Thesis+Based+Research+Assignment

A. Mervis, Scott. "What up, gangsta? The hardcore rap of the '90s ." //Post-Gazette// 16 Feb. 2004: n. pag. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. .

1. Snoop Dogg's “Doggystyle (1993)” was the first rap debut to hit number one on 2. Biggie Smalls released his debut album Ready to Die in 1994. It was arguably one of the greatest hip-hop records of all time and is ranked in the top 5 best in the majority of all respectable rap album sources. 3. The author feels that the 1990s were a pivotal moment in hip-hop history where a lot of rappers changed up their style and created a new sound of music. 4. “No MC seems more comfortable on the mike than Jay-Z, another of rap's best and more complex characters.” (A comment made after Jay released his classic album Reasonable Doubt in 1996).

B."90's Rap/Hip-Hop." //Real//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. .

1.Southern rap emerged with artists like Outkast and Goodie Mob bringing politically conscious funk. 2. Dr. Dre’s ground breaking album “The Chronic” debuted in 1992 and has sold over 8 million records worldwide. 3. The author states that the 90s were a time where rap expanded to all areas in the U.S. and a surplus of artists came to the scene. 4.“The decade began with a whimper, climaxed with two separate shootings and then concluded with a global cultural blitzkrieg.”

C. "History of Hip Hop." //Hip Hop Galaxy//. N.p., 23 Mar. 2005. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. .

1. Hip hop started to become popular worldwide as In Europe, Africa and Asia, hip hop began to move from an underground phenomenon to reach mainstream audiences. 2.In South Africa, Germany, France, Italy and many other countries, hip hop stars rose to prominence and gradually began to incorporate influences from their own country. 3. The author feels that the 90’s were a very important time for hip-hop because it expanded beyond the U.S. and became very popular. 4. “In the 90s and into the following decade, elements of hip hop continued to be assimilated into other genres of popular music.”

D. Adaso, Henry. "Hip Hop Timeline: 1989-98." //About//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. .

1. In the early 90’s two of the biggest names in hip hop (2pac and Biggie Smalls) came to the scene. 2. In 1996 The Fugees released “The Score”. The album debuted at No.1 and won two Grammys, thus, breathing a new life into socially aware hip- hop. 3. The author feels that the 90’s were the most event filled and important decades in hip hop. 4.”The 1990’s were essential to hip hop and will always be remembered as a part of the Golden Age for the genre.”

E. Scaruffi, Piero. "The Golden Age of Hip Hop Music." //Scaruffi//. N.p., 2009. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. .

1. The 1990s became a time of teamwork where rappers teamed up with producers to create a better sound and classic albums. Wu-tang clan showed this in 1993 with their classic album: Enter the Wu. Their expert lyrics were met with precise beats and created a new sound. 2. The 90’s were a time where location highly mattered. A huge east coast vs. west coast feud was started that ended violently with the death of rappers 2pac and Biggie Smalls. 3. The author feels that invention of new music and representing where ones from where the two factors that ruled the 90’s. 4.“Generally speaking, the rule for hip-hop music of the 1990s was that behind every successful rap act there was a producer.”

F. Scaruffi, Piero. "The Late 90‘s." //Scaruffi//. N.p., 2009. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. .

1. The First star of east coast Latino rap (Big Pun) debuted his classic album (Capital Punishment) in 1998 and died shortly after. 2. Female hip-hop artists such as Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, Lil Kim, Eve and Da Brat (The first solo female hip hop artist to go platinum) came to the rap scene with much success and showed how diverse hip-hop could be. 3. The author feels that as the 1990s went on it started to catch the attenion of more people and inspired new artists. It was the creativeness of the 90’s that was so special. 4. “In the second half of the decade, hip-hop artists became more conscious of the essence of hip-hop: it's the process, not the structure that makes a song a hip-hop song.”

G. Todd. "Hip Hop Timeline 1990-1999." //Digital Dream Door//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. .

1. Rappers in the 90’s started to get new offers for entertainment as rappers such as 2pac, Will Smith, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre became enlisted in television and movies. 2. After the highly successful albums from A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul in 1991, alternative rap started a period of dominance with albums from other artists such as Digable Planets, The Pharcyde, The Roots, Arrested Development and Gangstarr. 3. The Author feels that alternative rap was a huge part of the 90’s success. Alternative rappers had a style that was able to be enjoyed by a broader audience which opened up more interest for hip hop. 4. “A Tribe Called Quest's 'Low End Theory,' and De La Soul's sophomore effort, 'De La Soul Is Dead,' started an era of achievement for alternative rappers.

H. Pauley, Jared. "Alternative hip hop." //Absolute Astronomy//. GFDL, Spring 2003. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. .

1. Alternative rap hit its peak in the 90’s and was mostly performed by east coast rappers. 2. A label called the Native Tongues was the biggest and most successful alternative rap label with artists such as The Jungle Brothers, De la Soul and A Tribe Called Quest all signed to it. 3. The author is in favor of alternative rap and feels that it brought positivity to the hip hop scene. 4. “Alternative Rap refers to Hip-Hop groups that refuse to conform to any of the traditional stereotypes of rap, such as gangsta, bass , hardcore, and party rap. Instead, they blur genres - drawing from funk and rock, as well as jazz, soul and reggae.”

__Thesis__ My stance on this topic is that the 1990s was the most important decade for rap/hip hop. The 80’s were when it started and the 2000’s were when it really started to go down hill. The 1990s were the prime for hip hop music and should always be remembered for that.

Initial thesis: The 1990s were a pivotal moment for hip hop history and saw the most talent out of any decade for the rap genre.

__Findings__ 1. Alternative music was essential to 90’s hip hop. a. H1-3, D2, E3, G2-4 2. In the 90’s hip hop saw a lot of new styles and creativeness and diversity. a. A1, A3, B1, D2, E1, E3, F1-3, G2, H1, H3, H4 3. A majority of classic rap albums came out in the 90’s a. A1, A2, A4, B2, D2, E1, F1, G2, G4 4. Hip hop became popular in more places in the 90s. a. B1, B3, C1-3, E3, F1, G3 5. A lot of rappers that are considered legends today peaked in the 90’s. a. A1, A2, A4, B1, B2, D1, D2, E1, F1, G2, G4, H2

__Process Reflection__ I learned that there was a lot of activity going on in the hip hop genre during the 90s. It was an even more important time than I had previously thought. I had to think critically about the information I was reading to fully understand and be able to project the ideas in my own words. I need to find faster and more precise ways to access respectable and legitimate resources. I also need to expand my research and try to find sources within books and video.

There wasn’t that much. I had already known a lot about my topic. However I did find that southern rap emerged very early in the 90’s and I thought it came around in the late 90s or early 2000’s.

__Connections to the Overall Project__ Everything I have found can be used as evidence to show just how important the 90’s were for rap music. If one takes away all of the things that went on in the 90’s there wouldn’t be much left for the state of hip hop.

is only the starting point for my project. I can now key in on all the evidence I have found and really look into all of the detailed information. I can also find evidence related to what I have already found and tie that into my project as well.