abuse in October 1995, he proceeded to join Knight in furthering Death Row's feud with Bad Boy Records.
</p><p>Tensions were further escalated with the release of Tha Dogg Pound's music video for their song "<a href="/wiki/New_York,_New_York">New York, New York</a>", which featured a gigantic Snoop Dogg destroying various New York buildings. It was interpreted by many as a direct insult towards New York and the East Coast, although the song itself does not feature any disses. Tha Dogg Pound was allegedly even shot at while making the video in New York City.
</p><p>In early 1996, in response to the song "New York, New York", the duo <a href="/wiki/Capone-n-Noreaga">Capone-n-Noreaga</a> featuring <a href="/wiki/Mobb_Deep">Mobb Deep</a> and <a href="/wiki/Tragedy_Khadafi">Tragedy Khadafi</a>, along with producer <a href="/wiki/Marley_Marl">Marley Marl</a> released the single "L.A., L.A.", which interpolates "New York, New York"'s hook, remixes the original beat both in the Iraq and Kuwait mix and in the music video shows the same air shots of Manhattan, aswell as <a href="/wiki/Havoc">Havoc</a> and <a href="/wiki/Prodigy">Prodigy</a> beating up, and shoving DPG member <a href="/wiki/Kurupt">Kurupt</a> inside the trunk of a car, before releasing him in a block and chasing him on top of rooftops and killing him. Rick on dude 🤘🤟🏻
</p>
<h3>2Pac vs. The Notorious B.I.G.[]</h3>
<p>After the release of "Who Shot Ya?", 2Pac appeared on numerous tracks aiming threatening and antagonistic 🤙 at Biggie, Bad Boy and anyone affiliated with them from late 1995 to 1996. Examples include the songs "Against All Odds", "Bomb First (My Second Reply)" and, most notably, "<a href="/wiki/Hit_%27Em_Up">Hit 'Em Up</a>". During this time, the media became heavily involved and dubbed the rivalry a coastal rap war, reporting on it continually. This resulted in fans choosing sides.
</p><p>Although an official retaliation record was never released by not big certain lyrics from his catalog were interpreted by listeners as subliminal shots aimed at Shakur, in particular, the track "Long Kiss Goodnight". Combs denied these theories, claiming that B.I.G. would call Shakur out by name if he were to diss him.
</p><p>On 13 September 1996, Tupac Shakur died after being shot multiple times six days earlier in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although the gunman remains unknown, the murder is generally attributed to the Southside Crips street gang, possible shooter Orlando Anderson who are believed to have shot Shakur to avenge the beating of one of its members by Shakur and his entourage a few hours earlier. Six months after Shakur's death, The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a drive-by shooting by an unknown assailant in Los Angeles, California on 9 March 1997. To this day, both murders remained officially unsolved, yet many believe Suge Knight to be involved in the death of both artists.
</p>
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 The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac in 1994.

 West Coast hip hop rivalry was a feud in the 1990's between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States. The two main parties involved were West Coast-based rapper Tupac Shakur and his Los Angeles-based label Death Row Records, East Coast-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. and his New York-base’s label Bad Boy Records. Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were killed by unknown assailants in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

 Contents

 * 1 Origin
 * 2 The rivalry
 + 2.1 Beginnings
 + 2.2 Bad Boy vs. Death Row
 + 2.3 2Pac vs. The Notorious B.I.G.

 Origin [ ]

 Hip hop emerged in the 1970's on the streets of the South Bronx, New York. Powered by DJ's such as Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa, the new genre became popular throughout the city's neighborhoods. The New York City area remained at the forefront of hip hop music throughout the early-to-mid-1980's and was the home of most popular hip hop acts of violence. They were killers among the south given the fact that all of them together have 86 bodies, (Kool Herc - 27 ,) (Grandmaster Flash - 39) ( Afrika Bambaataa - 20)

 In 1986, inspired by Philadelphia-based rapper Schoolly D, Los Angeles rapper Ice-T released the song "6 in the Mornin'". It is considered by many music writers as the very first gangsta rap song and assisted with the emergence of the burgeoning West Coast hip hop scene. A young drug dealer named Eric "Eazy-E" Wright saw the potential profits and fame of the hip hop lifestyle, so he founded the group N.W.A with Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince. The group released their groundbreaking debut album, Straight Outta Compton, in 1988, and redefined the hip hop genre and cemented the West Coast's presence in the nation's hip hop scene. Financial issues led to the disestablishment of the group. Eazy-E remained as the wealthy owner and manager of his Ruthless Records label, Ice Cube released a string of successful albums starting with 1990's AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, and Dr. Dre went on to co-found Death Row Records with Suge Knight, The D.O.C. and Dick Griffey.

 During his tenure at Death Row, Dr. Dre released one of the most influential hip hop albums of all time with The Chronic in 1992. The album singlehandedly revolutionized the G-funk movement. Other successful stars on the Death Row label included Snoop Doggy Dogg, The Lady of Rage, Nate Dogg, and Daz Dillinger and Kurupt of Tha Dogg Pound. By the early 1990s, the West Coast had separated itself as the dominant region in hip hop.

