In every form of music there is a history behind it. There is a reason for the flow of the beat being a certain way. And most times there usually is a story to tell. It’s the same thing when it comes to the history of West Coast Rap.

West Coast Rap was actually originated from East Coast Rap back in the early 1980′s. Our now; so famous West Coast Rap actually originated when from the East Coast when various DJ’s began to decide to travel from New York to Los Angeles to broaden the rap industry from one side of the United States to the next.

Two very well known DJ’s that helped build the foundation of today’s West Coast Rap was DJ Michael “Mixxing” Moore and DJ Tony Joseph. DJ Michael “Mixxing” Moore and DJ Tony Joseph had various radio shows in Los Angeles, like “The Traffic Jam”, “The Saturday Night Jam, and the “L.A. Sunday”. Their radio shows ended up being the most popular radio shows on KACE and KJLH in Los Angeles.

The majority of the West Coast Rap labels back in the early 1980′s weren’t actual large groups or organizations like the ones today. Back in the early 1980′s the majority of the West Coast Rappers helped to broadcasts or in other words; promoted their songs and music by starting their own labels.

Freak Beat Records is one of the many early record labels, it is actually considered to be one of the record labels that basically set the stage for the start of the changing of early West Coast Rap. Freak Beat record label came about by Roger Clayton. Roger Clayton had actually had the talent of spinning records since he was a young boy; about the age of thirteen he had began to show his talent by throwing parties. Before the creation of Freak Beat Records he had also been the founder of his DJ group called “Unique Dreams Entertainment” which consisted of him and one of his friends from school; Gid Martin in 1978. But during the time when West Coast Rap had began to become so popular they changed their name to “Uncle Jamms Army”.

There are many other popular labels that were started as well such as , Rappers Rapp, Techno Hop, Kru Cut, Egyptian Empire, and Macola. There are plenty of other people to give recognition to like Ice-T, the Spin Masters, DJ Egyptian Lover, Dr. Dre, Kid Frost, World Class Wreckin Cru, and DJ “The Glove”.

The growth of West Coast Rap brought fame to California as a state and made people proud to be from the streets of Compton and other neighborhoods that these rappers presented in their music.

East Coast rap is a form of hip hop music that originated in New York City and has the earned the designation as the being the original form of hip hop. Early pioneers such as DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and Run D.M.C. are credited with developing East Coast rap sound from its meager block party music beginnings, and propelling it into the major genre of music that it has become today.

The 1970’s was the genesis for several new sounds, one of which being hip hop. Early contributions to the development of this new form of expression came from the likes of Dj Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Run D.M.C., Kurtis Blow and the Sugarhill Gang, most of whom called New York City home. While East Coast rap can not be defined by a uniform sound or style, throughout the 1970’s and 80’s, it maintained a generally positive and Afrocentric message, focusing mainly on lyrical dexterity and complex wordplay overlaying an aggressive, hard hitting, heavily sampled beat. Social consciousness on issues such as poverty and racial inequality dominated East Coast rap, with more and more artists gravitating toward the new media to get their messages across. Most notable among them was Public Enemy, De La Soul and EPMD. It was during this time that rap began to breakthrough to mainstream radio with the likes of Rakim and Big Daddy Kane, making the sound a national phenomenon.

With the dawn of the 1990’s came change. NWA dominated the airwaves with the new, gritty sound of West Coast Rap, which was accompanied by lyrics that glamorized elements of a criminal lifestyle, including violence, promiscuity, and materialism. West Coast rap mainstreamed in 1992 with the introduction of Dr. Dre, the former front man of NWA, as a solo artist and his debut release, The Chronic, propelling West Coast rap into the spotlight. East Coast rap remained an integral part of the music industry, though taking a backseat to the more popular G-Funk style in the 1990’s, with several artists rising through the ranks of the underground scene, most notably, NAS’s debut album, Illmatic and The Notorious B.I.G.

East Coast and West Coast rap went head to head in a battle between of two of the most influential artists in rap music, Tupac Shakur and Christopher “Notorious B.I.G. Wallace. The rivalry created a media firestorm, catapulting rap music into the forefront of mainstream music, and fueling what began as an innocuous lyrical banter into an all out war. Lyrics on both sides became increasingly personal which in turn increased animosity, ultimately culminating in the murders of Shakur in 1996 and Smalls in 1997.

Ultimately, rap music has evolved into many different sounds and styles, however, East Coast rap has remained a constant influence in each subgenre. Gabe Gloden of Stylus magazine notes that even though West Coast rap has continued to dominate the market, many East Coast rap albums have filtered their way into everyone’s collections over time.

In the Bronx in New York City, hip hop began to rise in popularity during the 1970‘s when block parties were common. DJ’s started to use a creative style to highlight remarkable rhythmic drumbeats and percussion riffs in popular dance music such as disco and funk. Understanding that this was the most popular part of the music and that people liked to dance to it, they played it at block parties and quickly gained a following.

The method used by the DJ’s was also common in the Jamaican community in New York City. DJ Kool Herc is a Jamaican born immigrant known as the “godfather” of hip-hop. Reggae was not very popular with New Yorkers during the latter part of the 1960’s so DJ Herc played R&B records that appealed to the party crowd. To add his own touch, he started to speak to his audience during breaks, calling out to them. When the audience responded, he then turned the volume to the music back up. This style caught on and his parties became even more popular. Other DJ’s started using it at block parties and started extending the call out times and then rhyming their words. This further excited the crowd and fueled the party atmosphere.

At one event, DJ Herc handed the microphone to two of his friends and devoted his attention to the turntables. His friends kept the crowd going with rhymes and chants, even anecdotes, while he prolonged the breaks of different songs for extended periods. This is when rap music was born.

By 1979, Grandmaster Flash had become one of the most influential rap groups and one of the earliest rap songs recorded; “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang had soared to #36 on the Billboard charts, which was unprecedented at that time. The commercial appeal of hip-hop was evident as it continued to evolve and gain popularity.

During the 1980’s The Beastie Boys broke into the rap/hip-hop scene and Grandmaster Flash released the first record that captured the sounds of scratching. Kurtis Blow was the first rapper to appear on the television show, “Soul Train”. Hip-hop became big business.

Ice T was a pioneer to gangsta rap and battle rap was in the spotlight as well. Run DMC, Dougie Fresh and Salt ‘n’ Pepa are a few of the many artists who brought their own flavor to the rap music industry during the 80’s. Public Enemy injected politics into hip-hop and shocked the world with their first album, “Yo! Bum Rush the Show.”

In 1988, hip-hop music was finally given its own show on MTV called “Yo! MTV Raps” and NWA was the innovator of the gangsta rap movement.

Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. (aka Christopher Wallace) were gunned down in within six months of each other in 1996-97. Both cases are unsolved mysteries and the music industry suffered a loss of great talent.

Hip-hop has taken on many faces and sounds and continued to grow in popularity throughout the 90’s and to date. The ability to express freely and creatively has kept this rich genre of music lively and lucrative.