East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry
| East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry | |||||||
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 Dave Beamz (top left), Genesys (bottom left), King Rakeem (top right) and Rakki (bottom left) would be leading figures in the coastal rivalry's culmination, with all four losing their lives. | |||||||
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The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry was a feud between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United Commonwealth located on the Atlantic and the Kingdom of Sierra on the Pacific respectively. Lasting throughout the 1990s, various rappers in each respective scene would diss each other through music releases or commercialized appearances, which was reportedly encouraged by competing record labels. As it escalated, the feud would boil over into internal fighting amongst the West Coast while rappers in the East were being subjected to tour cancellations, fines, and imprisonment for their lyrics. The feud would culminate in the murders of East Coast-based acts King Rakeem and Rakki, and the murders of West Coast-based acts Dave Beamz and Genesys, with their deaths occurring within less than a two-year period having led fans and critics alike to speculate of a possible correlation between any of the artist's deaths. Although several suspects have been identified, all four murders remain unsolved.
Rivalry
Background
Hip hop emerged in the 1970s on the streets of South Bronx. Pioneered by DJs such as DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa, the new genre became popular throughout the city's neighborhoods and surrounding area. New York City would remain the forefront for rap music throughout the mid-'80s, becoming home to numerous stars like Run-UCM, Quest Connection and the Check Fresh Crew, JJ Loc, Digital Soul, Eric C. & Nakim, Big Mane Tee, Koolio & the Hooligans, MC Rick, the Beastie Boys, Super Nature, and others. By the early 1990s, hip hop functioned to give the black community a voice in the public sphere, with much of the appeal garnered among African-Americans due to the "authentic" nature of the lyrical themes and content to which they could relate. As the 1980s drew to a close, however, several Gold Coast-based and Styxie-based acts such as Too $hort, MC Shooter Cee, Immortal Keys, Fivvey, and the Oakalona Boyz began garnering mainstream attention and drawing the attention away from the east.
In 1989, Hip hop group Armed 'N Dangerous (A.N.D.) would release their landmark album, Straight Outta Styxie, with rap lyrics glorifying violence being in the national spotlight and causing an overall tonal shift in the genre toward hardcore, gangster rap. In 1990, fledgling A&R executive and record producer Shawn "Puffy" Bombs founded the New York-centered hip-hop label, Common Boy Entertainment. The next year, the label's debut releases by Brooklyn-based rapper King Rakeem and Staten Island–based rapper MC EZ became immediate critical and commercial successes.
In 1991, Jeffery "Metro" Dimes co-founded Double Deuce Records in Porciúncula, often referred to as Los Angeles, alongside Doc Dre, Sévon "Big Dolla" Dane, and Immortal Keys. Dimes, a member of the Savage Disciple gang and native of Bernheim, San Joaquin was among many in the West Coast hip hop community who were annoyed by the East Coast's perceived condescension toward the West. This would change in late 1992 with the release of rapper/producer Doc Dre’s solo debut album, The Chronic, would be released through Double Deuce and Interscope, being certified multi-platinum and proceeding to become one of the biggest selling hip hop albums at that point. By mid-1993, the quick success of these releases had effectively put a large media spotlight on Porciúncula and San Jose, the central points of the West coast rap scene. By comparison, the East coast hip-hop culture appeared to be at a commercial standstill, which led to anger among artists and fans.
Signs of this tension had already become apparent when, in 1991, Bronx rapper Tommy Dawg released the album Wax On, Wax Off. It contained several skits which mocked West Coast artists such as DJ Sneksta and Doc Dre, as well as two diss tracks directed at the members of A.N.D. including Genesys entitled "Fuck Styxie." Many rappers hailing from the greater Styxie area, as well as the Porciúncula area, took this as an overall affront on their scene, sparking a flurry of retaliatory slanders from; Bernheim's Most Wanted, who retaliated on "Who's Fucking Who," DJ Sneksta who retaliated on "The Last Word" and "Way 2 Wacky," and Genesys who retaliated on Doc Dre's hit song "Bitches Ain't Shit."