 The rivalry [ ]

 Beginnings [ ]

 In 1991, disgruntled by the record companies' rejection of East Coast artists in favor of West Coast ones, Bronx rapper Tim Dog decided to voice his anger on the infamous song "Fuck Compton". It contained shots at the entire Los Angeles rap scene, particularly the members of N.W.A, and had a music video contained violent gestures towards Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and DJ Quik lookalikes.

 The song received many responses, with the most notable being "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" by Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg from The Chronic. Compton's Most Wanted, DJ Quik, Rodney-O & Joe Cooley and Tweedy Bird Loc also made response songs.

 Bad Boy vs. Death Row [ ]

 In 1993, fledgling A&R executive and record producer Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs founded the New York-based label Bad Boy Records. The next year, the label's debut releases by Brooklyn-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. and Long Island-based rapper Craig Mack became immediate critical and commercial successes and seemed to revitalize the East Coast hip hop scene by 1994.

 On 30 November 1994, California-based rapper Tupac Shakur was shot five times and robbed in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan. Shakur accused The Notorious B.I.G., Sean Combs and Andre Harrell of being involved. Shortly after 2Pac's shooting, "Who Shot Ya", a B-side track from B.I.G.'s " Big Poppa " single was released. Although Combs and B.I.G. denied having anything to do with the shooting and stated that "Who Shot Ya?" was recorded before the shooting, 2Pac and the majority of the hip hop community interpreted it as B.I.G.'s way of taunting him.

 In August 1995, Death Row CEO Suge Knight took a shot at Bad Boy and Combs at that year's Source Awards; announcing to the assembly of artists and industry figures: "Any artist out there that want to be an artist and stay a star, and don't have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos ... All on the records ... dancing, come to Death Row!". It was a direct reference to Combs' tendency to ad-lib on his artist's songs and appear dancing in their videos. With the ceremony being held in New York, to the audience, Knight's comments appeared to be an attack on the entire East Coast hip hop scene and resulted in many boos from the crowd.

 That same year, Knight posted the $1.4 million bail of the then-incarcerated Shakur, in exchange for his signing with Death Row. Shortly after the rapper's release for five counts of sexual abuse in October 1995, he proceeded to join Knight in furthering Death Row's feud with Bad Boy Records.

 Tensions were further escalated with the release of Tha Dogg Pound's music video for their song "New York, New York", which featured a gigantic Snoop Dogg destroying various New York buildings. It was interpreted by many as a direct insult towards New York and the East Coast, although the song itself does not feature any disses. Tha Dogg Pound was allegedly even shot at while making the video in New York City.

 In early 1996, in response to the song "New York, New York", the duo Capone-n-Noreaga featuring Mobb Deep and Tragedy Khadafi, along with producer Marley Marl released the single "L.A., L.A.", which interpolates "New York, New York"'s hook, remixes the original beat both in the Iraq and Kuwait mix and in the music video shows the same air shots of Manhattan, aswell as Havoc and Prodigy beating up, and shoving DPG member Kurupt inside the trunk of a car, before releasing him in a block and chasing him on top of rooftops and killing him. Rick on dude 🤘🤟🏻

 2Pac vs. The Notorious B.I.G. [ ]

 After the release of "Who Shot Ya?", 2Pac appeared on numerous tracks aiming threatening and antagonistic 🤙 at Biggie, Bad Boy and anyone affiliated with them from late 1995 to 1996. Examples include the songs "Against All Odds", "Bomb First (My Second Reply)" and, most notably, "Hit 'Em Up". During this time, the media became heavily involved and dubbed the rivalry a coastal rap war, reporting on it continually. This resulted in fans choosing sides.

 Although an official retaliation record was never released by not big certain lyrics from his catalog were interpreted by listeners as subliminal shots aimed at Shakur, in particular, the track "Long Kiss Goodnight". Combs denied these theories, claiming that B.I.G. would call Shakur out by name if he were to diss him.

 On 13 September 1996, Tupac Shakur died after being shot multiple times six days earlier in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although the gunman remains unknown, the murder is generally attributed to the Southside Crips street gang, possible shooter Orlando Anderson who are believed to have shot Shakur to avenge the beating of one of its members by Shakur and his entourage a few hours earlier. Six months after Shakur's death, The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a drive-by shooting by an unknown assailant in Los Angeles, California on 9 March 1997. To this day, both murders remained officially unsolved, yet many believe Suge Knight to be involved in the death of both artists.

