Rap: East Coast vs West Coast feud

This website will show the trials and scenes of the biggest feud in music history. How it effected its members and society around it. It will show how expression through music is much more powerful than words on a paper, and that can effect all of our culture.

The Description

There is no secret that music has a strong effect on society. One of the biggest examples of that is age-old rivalry between the East Coast and the West Coast. My primary claim is that music is the biggest form of expression of pride, no matter who you are. And that instead of using violence, music can be a good way to express yourself. Pride in ones home is something that has effected many cultures and have led to many wars. By expression of their pride through rap music, it was thought that their "message" would get out to the people and that proved to be much more effective than they had imagined. This single example, is presented to show how through music, people are able to express their pride, as well as leads to the eternal war between east coast rappers and west coast rappers. However, their views turned into fights and this website should show how this form of expression can result in something as monumental as this battle. I chose to focus on this because I think it will prove my point that through music people are able to effect others in America whether the messsage be good or bad, and my playlist will highlight this enaging war, showing how influential this really has been. This war stemmed from music and pride, this is just one look at how pride, and arrogance lead to needless violence. Attached is a URL that goes into depth the rivalry between Tupac and Biggie...the biggest rivalry of all. However, when push comes to shove, pride or not, we are all one and through the battles in our lives we will all come together, like when the two biggest faces of this rivaly died provoking change, unity, and one of the greatest songs of all time, "Ill be Missing You" by P Diddy.

AMAZING 2PAC v BIGGIE VIDEO

The scene

The scene for all of this was extremely intense. Every song released by these artists were directly targeted at each other. For a while this was able to avoid violence within these groups, but that proved to be not for long. It was almost like another Civil War. West vs East. Each track, each word directly written to effect your enemy. Underground concerts would be sold out and raging for the simple fact of pride. Pride. People had so much pride in their home and their people that this feud was the most heated part of the music world for decades. Attached are a few clips of videos showing the scene:


Tupac v Biggie

Biggie freestyle

Tupac tribute

Feuds End

In March 1996, during the Soul Train Awards ceremony in LA there was a confrontation in the parking lot between the respective entourages of Bad Boy and Death Row in which guns were drawn. Local papers referred to the situation as, “the hip hop version of the Cuban Missile Crisis.---Rolling Stone Magazine"

Nas and Tupac then confronted each other outside of the MTV Movie Awards, and made a pact to take each other out of their songs. Nas did so, but before 2Pac was able to reciprocate, he was murdered.

"On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was shot four times in Las Vegas, dying six days later from respiratory failure and cardiac arrest on Friday, September 13. Six months later, on March 9, 1997, Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed in Los Angeles, mirroring Tupac’s murder. Both murders remain unsolved today, while numerous theories about their deaths have been posited." --- Wikipedia

After the death of Notorious B.I.G., Rapper Puff Daddy and singer Faith Evans recorded the song "Ill be missing you." This song used the beat from "Every Breath You Take," and is #84 on Billboards Greatest Songs of all time. This song was something that was a huge step for not only this rivalry, but I think just for mankind. Instead of focusing on all of the "b.s." of the rivalry, P Diddy decided to make a song that celebrated the life of BIG, and at the end of the song he recognizes 2Pac, and other west coast rappers as well. This song promoted peace in society, and showed how stupid violence is. No matter how powerful hate can be in a song, I think that love is that much more powerful. There is nothing stronger than one friend writing to his deceased brother about how much he loves him, as well as his regret for the death of his rivals. To me, this is one of the most powerful songs to be released. After so many years of hate, and rivalry, to be able to come together as one and honor those we lost provoked nothing but tears. At the debut of the song both Notorious B.I.G.'s mother and 2Pac Shakur's mother embrassed on stage, to create an image that I am sure will never be forgoten.

ILL BE MISSING YOU ---- click to listen

Also here is a tribute to 2pac shakur from his friends and brothers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, and a remix of his very own "Changes" and P Diddy's "Ill be missing you."

Changes/Ill be Missing you --- click
2PAC---click to watch

I think that the message here is that no matter who you are, or where you come from, we are all one people and music is one of the greatest ways for people to come together as one.

Influential Tracks

The Notorious B.I.G. -
Going back to Cali
Notorious Thugs



2Pac-
Thugz Mansion
California Love
Hit 'Em Up
All Eyes on Me

Tim Dog-
Fuck Compton

Jay-Z-
Brooklyn's Finest

Capone-N-Noreaga-
LA, LA

All of these songs were written as answers, or call-outs to other rappers. Whether it was "Hit Em Up" by Tupac, directed at Biggie Smalls, or "Fuck Compton" by Tim Dog, directed at WC, these songs were very big in the rivalry. Click on any of the titles to go to a video of the song.

Origins of the feud

The year is 1991, and the song "Fuck Compton" is released by Tim Dog. This track was focused at attacking NWA, Comptons most wanted, and DJ Quik for their new-found success. Ever since the 80's when the form of rap was argueably discovered, the West Coast rappers began to slowly gain more praise and attention and this feud began when the East Coast rappers decided to try to steal the publics eye. By the year of 1994 the feud had begun to elevate when Death Row Records got the spotlight on the west coast scene.

Major Participants

EAST

* Notorious BIG
* Junior Mafia
* Mobb Deep
* Nas
* DMX
* Jay Z
* Common



WEST

* 2Pac
* Suge Knight
*Snoop Dogg
* Ice Cube
* DJ Quik
* E-40
* Outlawz

Quotes:

“Any hip-hop artists out there who wants to be an artist and stay a star, and don’t wanna have to worry about the executive producer trying to be…all in the videos, all on the records, dancing…Come to Death Row!” — Suge Knight at The 1995 Source Awards

"Who shot me? But ya punks didn’t finish, Now ya ‘bout to feel the wrath of a menace… Nigga, I hit ‘em up." - 2Pac, "Hit 'Em Up"

"Who shot Ya? Separate the weak from the obsolete, hard to creep them Brooklyn streets." - The Notorious BIG, "Who Shot Ya?"

source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Coast-West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry