Ice-T uses Hip-Hop to reflect the violence of L.A. and inspires a new form of Hip-Hop: Gangsta Rap. N.W.A's first album, Straight Outta Compton, shocks America. Dr. Dre makes The Chronic, and creates Hip-Hop's first hardcore pop record.
With the rise of N.W.A., gangsta rap and Suge Knight, the East Coast-West Coast rivalry climaxes with a lethal beef ensnaring the great Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.
Hip-Hop crews in the Bronx and Harlem begin to form around the DJs, but these pioneering groups never record any music. It would take R&B veterans to see the genre's commercial potential and create Hip-Hop's first hit, "Rapper's Delight."
Run-DMC ushers in a new era of Hip-Hop. Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin build Hip-Hop's first empire, Def Jam. An unknown producer finds a new way to make beats and launches Hip-Hop's Golden Age, culminating in the epic fury of Public Enemy.
Alternative hip-hop bubbles up from the streets: Mos Def spits in New York, the Freestyle Fellowship chops it up in LA, and Eminem battles on the circuit.
Bronx-based DJs set Hip-Hop's sonic foundations. MCs, inspired by African American oral traditions, create the modern template for rap music, culminating with the emergence of Hip-Hop's first crew, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
In New York, the Notorious B.I.G. fosters an empowering protege, Lil' Kim. When the East-West feud claims Biggie, Puff Daddy and Jay-Z vie for the throne.
Auteurs like the Neptunes' Pharrell and Chad expand the sonic palette. Timbaland and Missy Elliott lean forward. Kanye West and J Dilla re-imagine rap.