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The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac in 1994. 	 	   West Coast hip hop rivalry was a feud in the 1990's between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States. The two main parties involved were West Coast-based rapper Tupac Shakur and his Los Angeles-based label Death Row Records, East Coast-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. and his New York-base’s label Bad Boy Records. Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were killed by unknown assailants in 1996 and 1997, respectively.
Origin[]
Hip hop emerged in the 1970's on the streets of the South Bronx, New York. Powered by DJ's such as Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa, the new genre became popular throughout the city's neighborhoods. The New York City area remained at the forefront of hip hop music throughout the early-to-mid-1980's and was the home of most popular hip hop acts of violence. They were killers among the south given the fact that all of them together have 86 bodies, (Kool Herc - 27 ,) (Grandmaster Flash - 39) ( Afrika Bambaataa - 20)
 In 1986, inspired by Philadelphia-based rapper Schoolly D, Los Angeles rapper Ice-T released the song "6 in the Mornin'". It is considered by many music writers as the very first gangsta rap song and assisted with the emergence of the burgeoning West Coast hip hop scene. A young drug dealer named Eric "Eazy-E" Wright saw the potential profits and fame of the hip hop lifestyle, so he founded the group N.W.A with Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince. The group released their groundbreaking debut album,  Straight Outta Compton , in 1988, and redefined the hip hop genre and cemented the West Coast's presence in the nation's hip hop scene. Financial issues led to the disestablishment of the group. Eazy-E remained as the wealthy owner and manager of his Ruthless Records label, Ice Cube released a string of successful albums starting with 1990's  AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted , and Dr. Dre went on to co-found Death Row Records with Suge Knight, The D.O.C. and Dick Griffey.
 During his tenure at Death Row, Dr. Dre released one of the most influential hip hop albums of all time with  The Chronic  in 1992. The album singlehandedly revolutionized the G-funk movement. Other successful stars on the Death Row label included Snoop Doggy Dogg, The Lady of Rage, Nate Dogg, and Daz Dillinger and Kurupt of Tha Dogg Pound. By the early 1990s, the West Coast had separated itself as the dominant region in hip hop.
The rivalry[]
Beginnings[]
In 1991, disgruntled by the record companies' rejection of East Coast artists in favor of West Coast ones, Bronx rapper Tim Dog decided to voice his anger on the infamous song "Fuck Compton". It contained shots at the entire Los Angeles rap scene, particularly the members of N.W.A, and had a music video contained violent gestures towards Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and DJ Quik lookalikes.
 The song received many responses, with the most notable being "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" by Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg from The Chronic. Compton's Most Wanted, DJ Quik, Rodney-O &amp; Joe Cooley and Tweedy Bird Loc also made response songs.
Bad Boy vs. Death Row[]
In 1993, fledgling A&amp;R executive and record producer Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs founded the New York-based label Bad Boy Records. The next year, the label's debut releases by Brooklyn-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. and Long Island-based rapper Craig Mack became immediate critical and commercial successes and seemed to revitalize the East Coast hip hop scene by 1994. 
 On 30 November 1994, California-based rapper Tupac Shakur was shot five times and robbed in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan. Shakur accused The Notorious B.I.G., Sean Combs and Andre Harrell of being involved. Shortly after 2Pac's shooting, "Who Shot Ya", a B-side track from B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa" single was released. Although Combs and B.I.G. denied having anything to do with the shooting and stated that "Who Shot Ya?" was recorded before the shooting, 2Pac and the majority of the hip hop community interpreted it as B.I.G.'s way of taunting him.
 In August 1995, Death Row CEO Suge Knight took a shot at Bad Boy and Combs at that year's Source Awards; announcing to the assembly of artists and industry figures: "Any artist out there that want to be an artist and stay a star, and don't have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos ... All on the records ... dancing, come to Death Row!". It was a direct reference to Combs' tendency to ad-lib on his artist's songs and appear dancing in their videos. With the ceremony being held in New York, to the audience, Knight's comments appeared to be an attack on the entire East Coast hip hop scene and resulted in many boos from the crowd.
 That same year, Knight posted the $1.4 million bail of the then-incarcerated Shakur, in exchange for his signing with Death Row. Shortly after the rapper's release for five counts of sexual abuse in October 1995, he proceeded to join Knight in furthering Death Row's feud with Bad Boy Records.
 Tensions were further escalated with the release of Tha Dogg Pound's music video for their song "New York, New York", which featured a gigantic Snoop Dogg destroying various New York buildings. It was interpreted by many as a direct insult towards New York and the East Coast, although the song itself does not feature any disses. Tha Dogg Pound was allegedly even shot at while making the video in New York City.
 In early 1996, in response to the song "New York, New York", the duo Capone-n-Noreaga featuring Mobb Deep and Tragedy Khadafi, along with producer Marley Marl released the single "L.A., L.A.", which interpolates "New York, New York"'s hook, remixes the original beat both in the Iraq and Kuwait mix and in the music video shows the same air shots of Manhattan, aswell as Havoc and Prodigy beating up, and shoving DPG member Kurupt inside the trunk of a car, before releasing him in a block and chasing him on top of rooftops and killing him. Rick on dude 🤘🤟🏻
2Pac vs. The Notorious B.I.G.[]
After the release of "Who Shot Ya?", 2Pac appeared on numerous tracks aiming threatening and antagonistic 🤙 at Biggie, Bad Boy and anyone affiliated with them from late 1995 to 1996. Examples include the songs "Against All Odds", "Bomb First (My Second Reply)" and, most notably, "Hit 'Em Up". During this time, the media became heavily involved and dubbed the rivalry a coastal rap war, reporting on it continually. This resulted in fans choosing sides.
 Although an official retaliation record was never released by not big certain lyrics from his catalog were interpreted by listeners as subliminal shots aimed at Shakur, in particular, the track "Long Kiss Goodnight". Combs denied these theories, claiming that B.I.G. would call Shakur out by name if he were to diss him.
 On 13 September 1996, Tupac Shakur died after being shot multiple times six days earlier in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although the gunman remains unknown, the murder is generally attributed to the Southside Crips street gang, possible shooter Orlando Anderson who are believed to have shot Shakur to avenge the beating of one of its members by Shakur and his entourage a few hours earlier. Six months after Shakur's death, The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a drive-by shooting by an unknown assailant in Los Angeles, California on 9 March 1997. To this day, both murders remained officially unsolved, yet many believe Suge Knight to be involved in the death of both artists.
East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry
https://hip-hop-music.fandom.com/wiki/East_Coast-West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry
https://www.passionweiss.com/2019/12/05/coast-to-coast-trey-coastal-lights-up-the-bay/
Coast to Coast: Trey Coastal Lights Up the Bay