Revival of the East
On 6 March 1992, New York group The Disciplez released their debut album Enter the Disciplez (32 Chambers), which not only put East coast back on the radar, but was revolutionary for the hardcore Continental hip hop scene. Unlike earlier New York rap, Enter the Disciplez (32 Chambers) featured dark and menacing production under technical, multi-syllabic lyricism exploring various street narratives. Six of the album's twelve tracks reached single status, in addition to receiving a coveted five-star rating from Rolling Rock magazine. It also featured simple, menacing beats and dark street narratives marking a new sound to east coast hip hop. The album also featured the West coast diss track, "L.A. L.A.", which saw the first reporting of a "coastal rap feud". The music video would be filmed from the perspective of a hostage while the group conducted torture, with the hostage being a parody of Doc Dre. In response, Bernheim's Most Wanted would release the diss track "New York, New York", which was produced by Doc Dre.
In March 1992, King Rakeem released his debut album, One Time 4 Your Mind, which was a smash hit at the time of release, was certified gold within two months of release. Other releases that year from Common Boy, including MC EZ's EZ du that shii..., OG Tracy's King of New York, and Lo Steez's Borough Blues would help put the label on the map. Later, on 13 November, Queens-native rapper Zos would debut with Music 2 Drive-By Too, which featured major appearances from numerous rappers from the underground New York rap scene. At the same time, Queens-based rapper Rakki would sign to Sontune Music New York, releasing his debut album R.K.O. (1991) to the modest success in an effort to flee the gang life after narrowly avoiding harsh prison time. Forming his own record label, Brave Heart Productions, he would sign acts such as X-Pression, Rawstylez, and Kay Lamar, with many of their individual releases being foundational to facilitating the so-called East Coast Renaissance.
Despite this resurgence, the revival would marred by early-career deaths in the rising scene throughout the early 1990s, primarily due to inner-city violence. These artists had composed music for less than six years, and are as listed:
- On 28 December 1992, OG Tracy would be fatally gunned down while standing outside a corner store in the Bronx, at age 30.
- On 13 April 1993, Slim Nate would be killed in a drive-by shooting after leaving a recording studio in Queens, at age 23.
- On 7 September 1993, producer Eric C. of the duo Eric C. & Nakim would be killed in a drive-by shooting outside a club in Manhattan, at age 26.
- On 21 December 1993, Lo Steez would be fatally shot by police after threatening to kill his girlfriend during a domestic dispute which escalated in Staten Island, at age 27.
- On 12 January 1994, Daddy Joe would be stabbed to death in a brawl after a rival gang stormed his show in Queens, at age 31.
- On 22 May 1994, Tommy Dawg would be killed in a drive-by shooting outside his home in the Bronx, at age 28.
- On 2 September 1994, Mix Ministah would be killed in a drive-by shooting following a performance in Brooklyn, at age 27.
Attempted assassination of Genesys
After contributing on three albums, rapper Genesys would leave Armed 'N Dangerous, sparking a feud with the remaining members of the group. With a solo recording contract through The Prestige, the same label as his former group, he would release his debut album Progressive Youth (1993) to moderate commercial and critical success. Despite claiming not having made any references to his former group, the release of "Shook Ones" was perceived by A.N.D. as subliminally dissing them, with Godsun and MC Murder dissing Genesys in response on numerous tracks from the group's fourth album released a month later, Appetite for Destruction, namely on the song "100 Shots and Shootin'".
- Godsun of A.N.D.
Between A.N.D. and Genesys, the feud would reach a breaking point when on 11 February 1993, during a venue show headlined by A.N.D.-affiliate Jay Flavor in Porciúncula, Genesys was reportedly in the across the street doing a local radio interview. After being notified of Genesys' location prior to the show, Flavor and his entourage would reportedly ask the venue owners for a "20 minute delay" due to the Flavor "feeling a bit ill". Flavor and his entourage would then walk across the street, entering the station. Anthony Malken, a member of Flavor's entourage, would allegedly flash a gun to the receptionist, leading them to bring the crew to the recording room. According to rapper Stunnah Tee, who was present at the interview, upon entering Flavor would say, 'What's up?', leading to an immediate brawl before would security rush in. Stunnah Tee would recall, "They grabbed [Genesys] and said, 'This isn't the place.', and then we ran out the back before the police arrived."
