East Coast hip-hop
"[5] Leading up to hip-hop, there were spoken-word artists such as the Last Poets who released their debut album in 1970, and Gil Scott-Heron, who gained a wide audience with his 1971 track "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised".
New York–based groups such as De La Soul, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, and the Jungle Brothers also earned recognition for their musical eclecticism.
During this period, several New York City rappers rising from the local underground scene, began releasing noteworthy albums in the early and mid-1990s, such as Nas, The Notorious B.I.G.
Nas's 1994 debut album Illmatic has also been noted as one of the creative high points of the East Coast hip-hop scene, and featured production from such renowned New York–based producers as Large Professor, Pete Rock and DJ Premier.
[10] Meanwhile, The Wu-Tang Clan, Onyx, Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun, Big L, Lost Boyz and Mobb Deep became pillars in New York's hardcore hip-hop scene, achieving widespread critical acclaim for their landmark albums, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993), Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous (1995), Enta da Stage (1993), Bacdafucup (1993), Dah Shinin' (1995), Legal Drug Money (1996) and The Infamous (1995).
Bad Boy Records comprised a team of producers known as the Hitmen Stevie J, Derrick "D Dot" Angelletie and Amen Ra directed by Sean Combs to move the focus on hip-hop to New York with the Notorious B.I.G.
[11] According to AllMusic editor Steve Huey, the success of his 1994 debut album Ready to Die "reinvented East Coast rap for the gangsta age" and "turned the Notorious B.I.G.
Younger artists at this time used Internet resources such as social media, blogging, and music streaming to build a following among fans,[15][16] blurring the lines between the underground and the mainstream.
Rappers who emerged during this "blog era" include Joey Bada$$, Nicki Minaj, Wiz Khalifa, Meek Mill, Pusha T, Vast Aire, Wale, Logic, Azealia Banks, and Mac Miller.
Music writer May Blaize of MVRemix Urban comments on the nostalgia felt among hip-hop fans for records released during this time: It was claimed as the East Coast Renaissance.
This was the critical point for the East Coast, a time when rappers from the New York area were releasing bucketloads of thrilling work – Digable Planets, Gang Starr, Pete Rock, Jeru, O.C., Organized Konfusion – I mean, this was a year of serious music.
"[10] East Coast hip-hop has also produced a multitude of acclaimed female rappers, including Salt and Pepa, The Real Roxanne, Monie Love, Queen Latifah, Lil Kim, Lauryn Hill, Ladybug Mecca, Foxy Brown, Charli Baltimore, Eve, Missy Elliott, Angie Martinez, Remy Ma, Lil Mama, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and Coi Leray.