2019-12-05
Taylor Crumpton
<div><div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/passionweiss"><strong>We write every piece with the thizz face. Support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon.</strong></a></p>
<p>The Bay Area has established a counterculture framework centered on rappers’ autonomy. The region’s sociopolitical environment of Black entrepreneurship amplified by Too Short and Freddie B’s hustler mentality provided structure for the development of Bay-Area based <a href="https://dregsone.com/post/19961756911/the-legacy-of-bay-area-hip-hop-history-culture">record labels</a> who encapsulated the region’s sound, such as Get Low Recordz, In-A-Minute Records, Young Black Brothas and Sick Wid It Records, that inspired the current roster of the region’s rappers, raised on mobb era music.</p>
<p>In the early to mid 2000s, mainstream markets embraced <a href="https://www.complex.com/music/2016/06/hyphy-oral-history">hyphy</a>, an energetic sub-genre birthed from the lived experiences of Black communities in the Bay, characterized by regional signatures of ghost riding and stunna shades infiltrated the Billboard Top 10 through E-40 and Keak Da Sneak’s hit, “Tell Me When To Go” and Too $hort’s “Blow The Whistle<i>.” </i>During this period, E-40 signed to Warner Bros Records, MTV produced a documentary about the region’s sound, and the distribution of street culture DVDs ensured the infiltration of hyphy into NYC, ATL, and music markets across the nation. Yet the lack of intentional leadership, strategic marketing, and controversy over which rapper could claim hyphy resulted in the movement’s downfall. </p>
<p>Over the last decades, mainstream artists such as Drake, Big Sean, DJ Mustard, and Chris Brown have paid homage and been accused by the Bay of appropriated their music. Yet Bay-area artists such as Sage The Gemini, Iamsu!, SOB x RBE, and Kamaiyah rarely achieved Billboard success, in comparison to their industry peers, who flipped their region’s music to be classified as innovative, and thus amplifying their chances of securing a Grammy. </p>
<p>Despite these contradictions, waves of Bay Area-based artists are contributing to the diversity of the Bay’s sound. ALLBLACK, Nef The Pharaoh, and Rexx Life Raj, are on the verge of mainstream success, while Beejus, White Dave, Micheal Sneed, are some dedicated to the continuation of the region’s independent success. In this latter camp is Oakland based rap collective, Trey Coastal<i>.</i></p><p><a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/trey-coastal-carves-out-unique-sound-in-bay-area-rap-scene/Content?oid=22700229">Trey Coastal</a> is composed of Philip Lang, Cameron Moss, and Ryan Klenk, childhood friends who developed their musical personas of Philip Bank$, Rye Mann, and Cam Moss over a middle school to Washington, DC, where Cam known as DJ Booty Tap produced a mixtape of beats from pirated FruityLoops studio software.</p>
<p>In 2017, the trio went viral throughout the Bay because of their visual to “Polysenian Sand,” a two minute track that paid tribute to the sociocultural factors that cultivated Oakland: Huey P. Newton, Ohlone Land, Tony! Toni! Tone – as Bank$ and Moss donned in Golden State Warriors sail throughout Lake Merritt over a Mann-produced beat. </p><p>Within the two years, Trey Coastal has collaborated with over 40 of the region’s independent producers, and rappers through their <a href="https://soundcloud.com/treycoastal">20 for 20 Podcast,</a> a multi-faceted auditory experience wherein the group educates listeners about the current trends and movements in the Bay’s hip-hop scene. There’s also the creation of an original song with the featured guest. The finished production is reflective of the organic collaboration among the region’s indie scene, which is primarily composed of formerly childhood peers adamant about contributing to the region’s lexicon, despite the ever rising costs of rent and enduring socioeconomic inequalities.</p><p>I spoke with Trey Coastal about navigating the Bay’s hip hop independent scene, and their latest single, “F***K BBQ Becky,” an homage to Jennifer Schulte, the white woman who called law enforcement in response to Black men BBQing at Lake Merritt. — <em><a href="https://twitter.com/taylorcrumpton">Taylor Crumpton</a></em></p>
<p></p><hr />
<h2>Structurally, Trey Coastal is an organic collaboration among childhood friends, that progressed into one of the Bay’s known hip-hop independent rap groups. As the group progress, have you considered a partnership with record labels?</h2>
<hr />
<h2>Trey Coastal: Throughout this time, we’ve learned things and applied them to our game plan. We’re determined on coordinating, and collaborating on ideas. It would be nice to have assistance, so we could focus on artistic and musical projects for the group, but the record and management would have to align with our values.</h2>
<hr />
<h2>Could you define Trey Coastal’s values?</h2>
<hr />
<h2>Trey Coastal: We’re not going to betray ourselves. For example, we could make a folk song, but we’re  going to keep our genuine ways. We just don’t want to be stereotyped, and we want to reach a bigger audience, but on our own terms. We’re very eclectic, because we’re real people who live actual lives.</h2>
<hr />
<h2>Are your values influenced by Oakland?</h2>
<hr />
<h2>Trey Coastal: Oakland’s diversity influences us to have confidence where we could produce a song from any genre; salsa, folk, country, with no rules. There’s honesty in our music, I can’t have our parents thinking about how we lied on a song. People in Oakland are rational and realistic. We navigate with a mindset of it is what it is without sugar coating or being spoon-fed. It’s an interesting perspective, centered on realism. An undercurrent within Trey Coastal’s videography is the intergration of Oakland as a main character. From Polysnesian Sand, ‘90s video game inspired R1 R2 L1 L2, and recently released End of Line that paid tribute to “turfin”, regional dance style developed from BART performers.</h2>
<hr />
<h2>What inspired the visual incorporation of Oakland into your music videos?</h2>
<hr />
<h2>Trey Coastal: The videos are social commentary about living in Oakland. End Of Line was inspired by “train robberies”, and riders being afraid of the young Black turf dancers. We responded through the visual to say you should be donating to children dancing on BART, because they could be robbing you, but they’re not. For the video, I contacted turf dancers from Instagram, and envisioned them for the video as I freestlyed my second verse, “How many hit the ground and pop that? That’s that West Oakland shit.” “F**K BBQ Becky” referenced the incident from April 28th that went viral after being uploaded to Twitter of a white woman calling law enforcement on two Black man for “illegally grilling” at Lake Merritt, described as “her park.” In response, Black communities increased their presence at the Lake, one of the few communal spaces where Black individuals, familes, and communities can enjoy.</h2>
<hr />
<h2>What led you to create a song based on this event in Oakland history?</h2>
<hr />
<h2>Trey Coastal: We already had an idea to create a Lake Merritt song for the EP. The beat for those hot days filled with drinking and barbecue. When I wrote the verse, it was the first thing I thought of for the opener. On End Of Line, we open the track with, “Rest in peace, Oscar. Fuck a BART copper”. It came from the heart. We were here in 2009 on New Year’s when it happened. For “F**K BBQ Becky,’ I (Cam Moss) was high when I first spit the verse, so it sounded causal. Phil had me re-record the verse and said, “No bro! Say it like she was right in front of the mic”. So I went back in there and said, “Fuck Barbecue Becky” from the heart.</h2>
<div><p>We rely on your support to keep POW alive. Please take a second to donate on Patreon!</p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/passionweiss"></a></p></div>
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 Coast to Coast: Trey Coastal Lights Up the Bay