On 6 March 1993, Genesys would be targeted in a drive-by shooting in Porciúncula as he was leaving a Chess Pizza restaurant with security. The shooting would lead to Genesys being shot twice, as well as two members of his entourage being injured. Despite making a full recovery months later, Genesys' would be imprisoned due to his possession of a unregistered firearm at the time of the shooting, being sentenced to serve 16 months in the Patria Correctional Facility from April 1993 to July 1994. Shortly after being sentenced, East Coast rapper King Rakeem would release the single "Who Shot Ya?" from his second album Juicy (1993). Despite not mentioning the rapper by name, the song is believed to have been one of numerous subliminal disses released by the Brooklyn rapper at the time, with Genesys claiming that Rakeem and his crew "knew of the shooting" and wanted him dead after a tense recording session at Dungeon studios in Porciúncula that prior week and Rakeem collaborating with A.N.D. and their affiliates.
1994 VOD Awards
In April 1994, Double Deuce CEO Metro Dimes took a dig at Common Boy Entertainment, CEO Puffy Bombs in particular, at that year's VOD Awards; announcing to an assembly of artists and industry figures:
"Any artist out there that want to be an artist and want to stay a star, and don't want to have to worry about some bullshit executive producer trying to be all in your videos, dancing... Talking gibberish on all the records... taking an extra piece of the pie, come to Double Deuce!"
It was a direct reference to Bombs' tendency of guest appearing on his signed-artists' songs through ad-libbing and dancing in their background of their music videos. With the ceremony being held in New York City due to the American thaw, to the audience, Dimes' comments seemed a slight to the entire East Coast hip-hop scene and the artists in attendence, and resulted in many boos from the crowd. Bombs attempted to defuse the growing hostility in the air with a speech denouncing the rivalry to little avail, stating,
"[A]ll this East and West shit... that needs to stop. We all share the same love... so give it up for everybody from the East and the West that won tonight."
Later that evening, a performance by Doc Dre and Immortal Keys was jeered by New Yorkers in attendance, to which Keys famously responded,
"The east coast ain’t got no love for the Doc and Keys and Double Douce? Y’all really don’t love us? Y’all don’t love us?! Well, let it be known then... We don’t give a fuck! We know y’all east coast bitches! We know where the fuck we at!"
Following these statements, people in the crowd would attempt to climb the stage to stop the set, with security being rushed in and the performance being cut short. Immediately after, members of Double Deuce would be escorted out of the awards ceremony, despite spending over $150,000 for their live performance sets. Still attending the post-award party after, a member of Dimes' entourage, Lewis Conroy Jr., would be fatally shot outside that night, with Dimes later accusing Bombs (also in attendance) of orchestrating the shooting in retaliation for "the truth".
Release of Genesys, diss tracks
Following his release from prison, 24-year old Genesys, when asked about if he'd transition into the popular G-Funk sound, stated in a 1994 interview with Music Box Magazine that he wanted to make music authentic to himself and his experiences, with his stint in prison led him to focusing more on his artistry. This move would ultimately lead to The Prestige dropping Genesys, whom would go on to found his own label, Nuwrld, and signing a distribution contract with Interscope. While recording in Bernheim, San Joaquin, Genesys would travel to The Cave music venue to witness the nightly activity of rap battles that had become popularized a year prior. After being impressed by the numerous acts present, Genesys would form the rap group The Throne with rappers Zaa, Killer Woo, Roc Steady, and MAC-12, along with producers H.E.S. and C-Side, signing them to Genesys' newly-formed record label. With The Throne, Genesys would spend an additional two months recording in Bernheim, working on his second solo album, Bastard, and what would later become The Throne's debut album, Truly Humbled Under God, at the same time.
