In honor of Hip Hop’s fiftieth Anniversary, The Shade Room want to commemorate the moments, the pioneers, and the instruments of the artwork kind which have finally transcended the music style, influencing each facet of modern-day widespread tradition. Be a part of us every week as we glance again at 5 a long time of hip hop.

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1991: MC Hammer’s Please Hammer, Don’t Damage ‘Em Venture Turns into Rap’s First Diamond-Licensed Album

Beginning the listing, now we have MC Hammer knockin’ doorways down by turning into the primary rapper to have a diamond-certified album.

Based on the Nationwide Museum of African American Historical past & Tradition, the Recording Business Affiliation of America (RIAA) licensed the challenge as diamond in April 1991. This notably went down merely one yr after its launch.

MC Hammer acknowledged the album throughout a 2020 sit-down with HipHop-N-Extra to mark the challenge’s thirtieth anniversary.

“You understand, the title of my album was Please Hammer, Don’t Damage ‘Em, I believe a whole lot of them are nonetheless harm. I believe that for individuals who have been competing towards me at the moment, like if you happen to have a look at it from a sport standpoint, they have been competing for document gross sales, proper? They didn’t come shut in that space. Then they have been competing for cultural influence.”

This accomplishment opened the door for different artists and shut down critics of the style. In later years, extra hip hop albums that went diamond embody The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem, Nation Grammar by Nelly, Speakerboxxx/The Love Under by Outkast, and different hit albums by artists like Tupac Shakur, The Infamous B.I.G., and Lauryn Hill.

We also needs to add that, per Billboard, Please Hammer, Don’t Damage ‘Em is the hip hop album that spent the longest steady time at #1 on the Billboard 200 (18 weeks). In consequence, it’s solely becoming to offer this game-changing challenge its flowers!

The Period Of REAL Remixes

Whereas talking on hip hop within the 90s, we’d be remiss to not acknowledge how the rap remixes of the time actually served up one thing particular for listeners.

Loads of bops proceed to get remixed, although this typically includes the observe being the identical with a rap verse plopped in.

Nonetheless, again then, listeners may relaxation assured that remixes would serve a totally completely different vibe. A few of the tracks that spawned noteworthy beat-switchin’ remixes embody “Situation” by A Tribe Known as Quest (1991), “All I Want” by Technique Man (1994), and “Avenue Goals” by Nas (1996).

One other occasion of a big switch-up is Lil’ Kim’s spicy “Not Tonight” observe (1996) turning right into a fun-filled bop by means of its “Women Evening” remix (1997) with Angie Martinez, Missy Elliott, Da Brat, and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.

Even a few of the R&B superstars received in on the vibe. Brandy featured MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, and Yo-Yo on the hip hop remix to “I Wanna Be Down” (1995), which Norwood stated “meant the world” to her, per Vibe.

“They embraced me as slightly sister. I used to be one of many first R&B artists to welcome hip hop onto an R&B beat. It had by no means been achieved earlier than fairly like that.”

The “Remix Queen,” Mariah Carey, additionally got here through with hip hop remixes that includes artists and teams like Ol’ Soiled B*stard (ODB), Da Brat, Missy Elliott, Mase, and The Lox — exhibiting the R&B diva effortlessly stepping into her rap bag and sampling artists like Snoop Dogg!

Lyrically Uncooked Women Hit The Hip Hop Scene

In fact, we even have to offer a particular shoutout to the feminine rappers who started to hit the scene round this time, as they honestly laid a basis and performed the sport whereas bringing their distinctive vibes.

From Da Brat’s Funkdafied (1994) to Lil’ Kim’s Onerous Core (1996) and Cunning Brown’s In poor health Na Na (1996), the gworlz got here through and let male rappers know that they have been right here to alter issues up!

We additionally had Woman of Rage laying down bars on Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle challenge (1993) and Ms. Roq having a MOMENT on Dr. Dre’s 2001 album (1999). Trina additionally hit the scene within the late 90s by hopping on “Nann” (1999) with Trick Daddy.

Across the identical time, works like Joan Morgan’s When Chickenheads Come Residence to Roost (1999) highlighted hip hop’s male-centric core, and extra ladies started unapologetically hitting the rap scene and turning the style on its head with their savage flows.

Lauryn Hill was one other artist who hit the scene throughout the 90s with the Fugees. Her solo debut with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) earned her the title of being the primary girl to earn ten Grammy nominations (and 5 wins) in a single evening. She additionally claims the title of being the primary hip hop artist to win Album of the Yr.

Whereas earlier ladies within the recreation helped shake issues up, feminine rappers started to actually carve out a lane for themselves as a pressure to be reckoned with throughout the 90s.