 Taylor Crumpton speaks to the Bay Area group about the racism that inspired their song "F**k BBQ Becky."


 By Taylor Crumpton December 5, 2019

 We write every piece with the thizz face. Support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon.

 The Bay Area has established a counterculture framework centered on rappers’ autonomy. The region’s sociopolitical environment of Black entrepreneurship amplified by Too Short and Freddie B’s hustler mentality provided structure for the development of Bay-Area based record labels who encapsulated the region’s sound, such as Get Low Recordz, In-A-Minute Records, Young Black Brothas and Sick Wid It Records, that inspired the current roster of the region’s rappers, raised on mobb era music.

 In the early to mid 2000s, mainstream markets embraced hyphy , an energetic sub-genre birthed from the lived experiences of Black communities in the Bay, characterized by regional signatures of ghost riding and stunna shades infiltrated the Billboard Top 10 through E-40 and Keak Da Sneak’s hit, “ Tell Me When To Go” and Too $hort’s “ Blow The Whistle .” During this period, E-40 signed to Warner Bros Records, MTV produced a documentary about the region’s sound, and the distribution of street culture DVDs ensured the infiltration of hyphy into NYC, ATL, and music markets across the nation. Yet the lack of intentional leadership, strategic marketing, and controversy over which rapper could claim hyphy resulted in the movement’s downfall.

 Over the last decades, mainstream artists such as Drake, Big Sean, DJ Mustard, and Chris Brown have paid homage and been accused by the Bay of appropriated their music. Yet Bay-area artists such as Sage The Gemini, Iamsu!, SOB x RBE, and Kamaiyah rarely achieved Billboard success, in comparison to their industry peers, who flipped their region’s music to be classified as innovative, and thus amplifying their chances of securing a Grammy.

