A City of Angels

 As a southern California native I had no choice but to choose Los Angeles for my city. Los Angeles was pivotal in the emergence of "gangsta rap." In the 1990's when racial tensions were prevalent and police brutality was at an all time high. Los Angeles hip hop unapologetically conveyed their day to day lives to pop culture and mainstream media in a way that had never been done before. Gangsta Rap became a form of protest and an empowerment to oppressed minorities searching for a way for their voices to be heard. Gangsta Rap shined light on what life was like in south central LA for individuals who were both affiliates and non affiliates. This attention illustrated the resilience of the individual who made the best of their situation and was successful in spite of obstacles. Rap itself embodies that success.

It Was a Good Day 

Ice Cubes "It was a Good Day"  imagines a day where everything goes right in LA in spite of all the consistent opposition that typically comes with a day in LA. Ice Cubes opening line "just waking up in the morning gotta thank God" is subtle yet profound. Just the fact that he's lived to see another day in environment where that privilege is dwindling is something worth thanking God. The song uses a sample from an Isley Brother classic: Footsteps in the Dark. This funky beat slows down time and takes you on a ride that can't be experienced physically, only mentally. Ice Cube takes full advantage of this and uses the beat as an opportunity to bring his dreams into reality. In this perfect dream he even alludes to a day without police brutality when he says "saw the police and they rolled right past me." Cube uses this form of pathos to empathize, connect and relate to his audience in a time where people like Rodney King suffered from the injustice of the police force. This song acted as a California classic in the history of hip hop as it hyperbolized both everything that could go wrong and right in a day in LA. This song samples "Silver Soul" by beach house, a song that is soft and welcoming and its met with an aggressive kick and drumline that gives the beat a layered funk. The sample is a dream and the kick is a rash interruption that somehow adds depth to the dream and makes you appreciate the space between each kick more and more. The dream is symbolic of luxury and the kick is symbolic of life's obstacles. The dream doesn't stop and neither do the obstacles but they learn how to coexist as they begin to finish each other's sentences and Kendrick Lamar uses this symbiosis to tell his own story of blending obstacles with success and eventually attaining the luxury and things he wanted in life without having to take it but by producing it himself.

To Live and Die in LA

To Live and Die in LA is a classic written by Tupac: the poster child of 90's hip hop especially when it comes to LA. This song samples Princes "Do me Baby" and also uses a funky bass line to bring symmetry to the complexities of LA life and the complex chord progressions demanded on bass. The record references dress codes, encapsulates Los Angeles gang politics and day to day life in ways that only a true native would understand but anyone could experience. Tupac's agenda was to bring pride to the ghettos of Los Angeles and wear it proud. He even incorporates chicano pride when he says "black love brown pride in the sets again." This record uses struggle to unify people of all backgrounds and paints a picture that ultimately alienates the oppressed from the oppressors which is exactly what gangsta rap intended to do. Pride is a form of protest. Pac understood this and he used it to feed the souls of America who'd been starved of recognition and relationship to others in their same situation.

 

Money Trees  

Although this song isn't technically gangsta rap it speaks from the same perspective of poverty and desperation to survive. It romanticizes criminal activities in a way that helps it's listen understand the challenging decisions that individuals in lower income situations are faced with. Kendrick Lamar a boy born and raised in Compton California opens the song talking about how him and his friends want luxury so bad but it's not a tangible resource in their lives so they have to go and take it from someone else. 

This is what California has done for hip hop. it's romanticized struggle and embraced protest. This ultimate influenced the expression of hip hop and encouraged the daring lyrics to come out.