Eight years later, New York City still stands.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure I can say the same about the NYC hip-hop scene. Of course, there’s a few artists still carrying the torch, including that dude who’s about to have the 11th #1 album of his career. But 2009 is in sharp contrast to the days when the Empire State was THE place to be. Whereas now, many NY artists make creative stretches to appeal to the rest of the United States, there was a time when the rest of the U.S. was aiming to do what THEY were doing.
But that started changing in the early-’90s. With more and more artists coming out of Cali and other areas, NY wasn’t the only show in town anymore. The success of N.W.A. led to more and more West Coast acts being signed, and they were coming out with heavier topics than most East Coast artists were covering. That’s not to say New York wasn’t still coming out with good music, but Cali’s music was gaining on them in terms of popularity. Then, in ’92, Dr. Dre‘s The Chronic album came out and officially swung the momentum to the left.
By late-’93, it was obvious that the West Coast was in the forefront of the rap game. To many East Coast heads, it wasn’t so much that the New York scene was non-existent or anything, but it appeared to be in need of a new movement. Even though there were still some notable records coming out of there, it was clear that Onyx and Das EFX (or the bunch of groups that sounded like them) weren’t exactly gonna lead the league. NYC needed new blood that could create enough energy to have a strong presence that would match what Dre, Snoop, Ice Cube, ‘Pac, etc. were doing.
Much like how NY’s felt over the last five years or so, there was an urgency to get back in the game. “G-Funk” was making impact all over while the East Coast sound was only hitting it big on the East Coast. Not to mention, the South was on the rise. The difference between then and now, however, is that the up-and-coming artists from New York got focused. They didn’t try to sound like they were from Cali, they didn’t spend more time complaining than recording, and they didn’t make mediocre records while claiming to “bring New York back”. They put their hoodies and Tims on, and stomped onto the scene with quality music.
A lot of them still weren’t necessarily doing Doggystyle numbers or getting heavy MTV airplay, but their presence wasn’t going unnoticed. There was the Wu-Tang Clan, who brought in new images, new slang, and new sounds. There was Nas, who played a big part in bringing lyricism back into a world of tiggedy-tiggedy-tongue-twistin’ shit. There was the Boot Camp Click, who may not have become superstars, but still had a heavy movement on the underground/street level. And then, there was Bad Boy Records, which brought forth a mainstream-viable but street-credible sound comparable to what Death Row was doing out West.
There was a new look for a city that had been in a holding pattern through the previous couple years. Producers like DJ Premier and The RZA were providing the beats that helped push things forward. The subject matter was deeper, the concepts got more creative, the lyrics got better. Eventually, it did start translating to major mainstream success, and by ’96, New York City was back on top of the game. Of course, that success also came with conflict and even some internal turmoil, but the power was back on in the city.
As someone who liked all of the different styles from different areas, I gotta admit that I was rooting for the East Coast to get back on top. I felt like they were putting out the better material but being overlooked at one point. It was a classic time because it seemed like friendly (or maybe-not-friendly) competition had these niggas makin’ some excellent shit one after another. Some of the artists themselves have since noted that they were all vying to be the shit back then, which of course resulted in some great albums and singles.
Today, the industry is totally different, and I doubt the few signed artists from NY have the creative space to do what those dudes did. But if there is still any intention to “bring it back”, a lot can be learned from the creative spirit that fueled the ’93-’95 era.
Wu-Tang Clan “Protect Ya Neck” (1993)
Jeru The Damaja “Come Clean” (1993)
Black Moon “I Got Cha Opin” (Remix) (1994)
Nas “New York State Of Mind” (1994)
O.C. “Time’s Up” (1994)
Mic Geronimo “Shit’s Real” (1994)
Ill & Al Skratch “Where My Homiez” (1994)
Method Man “Bring The Pain” (1994)
Craig Mack feat. The Notorious B.I.G., Rampage, LL Cool J & Busta Rhymes “Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)” (1994)
The Notorious B.I.G. “One More Chance (Hip-Hop Remix)” (1995)
Lost Boyz “Jeeps, Lex Coupes, Bimaz, & Benz” (1995)
Mobb Deep feat. Nas & Raekwon “Eye For An Eye” (1995)
Blahzay Blahzay “Danger” (1995)
Smif-N-Wessun “Sound Bwoy Burial” (1995)
Smoothe Da Hustler feat. Trigga Tha Gambler “Broken Language” (1995)
-D!
Posted by Danj! 