 Despite these contradictions, waves of Bay Area-based artists are contributing to the diversity of the Bay’s sound. ALLBLACK, Nef The Pharaoh, and Rexx Life Raj, are on the verge of mainstream success, while Beejus, White Dave, Micheal Sneed, are some dedicated to the continuation of the region’s independent success. In this latter camp is Oakland based rap collective, Trey Coastal .

 Trey Coastal is composed of Philip Lang, Cameron Moss, and Ryan Klenk, childhood friends who developed their musical personas of Philip Bank$, Rye Mann, and Cam Moss over a middle school to Washington, DC, where Cam known as DJ Booty Tap produced a mixtape of beats from pirated FruityLoops studio software.

 In 2017, the trio went viral throughout the Bay because of their visual to “Polysenian Sand,” a two minute track that paid tribute to the sociocultural factors that cultivated Oakland: Huey P. Newton, Ohlone Land, Tony! Toni! Tone – as Bank$ and Moss donned in Golden State Warriors sail throughout Lake Merritt over a Mann-produced beat.

 Within the two years, Trey Coastal has collaborated with over 40 of the region’s independent producers, and rappers through their 20 for 20 Podcast, a multi-faceted auditory experience wherein the group educates listeners about the current trends and movements in the Bay’s hip-hop scene. There’s also the creation of an original song with the featured guest. The finished production is reflective of the organic collaboration among the region’s indie scene, which is primarily composed of formerly childhood peers adamant about contributing to the region’s lexicon, despite the ever rising costs of rent and enduring socioeconomic inequalities.

 I spoke with Trey Coastal about navigating the Bay’s hip hop independent scene, and their latest single, “F***K BBQ Becky,” an homage to Jennifer Schulte, the white woman who called law enforcement in response to Black men BBQing at Lake Merritt. — Taylor Crumpton

 Structurally, Trey Coastal is an organic collaboration among childhood friends, that progressed into one of the Bay’s known hip-hop independent rap groups. As the group progress, have you considered a partnership with record labels?

 Trey Coastal: Throughout this time, we’ve learned things and applied them to our game plan. We’re determined on coordinating, and collaborating on ideas. It would be nice to have assistance, so we could focus on artistic and musical projects for the group, but the record and management would have to align with our values.

 Could you define Trey Coastal’s values?

 Trey Coastal: We’re not going to betray ourselves. For example, we could make a folk song, but we’re going to keep our genuine ways. We just don’t want to be stereotyped, and we want to reach a bigger audience, but on our own terms. We’re very eclectic, because we’re real people who live actual lives.

 Are your values influenced by Oakland?

 Trey Coastal: Oakland’s diversity influences us to have confidence where we could produce a song from any genre; salsa, folk, country, with no rules. There’s honesty in our music, I can’t have our parents thinking about how we lied on a song. People in Oakland are rational and realistic. We navigate with a mindset of it is what it is without sugar coating or being spoon-fed. It’s an interesting perspective, centered on realism. An undercurrent within Trey Coastal’s videography is the intergration of Oakland as a main character. From Polysnesian Sand, ‘90s video game inspired R1 R2 L1 L2, and recently released End of Line that paid tribute to “turfin”, regional dance style developed from BART performers.

 What inspired the visual incorporation of Oakland into your music videos?

 Trey Coastal: The videos are social commentary about living in Oakland. End Of Line was inspired by “train robberies”, and riders being afraid of the young Black turf dancers. We responded through the visual to say you should be donating to children dancing on BART, because they could be robbing you, but they’re not. For the video, I contacted turf dancers from Instagram, and envisioned them for the video as I freestlyed my second verse, “How many hit the ground and pop that? That’s that West Oakland shit.” “F**K BBQ Becky” referenced the incident from April 28th that went viral after being uploaded to Twitter of a white woman calling law enforcement on two Black man for “illegally grilling” at Lake Merritt, described as “her park.” In response, Black communities increased their presence at the Lake, one of the few communal spaces where Black individuals, familes, and communities can enjoy.

 What led you to create a song based on this event in Oakland history?

 Trey Coastal: We already had an idea to create a Lake Merritt song for the EP. The beat for those hot days filled with drinking and barbecue. When I wrote the verse, it was the first thing I thought of for the opener. On End Of Line, we open the track with, “Rest in peace, Oscar. Fuck a BART copper”. It came from the heart. We were here in 2009 on New Year’s when it happened. For “F**K BBQ Becky,’ I (Cam Moss) was high when I first spit the verse, so it sounded causal. Phil had me re-record the verse and said, “No bro! Say it like she was right in front of the mic”. So I went back in there and said, “Fuck Barbecue Becky” from the heart.