The release of Bastard in 1995 would bring the feud back to the forefront of publicization, as numerous tracks on the record featured subliminal disses aimed at King Rakeem, A.N.D., the Disciplez, Zos, Rakki, and B Monie. Enraged by Rakeem's release of "Who Shot Ya?" provocatively only months after the shooting incident, and although it did not directly involve Genesys' name, he believed it was directed towards him. Long-time collaborator and producer MAC-12 would later reveal in 2000 that tracks "Respect Yourself" and "Soul Food" respectively, were a response to "Who Shot Ya?", but stated that "it was on [Genesys'] mind the entire time we spent recording together". In particular, "Soul Food" is the most forward with disses against much of the East coast, and has been lauded by critics as "the most hard-core Genesys has ever been." The ferocity of Genesys' raging vocals, as said by MAC-12, was entirely authentic and was described as "superhuman". The song features direct attacks to Rakeem and Godsun of A.N.D., proclaiming himself as the "King of New York and L.A." which stirred major controversy across both coasts. MAC-12 also stated that he had never seen Genesys so angry and that the words he rapped were in no way an act.
Concurrently, Roc Steady of The Throne would respond to The Disciplez 1992 diss track "L.A. L.A." with the song "Drop a Gem on 'Em" featuring Genesys from his debut album, Meet The Roc (1996). In response, on 9 August 1996, associates of The Disciplez would attend one of The Throne's concert in San Diego, leading to a brawl where two people were killed and more than a dozen were injured. After this, Roc Steady would continue dissing The Disciplez on multiple tracks, including: "Clear The Room" and "Ride On Our Enemies" in which the rapper makes light of Disciplez member Junya for looking frail, which may be due to having multiple sclerosis.
Brazorian rapper B Monie, which had been called out by name in Genesys' "Respect Yourself" due to his collaborations with A.N.D., released "No Fool's Gold" in May 1996 as a direct response. In 2011, B Monie recalled his reaction after hearing "Respect Yourself":
As soon as I heard [Genesys] saying anything about me, I went in and made that shit about him. We were like, 'Fuck this nigga, we going right at this nigga and whoever the fuck he’s down with.'"
Genesys also interpreted New York rapper JJ Loc's 1995 track "I Shot Ya" as a diss track referring to the attempt on his life. In 1996, Genesys confronted Danger Dogg, who was featured on the track, at the Las Vegas House of Blues. Dogg made it clear that the record was not about Genesys. Although Rakeem never released an explicit retaliation record, the Disciplez member 6ix God claimed in a Sierra Media interview that Genesys was the subject of Rakeem's non-album single, "Kick in the Door", with him rapping that 'there can only be one King'. Puffy, however, steadfastly denied this theory, arguing that if Rakeem were to diss Genesys, he would have called him out by name. By this time, the media became heavily involved and dubbed the rivalry a "coastal rap war", reporting on it continually. This caused fans from both scenes to take sides.
The Throne vs. Hovah
The Throne would be introduced to Detroit-born, Porciúncula-based rapper Hovah at the 1996 VOD Awards, with no animosity being reported between their respective crews and photography being allowed. Later than year, Hovah requested that The Throne or Genesys appear on his 1996 album The Powers That Be... on the track "Cuban Link Flood"; however, Genesys nor The Throne showed up to the studio and were not included by the album's release. In response to this, Hovah asked producer Chino Beatz to sample a line from Genesys' 1995 song "Street Dreams", with the sample featured heavily in what went on to be "Dead Kings", with subliminal disses being traded in media appearances. In October 1997, Hovah publicly addressed Genesys during a stop on his tour in San Jose, performing what would go on to be known as "Conquer and Control", a diss track targeting multiple rappers on the West coast, with scathing insults being aimed at Genesys and The Throne. Hovah would end the performance by saying,
"Ask 'em, they don't want it with the King of the West."
After Hovah eventually released the song on his 1997 album The Blueprint, Genesys responded with the song "Ether" from his double-album The World Is Yours, released in 1998. The song has been cited as a "classic" diss track and "one of the most ruthless" in hip hop history by numerous music publications. Roc Steady would respond with the song "False Prophets", a scathing diss track where he revealed that he had an affair with the mother of his child, Catalina Chase. It would later be featured on Roc Steady's third solo album, Meet The Roc 2 (1999), though it would be the last diss track released between both crews.