⬇️ TODAY IN HIP-HOP ⬇️

1999: Lauryn Hill wins 5 Grammys, turning into the primary rap/hip-hop artist to win Album Of The Yr

She additionally grew to become the primary feminine solo artist to win 5 awards in a single evening 🐐

𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯 pic.twitter.com/EdKdTqA8nR

— XXL Journal (@XXL) February 24, 2022

1994-1997: Coastal Conflict! The Biggie & Tupac State of affairs

It wouldn’t be 90s hip hop if we didn’t contact on the East Coast–West Coast rivalry centered round figures like Tupac Shakur, Suge Knight, The Infamous B.I.G., and Diddy (then nonetheless often called “Puffy”).

Whereas there have been some jabs right here and there between artists reppin’ New York Metropolis and Los Angeles, the state of affairs escalated after gunmen shot Tupac whereas coming into Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan on Nov 30, 1994.

It was on then, and varied disses on the 1995 Supply Awards and a infamous NYT article ensued. Tupac additionally made his stance clear throughout a number of diss tracks and infamously went in with “Hit’ Em Up” (1996).

Ultimately, the coastal rivalry and deep-seated beef culminated within the deaths of Tupac and Biggie in Sept. 1996 and Mar. 1997, respectively.

Each killings stay unsolved. Nonetheless, as The Shade Room beforehand reported, there’s lately been some renewed curiosity within the Tupac case.

Tupac Shakur & Biggie Smalls, New York, 1993. pic.twitter.com/40ugneT3AF

— Tobi Marshall (@CoededMarshall) August 8, 2023

Growin’ & Flowin’: Hip Hop As Enterprise

Lastly, we should acknowledge how the style made leaps and bounds within the enterprise realm throughout this decade. In the end, this helped flip hip hop right into a billion-dollar trade.

Concerning how enterprise and advertising play into hip hop, C. Keith Harrison, a enterprise professor on the College of Central Florida, notes that — at its core — the style “has all the time been in regards to the viewers.” Over time, we’ve seen it transfer from “being marginalized” to “turning into hyper-commercialized.”

“It goes again to ‘Throw your fingers within the air, and wave ’em such as you simply don’t care.’ It’s gone from being underground to being marginalized to crossing over to the mainstream to turning into hypercommercialized.”

Grasp P constructed on this by launching No Restrict Information in 1991. One of many label’s best-known releases is Snoop Dogg’s Da Sport Is to Be Bought, To not Be Instructed (1998).

Dan Runcie — founding father of Trapital, a “analysis group targeted on music, media, and leisure” — spoke on the enterprise facet of hip hop throughout a latest sit-down on The Hustle Each day Present.

At one level, he acknowledged how there was a big shift within the enterprise of hip hop throughout the 90s. He honed in on Dr. Dre and Demise Row Information, based in 1991.

“Dr. Dre stands out to me from what that they had achieved with Demise Row. Within the 90s, we began to see extra evolution with the economics of the music trade itself and the way artists — particularly hip hop artists — began to strategy issues in a different way. … In hip hop, we noticed a couple of artists begin to push for extra possession of the masters and precise property that they had. We noticed it first with Demise Row Information. Suge Knight and Dr. Dre do a cope with Interscope the place they’re capable of preserve possession of what they’ve. This was the early 90s — they sat on Dr. Dre’s debut album, The Continual, for almost a yr as a result of they needed to seek out the correct distributor.”

Quick-forwarding to 1998, Runie mentioned Money Cash Information signing a $30M distribution cope with Common, calling it “in all probability probably the most profitable ownership-related deal we’ve seen in hip hop.”

He additionally acknowledged, “That deal set the footprint for arguably one of the profitable document labels we’ve seen.”

In fact, we are able to’t overlook to say Jay-Z and Damon Sprint’s Roc-A-Fella Information. This label happened in 1994 “as a result of Jay-Z couldn’t discover a appropriate document deal,” in accordance with Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Motion, Music, and Tradition.

And We Can’t Neglect The Fashions!

Apart from hard-hitting document labels, the 90s additionally noticed the emergence of Black-owned trend manufacturers that have been inextricably tied to hip hop — reminiscent of Daymond John’s FUBU in 1992, Russell Simmons’ Phat Farm in 1992, Diddy’s Sean John in 1998, and Jay-Z’s Rocawear in 1999.

Concerning FUBU, Daymond appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Present to debate rappers serving to him develop by rockin’ his model.

“I’d go to each video set I may over the course of 10 years with the identical 10 T-shirts. And I’d put a T-shirt on a rapper, after which I’d take them again. After which I’d preserve going again to the units … folks began seeing them within the movies.”

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