East Coast vs West Coast Rap...

[Oisterman]

OK, keep this civil please. The whole drama from this should have died down about 15 years ago, so just state your opinion and why you have it.

See, I'm from the East, as are all of my friends (obviously). When we listen to rap, most of the time it ends up being from our half of the continent.

Don't get me wrong, I love Dre and Snoop and the whole G-Funk thing. And Peanut Butter Wolf is from CA and he started the greatest record label of all time man.

But when it comes down to it, I feel like East coast rap just has a more raw and rugged sound to it that just can't be topped...

Wu-Tang
A Tribe Called Quest
Beastie Boys
Nas
Big Pun
KRS-One
Busta Rhymes

Thats just off the top of my head and I just feel like thats such a solid list of music (that makes up most of my rap collection) that it can't be topped.

I'm not making this into a debate. Its completely an opinion thing. Its like "Vanilla vs Chocolate". You can't be wrong.

[Ronin]

I think that it simply expresses a different life-style. People take what fits them best. That's a complete outsider opinion though.

[Kashis]

The whole East Coast/West Coast thing was mostly caused by the media and just blatant stupidity. Growing up, I started out listening to West Coast stuff while I was living in AZ, then was introduced to more East Coast by my mom who was from New Jersey.

I liked West Coast stuff better at the time (this was like early 90's) because they had better singers on the track like Nate Dogg (R.I.P) and KC and Jo Jo so I listened to Snoop, 2Pac and even Dre back in the day (also it was nice music to have like a BBQ to). However, My mother was into Heavy D, Public Enemy, Rakim among others being from Jersey so I used to listen to them when I was in the car with her. I truly didn't get into Rap real heavy until late 90's but there's a personal reason for that involving my family which is another story for another day.

To me, West coast stuff seems to be more chill and laid back and they often have a better flow but East Coast usually had better MC's because the shit they used to say was damn creative. Big Daddy Kane on Ain't No Half Steppin' for example, he uses metaphors and similes that are well beyond the comprehension of the general audience that listens to rap nowadays and that's because a lot of those guys back in the day were intelligent.

The only thing really separating the East Coast and West were style and distance. All that feud shit was fake, until the media made it into a huge controversy that fueled CD sales and helped to degenerate things into what it is today. No longer was Rap about having a good time and getting the girl or the booty but about how many dudes you killed and how tough you were. It didn't used to be all this dumb shit like it is today (something no matter how many times I tell people they don't listen). You listen to Heavy D or Red Head King Pin or more of the political/conscience Rap they had back in the day and tell me if it's the same now.

Not even close.

So really in short, I listened to everything and no one I knew was on that east coast west coast BS when I grew up and I've been all over the US. There's some good artist from both areas but overall I gotta give it up to East Coast because they have better syntax and beats

Sorry for the mini rant and I have to go get ready for work.

The funny thing is, you never really heard about the south years ago and now that's pretty much all everyone imitates.

[Kashis]

I knew about the whole thing being bullshit, I was just wondering which style most people these days preferred

Any time anyone can stir up some controversy on a large scale like that, they're gonna take it and run with it. I didn't know the whole story but I've watched a bunch of documentaries on various TV channels and got the general idea of what was up.

Thats why I asked not to start a stupid argument over something that was bullshit 15 years ago and still is today haha

(not that I'm saying you are, just agreeing with ya)

I get ya, no problem lol.

@v-op that's a good question. If we are talking 90's I'd have to say west coast had it. 2000 on I'd go with east coast.

Edit. Topic reminded me of this video

[Hizumi]

anything is better than southern rap.. ugh

[Kashis]

anything is better than southern rap.. ugh

Well, there's some that's alright.

Ludacris was decent back in the day. Bubba Sparxx's Ugly was good (then again his beat was done by Timbaland) and there's the random stuff like Crime Mobb's Knuck If You Buck. Some of Yin Yang's stuff is surprisingly catchy like Naggin and Georgia Dome (man I've seen some people knock over chairs to get to the dance floor when that comes on). YoungBloodz too with Damn. TI had some hits.

Also Outkast is from the South. They have a lot of good stuff.

Then again I lived in NC for a while so it kind of grew on me.

[$$$]

Cunninlynguists are from the South.

[Phobia]

Nas
Jay-Z
AZ
Cormega
CNN
A Tribe Called Quest
Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Wu-Tang
Mobb Deep
Mos Def
Talib Kweli
Marley Marl
Juice Crew
Big Pun
Rakim
KRS-One
Kool G-Rap
Run DMC

Thats off the top of my head, New York only. Thats a sick roster.

[Tyrfing]

it's the lbc style :o man.

[The Great Beyond]

Interesting.

Its not like I hear a rapper and look him up to find out where hes from to decide if I like him or not. It just happens that most of the styles I'm into are from the East.

I play just as much Snoop as I do Wu Tang, but if I had to choose between the two, I'd pick Wu Tang any day.

I think Wu-Tang is much better than Snoop. Snoop is one man while the Wu-Tang is literally a clan of rappers from New York. AND~ all the members of Wu-Tang are incredibly talented.