Alternative Rap
Alternative rap is a style represented by musical synthesis of rap with genres such as pop, rock, jazz, soul, reggae, and folk.
Birth: 1987 Bloom: 2004
Alternative rap`s roots can be dated as far back as Beastie Boys and Run-D.M.C. started their musical activities in the 80s. The characteristic features of the style were formed when groups De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers had reached their peak. Commonly, The U.S. East Coast is considered to be the motherland of alternative rap, although many groups has also been developing the style in the West — Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Digital Underground. Among representatives of the south USA attention should be paid to Arrested Development and Goodie Mob.
In the 90s alternative rap`s popularity dramatically decreased. That happened because of the high popularity of other genres such as gangsta rap, hardcore rap, and G-funk. New artists emerged on the rap scene and replaced alternative rap artists by their street lyrics and nihilistic tendencies. It has started from the West Coast, where artists of the labels Death Row and Ruthless Records suddenly became popular — Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Eazy-E. Since the mid-90s alternative rap`s popularity decreased in the East Coast as well, where at that time representatives of hardcore such as Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep, Nas were extremely popular.
At the turn of the 1990-2000s alternative rap got more eclectic. The most popular rappers mixed alternative with other genres — The Fugees, MF Doom, Black Star Atmosphere, Haiku D`etat, Pharoahe Monch. By the mid-00s alternative rap had gained mainstream success again due to Kanye West, Gorillaz, and Outcast.
Umbrellate style: Hip-hop/Rap
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