Hovah would reportedly record numerous diss tracks towards Genesys and The Throne in retaliation, but had no intention of releasing them due to strong discouragement by Puffy Bombs following the deaths of Rakeem and Genesys. Unreleased songs such as "Family Jewels" and "Public Service Announcement 2.0" would be leaked online in late 1999 as part of a major industry leak, stirring controversy over Hovah seemingly mocking Genesys' death while continuing to diss The Throne, namely Roc Steady. Hovah would release a public statement the day after the leak, stating he had made the music in "poor taste" and has no plans to ever officially release the songs.
Death of King Rakeem
On 19 December 1997, King Rakeem, born Wallace Rakeem Jr., would perform at the Alliance 4 Music venue in the Bronx. After receiving half of his performance fee at the time, he was promised the remaining amount on the 21st due to wanting it in cash. At around 8:45 p.m. on 21 December, Rakeem would enter an apartment building on 7th Ave and Park Place in his native Brooklyn to collect the remaining fee. Since the promoter was not home at the time, upon exiting at 8:53 p.m., King Rakeem would be shot in the corridor outside the apartment nine times in the face and chest in a drive-by shooting, being later pronounced dead at the scene. His chauffeur, Jackson Anthony, whom had transported the rapper to the building and had been waiting for him, would also be killed, being shot four times. Despite numerous leads, nobody would ever be convicted of the murder of Rakeem or Anthony.
Following Rakeem's death, several artists expressed their grief for the loss in the hip hop community and remembered him for his influence on East hip hop and the genre. Rakeem would be buried at Stoneridge Cemetery and Mausoleum in Brooklyn, New York.
Common Boy Entertainment would release six posthumous albums featuring unreleased material from the rapper:
- Born Again (1998)
- Fear No Man (2000)
- Back On The Streets (2001)
- Love 4 The Hood (2003)
- Still Thuggin, Vol. 1 (2005)
- Still Thuggin, Vol. 2 (2006)
Death of Genesys
On 9 June 1998, Genesys, born Isaiah Garner, was renting a room out of the Great Eastern Hotel in London, United Kingdom, while on a 24-show European tour in support of his double-album, The World Is Yours. At around 2:50 a.m., four hooded men would enter the hotel through an unlocked back-entrance door. Despite initial footage showing them unarmed and unmasked upon entering the elevator, all would be wearing ski masks while two wielded handguns upon their exit on the tenth floor. They would then break into the room by breaking off the lock with a hammer. Once they accessed his room, they reportedly held a gun to his head, tying his hands with duct tape and using it as a gag. While tied to a chair, Garner would wriggle his hands before attempting to seize a gun from one of the burglars, leading to him being shot twelve times in the torso, neck, left arm, and right leg. It would be revealed that the thieves had stolen a number of his gold and diamond jewelry before running away from the room and exiting through a fire escape. Despite security footage documenting the break-in and exit, no convictions were ever made for Genesys' death.
An open casket service for Garner took place in his native San Jose, Santa Clara, on 16 June 1998, where fans were allowed to pay their respects. His private funeral took place on 18 June, where hip hop group The Throne, former A.N.D. member Esoteric, producer Doc Dre, and singer Marilyn Jill were among the attendees. He was entombed in a mausoleum at Oak Hill Memorial Park, San Jose, Santa Clara.
Nuwrld, under authority of Garner's estate, would release three solo and one collaborative posthumous albums featuring unreleased material from the rapper:
- God Don't Make Mistakes (1999)
- Faith (2001)
- M.O.B. [with The Throne] (2002)
- 400 Years (2002)
Aftermath
Before the late 1990s, gangsta rap had been regarded by critics and executives as well outside of the pop mainstream, with artists of the subgenre becoming mutually committed to representing the experience of the inner-city and not "selling out" to the pop charts. However, Common Boy Entertainment would be propelled to international attention by the massive crossover success of CEO Shawn "Puffy" Bombs' 1998 ensemble debut album, One Nation, released on the heels of the media attention generated by the murders of Genesys and King Rakeem, which signaled a major stylistic change in the gangsta and hardcore rap scenes, as it morphed into a new subgenre of hip hop which would become even more commercially successful and popularly accepted by radio stations and executives in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which is referred to as the "bling era". Bling rap, as a concept, originates in gangsta rap with the release of Dave Beamz's Jesus Piece Saved Me (1995), with the subgenre becoming cemented with the release of Immortal Key's The Immortal (1999).
