East Coast vs West Coast

By the mid-'90s rap had two capitals, and they sounded nothing alike.

The West: G-funk and Death Row

After N.W.A split up, Dr. Dre co-founded Death Row Records with Suge Knight. Dre's 1992 album The Chronic introduced G-funk: slow, rolling beats built on '70s funk, high whiny synths and deep bass. It was made for driving with the windows down.

Dre's protégé Snoop Doggy Dogg released Doggystyle in 1993 and it debuted at No. 1. Then in late 1995, Suge Knight helped bail Tupac Shakur out of prison and Tupac signed to Death Row. The West now had the biggest names in rap.

The East: boom-bap and Bad Boy

New York's sound was boom-bap: hard drums, chopped-up jazz and soul samples, and dense lyrics. Think Wu-Tang's gritty kung-fu world, Nas's street poetry, or Mobb Deep's dark stories from Queensbridge.

Then there was Bad Boy Records, run by Sean "Puffy" Combs. Bad Boy's star was The Notorious B.I.G., who could do gritty street stories and radio hits on the same album.

How it turned into a war

Here's the quick version. The full timeline is in the Beefs & Receipts track.

1. November 1994

   Tupac is shot in a New York studio lobby

   He survives and later suggests Biggie and Puffy knew about it. Both deny it.

2. August 1995

   The Source Awards blow up

   On stage in New York, Suge Knight takes a shot at Puffy from the mic. The crowd boos the West Coast acts. The coasts are officially at war.

3. September 1996

   Tupac is killed in Las Vegas

   He's shot after a Mike Tyson fight and dies six days later, aged 25.

4. March 1997

   Biggie is killed in Los Angeles

   He's shot after an industry party and dies aged 24.

Two of the biggest rappers alive were dead within six months of each other. Both deaths shocked the industry into pulling back, and the coastal "war" faded. Besides, by the 2000s the South was about to take over anyway. That's the next lesson.

The victory lap