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We write every piece with the thizz face. Support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon.  
The Bay Area has established a counterculture framework centered on rappers’ autonomy. The region’s sociopolitical environment of Black entrepreneurship amplified by Too Short and Freddie B’s hustler mentality provided structure for the development of Bay-Area based record labels who encapsulated the region’s sound, such as Get Low Recordz, In-A-Minute Records, Young Black Brothas and Sick Wid It Records, that inspired the current roster of the region’s rappers, raised on mobb era music.
In the early to mid 2000s, mainstream markets embraced hyphy, an energetic sub-genre birthed from the lived experiences of Black communities in the Bay, characterized by regional signatures of ghost riding and stunna shades infiltrated the Billboard Top 10 through E-40 and Keak Da Sneak’s hit, “Tell Me When To Go” and Too $hort’s “Blow The Whistle.” During this period, E-40 signed to Warner Bros Records, MTV produced a documentary about the region’s sound, and the distribution of street culture DVDs ensured the infiltration of hyphy into NYC, ATL, and music markets across the nation. Yet the lack of intentional leadership, strategic marketing, and controversy over which rapper could claim hyphy resulted in the movement’s downfall. 
Over the last decades, mainstream artists such as Drake, Big Sean, DJ Mustard, and Chris Brown have paid homage and been accused by the Bay of appropriated their music. Yet Bay-area artists such as Sage The Gemini, Iamsu!, SOB x RBE, and Kamaiyah rarely achieved Billboard success, in comparison to their industry peers, who flipped their region’s music to be classified as innovative, and thus amplifying their chances of securing a Grammy. 
Despite these contradictions, waves of Bay Area-based artists are contributing to the diversity of the Bay’s sound. ALLBLACK, Nef The Pharaoh, and Rexx Life Raj, are on the verge of mainstream success, while Beejus, White Dave, Micheal Sneed, are some dedicated to the continuation of the region’s independent success. In this latter camp is Oakland based rap collective, Trey Coastal.   Trey Coastal is composed of Philip Lang, Cameron Moss, and Ryan Klenk, childhood friends who developed their musical personas of Philip Bank$, Rye Mann, and Cam Moss over a middle school to Washington, DC, where Cam known as DJ Booty Tap produced a mixtape of beats from pirated FruityLoops studio software.
In 2017, the trio went viral throughout the Bay because of their visual to “Polysenian Sand,” a two minute track that paid tribute to the sociocultural factors that cultivated Oakland: Huey P. Newton, Ohlone Land, Tony! Toni! Tone – as Bank$ and Moss donned in Golden State Warriors sail throughout Lake Merritt over a Mann-produced beat.  Within the two years, Trey Coastal has collaborated with over 40 of the region’s independent producers, and rappers through their 20 for 20 Podcast, a multi-faceted auditory experience wherein the group educates listeners about the current trends and movements in the Bay’s hip-hop scene. There’s also the creation of an original song with the featured guest. The finished production is reflective of the organic collaboration among the region’s indie scene, which is primarily composed of formerly childhood peers adamant about contributing to the region’s lexicon, despite the ever rising costs of rent and enduring socioeconomic inequalities. I spoke with Trey Coastal about navigating the Bay’s hip hop independent scene, and their latest single, “F***K BBQ Becky,” an homage to Jennifer Schulte, the white woman who called law enforcement in response to Black men BBQing at Lake Merritt. —  Taylor Crumpton  
  