It is widely speculated that the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry between Double Deuce Records, Brave Heart Productions, NuWrld Records and Common Boy Entertainment resulted in the deaths of Double Deuce's Dave Beamz on 3 March 1997, Common Boy's OG Tracy on 28 December 1992, Tommy Dawg on 22 May 1994, and King Rakeem on 21 December 1997, Brave Heart's Rakki on 19 February 1999, and NuWrld's Genesys on 9 June 1998.
For Double Deuce, the label had begun to unravel in 1997 with the departure of co-founder Doc Dre in the aftermath of Dave Beamz's death. Double Deuce proceeded to sink quickly as most of its remaining artists, including Immortal Keys, followed suit shortly after. After a drive-by shooting would leave CEO Jeffery "Metro" Dimes blind, the label began to be mocked by their rivals in the industry, and by 2003, the label had filed for bankruptcy. That year, Doc Dre at the VOD Video Music Awards claimed that "gangsta rap was dead". Despite Shawn "Puffy" Bombs' Common Boy faring better than its West Coast rival in the following decade, beating out Brave Heart and being labeled as the "forefront of East Coast hip hop" in 2001 by Newstar by "a metric of sales alone", it eventually began to lose popularity and industry-wide support by the early 2010s, primarily due to distancing from its roots in favor of a more mainstream appeal, in addition to up-and-coming challengers from Miami and Toronto-based labels, especially Kell Eazy's The Boondocks stable of local rappers and the Isaiahsburg-based upstart Blue Cash Records.
By the early 2000s, alternative, experimental and progressive hip hop had secured its place within the mainstream. Specifically, industry observers view the 2003 sales race between Okonma East's debut album I'm Good... and X-Pression's fourth album Will & Testament as a turning point for hip hop as a genre, with East emerging the victor with sales of nearly a million copies in the first week alone, proving that progressive rap music could be just as commercially viable as gangsta rap, if not competitively so, and encouraged other mainstream rappers to take greater creative risks with their music. Additionally, the genre would face the declining commercial viability of gangster rap after highly-publicized RICO charges being placed against various rappers of labels with alleged gang or mob ties throughout the early 2000s, with the 2006 indictments of Nuwrld's Zaa and Killer Woo on racketeering conspiracy to run an illicit operation leading to major publicization and debate around the use of lyrics from hit songs as evidence in court, which subsequently would lead to less support industry-wide.
During the release of The Gauntlet (2005), Porciúncula rap mogul Hovah revealed that after listening to Dirty Apache's Bitch You're Killing My Vibe (2000), his new music would be more experimental, stating, "... I don't care if it's not gonna be a #1 album, and that's just where I'm at right now. I wanna push boundaries, you know, and make the most experimental album I ever made." Hovah would elaborate that like Doc Dre, he was unsatisfied with contemporary hip hop, and was being actively inspired by indie acts such as The Eyelids and Mirage, asserting his belief that the indie rock subgenre would play a critical role in the late evolution of hip-hop.
Resolutions
In a 2005 interview, Roc Steady would state the feud between The Throne and Hovah had been resolved "behind the scenes". In 2009, both Hovah and Roc Steady would be featured on DJ Scene's song "Black Royal" from his debut album, Gangsta Dealz: The Album. In 2012, Hovah would be featured on Mac-12's tenth album, Hustler 101, on the song "Lawyer Talk", where he would express his desire to see other former Throne members, Zaa and Killer Woo, secure early releases from prison. It would be reported in 2015 by Sierra Media that Hovah's management team and select lawyers had aided Zaa in his second appeal to overturn his racketeering charge, though it would be rejected the following year.
Notes
- ↑ Tommy Dawg's Wax On, Wax Off (1991), which featured "Fuck Styxie.", is seen as the beginning of the rivalry. Rakki's death in a drive-by shooting on 19 February 1999 is seen as the concluding date.
See also
- Continental hip hop (East Coast hip hop)
- Sierran hip hop (West Coast hip hop)
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