All Quiet On The Western Front

No one would argue that Hip-Hop music begins and ends with New York (or the East Coast period), because that is the birth of this beloved culture. However, no one can undermine the contributions that the West Coast has made. Truth be told, the west coast is solely responsible for the hardcore image Hip-Hop is now known for. Gangsta rap was established by the pioneers of the west coast movement in Hip-Hop. As a west coast kid, I can clearly remember my older cousin knocking “Dopeman” in their rides, and the world went crazy when “Da Chronic” dropped because that was the West Coast “It Takes a Million To Hold Us Back” and at that time the West Coast finally had a voice and Cube, Dre, and others were at the forefront.

And it was even more evident with the birth of Death Row, and in came the Dogg Pound, 2pac and the rest of the crew. The West had Hip-Hop on its toes, not only due to the controversy, but the left side of the coast was actually making dope records to back it up the thug life image it displayed to the world. The world looked at the West with a different set of binoculars because it was like nothing the world had ever seen before. The aggression and harsh reality in which the rappers spoke with at the time drew listeners in, and kept them yearning for more.

There was actually a day and time when the West Coast dominated the Hip-Hop scene allowing almost no one to be heard….but those were the days, and this is reality….The West Coast just does not exist anymore in Hip-Hop. Besides The Game, there has not been any one on the west coast to make noise in Hip-Hop, and the drought is clearly evident. Just turn on the radio, or watch TV and see how many artists from the West Coast are making quality music. You would think in this current stage of self-destruction that Hip-Hop is in this would be the prime opportunity for the return of the hardcore to come to revive its self. Unfortunately, that has not taken place. Is it because the West doesn’t get any love? Or is it lack of talent? The answer could be a little bit of both.

People tend to forget just how influential the West was when Hip-Hop was at its zenith. NWA, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Too Short and even MC Hammer all held down in the late 80s and early 90s. Even in the prime days of Death Row, there was the Dogg Pound, Pac, Nate Dogg, Snogg Dog, Cube, West Side Connection, E-40, C-Bo and many others. Now we are left with Gurellia Black, (Whack) The Game (who is only nice when he puts his mind to it) and Murs (who is the dopiest West Coast lyricist, but will never get the love he deserves)

Has Hip-Hop gone so astray that the West has become that irrelevant? If so, that just goes to show you how much of a mess Hip-Hop really is.