Structurally, Trey Coastal is an organic collaboration among childhood friends, that progressed into one of the Bay’s known hip-hop independent rap groups. As the group progress, have you considered a partnership with record labels?
Trey Coastal: Throughout this time, we’ve learned things and applied them to our game plan. We’re determined on coordinating, and collaborating on ideas. It would be nice to have assistance, so we could focus on artistic and musical projects for the group, but the record and management would have to align with our values.
Could you define Trey Coastal’s values?
Trey Coastal: We’re not going to betray ourselves. For example, we could make a folk song, but we’re  going to keep our genuine ways. We just don’t want to be stereotyped, and we want to reach a bigger audience, but on our own terms. We’re very eclectic, because we’re real people who live actual lives.
Are your values influenced by Oakland?
Trey Coastal: Oakland’s diversity influences us to have confidence where we could produce a song from any genre; salsa, folk, country, with no rules. There’s honesty in our music, I can’t have our parents thinking about how we lied on a song. People in Oakland are rational and realistic. We navigate with a mindset of it is what it is without sugar coating or being spoon-fed. It’s an interesting perspective, centered on realism. An undercurrent within Trey Coastal’s videography is the intergration of Oakland as a main character. From Polysnesian Sand, ‘90s video game inspired R1 R2 L1 L2, and recently released End of Line that paid tribute to “turfin”, regional dance style developed from BART performers.
What inspired the visual incorporation of Oakland into your music videos?
Trey Coastal: The videos are social commentary about living in Oakland. End Of Line was inspired by “train robberies”, and riders being afraid of the young Black turf dancers. We responded through the visual to say you should be donating to children dancing on BART, because they could be robbing you, but they’re not. For the video, I contacted turf dancers from Instagram, and envisioned them for the video as I freestlyed my second verse, “How many hit the ground and pop that? That’s that West Oakland shit.” “F**K BBQ Becky” referenced the incident from April 28th that went viral after being uploaded to Twitter of a white woman calling law enforcement on two Black man for “illegally grilling” at Lake Merritt, described as “her park.” In response, Black communities increased their presence at the Lake, one of the few communal spaces where Black individuals, familes, and communities can enjoy.
What led you to create a song based on this event in Oakland history?
Trey Coastal: We already had an idea to create a Lake Merritt song for the EP. The beat for those hot days filled with drinking and barbecue. When I wrote the verse, it was the first thing I thought of for the opener. On End Of Line, we open the track with, “Rest in peace, Oscar. Fuck a BART copper”. It came from the heart. We were here in 2009 on New Year’s when it happened. For “F**K BBQ Becky,’ I (Cam Moss) was high when I first spit the verse, so it sounded causal. Phil had me re-record the verse and said, “No bro! Say it like she was right in front of the mic”. So I went back in there and said, “Fuck Barbecue Becky” from the heart.
 We rely on your support to keep POW alive. Please take a second to donate on Patreon!
Coast to Coast: Trey Coastal Lights Up the Bay
https://www.passionweiss.com/2019/12/05/coast-to-coast-trey-coastal-lights-up-the-bay/
https://blog.notesfromnature.org/2018/05/10/east-coast-versus-west-coast-transcription-battle/
East Coast Versus West Coast Transcription Battle
2018-05-10
None
<div><div>
	<p></p>
<div>
<p>We are co-launching simultaneously two new expeditions that are part of our “<b>Understanding A Critical Symbiosis: Nitrogen Fixing in Plants” </b>series. These new expeditions are a departure from the previous ones as we are only asking for a subset of typical fields. This subset are almost all “drop down” fields, with one exception, and generally cover “higher geography” such as country, state and county, along with date. For our East Coast entrant (the New York Botanical Garden), we are also asking for “verbatim scientific name” as it is written on the label, because this is useful for curator purposes at the Garden and may differ from what we have recorded.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>Our West Coast entrant is the California Academy of Sciences herbarium, who were kind enough to host us for three weeks in January for a marathon effort to sample herbarium sheets.  Our worked focused on the very strong collections of nitrogen fixers from Mexico and Central America.  </p>
<p>So its East Versus West in an epic transcription battle!  We’ll update how each expedition is doing in terms of weekly effort and see who will get the crown.  </p>
<p>Finally a very quick update that we are motoring through extracting DNA from all our samples, and have had excellent success so far getting DNA from most of our samples.  We’ll have more to report about sequencing efforts, which are now underway, in a follow-up post.</p>
<p>Rob Guralnick and Ryan Folk, Florida Museum of Natural History</p>
</div>
	</div>||||I|||| Notes from Nature A Zooniverse Project Blog
 * About
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 May 10, 2018
 * by mwdenslow
 * in Uncategorized
 * Leave a comment

 East Coast Versus West Coast Transcription Battle

 We are co-launching simultaneously two new expeditions that are part of our “Understanding A Critical Symbiosis: Nitrogen Fixing in Plants” series. These new expeditions are a departure from the previous ones as we are only asking for a subset of typical fields. This subset are almost all “drop down” fields, with one exception, and generally cover “higher geography” such as country, state and county, along with date. For our East Coast entrant (the New York Botanical Garden), we are also asking for “verbatim scientific name” as it is written on the label, because this is useful for curator purposes at the Garden and may differ from what we have recorded.

 Our West Coast entrant is the California Academy of Sciences herbarium, who were kind enough to host us for three weeks in January for a marathon effort to sample herbarium sheets. Our worked focused on the very strong collections of nitrogen fixers from Mexico and Central America.

 So its East Versus West in an epic transcription battle! We’ll update how each expedition is doing in terms of weekly effort and see who will get the crown.

 Finally a very quick update that we are motoring through extracting DNA from all our samples, and have had excellent success so far getting DNA from most of our samples. We’ll have more to report about sequencing efforts, which are now underway, in a follow-up post.

 Rob Guralnick and Ryan Folk, Florida Museum of Natural History

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We are co-launching simultaneously two new expeditions that are part of our “Understanding A Critical Symbiosis: Nitrogen Fixing in Plants” series. These new expeditions are a departure from the previous ones as we are only asking for a subset of typical fields. This subset are almost all “drop down” fields, with one exception, and generally cover “higher geography” such as country, state and county, along with date. For our East Coast entrant (the New York Botanical Garden), we are also asking for “verbatim scientific name” as it is written on the label, because this is useful for curator purposes at the Garden and may differ from what we have recorded.
Our West Coast entrant is the California Academy of Sciences herbarium, who were kind enough to host us for three weeks in January for a marathon effort to sample herbarium sheets.  Our worked focused on the very strong collections of nitrogen fixers from Mexico and Central America.  
So its East Versus West in an epic transcription battle!  We’ll update how each expedition is doing in terms of weekly effort and see who will get the crown.  
Finally a very quick update that we are motoring through extracting DNA from all our samples, and have had excellent success so far getting DNA from most of our samples.  We’ll have more to report about sequencing efforts, which are now underway, in a follow-up post.
Rob Guralnick and Ryan Folk, Florida Museum of Natural History
East Coast Versus West Coast Transcription Battle
https://blog.notesfromnature.org/2018/05/10/east-coast-versus-west-coast-transcription-battle/