In 1991, A Tribe Called Quest continued to make music on the positive tip, releasing their hip hop/jazz masterpiece, The Low Theory. 1991 also saw the rise of West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur, and the formation of Death Row Records, a label that went on to dominate the rap industry. As rap became more visible, however, so did the genre's detractors, many of whom attacked rap artists for promoting and glorifying violence and brutality.



Body Count - Read more about Ice-T here

In 1992, Los Angeles rapper Ice-T and his metal band Body Count suddenly found themselves under scrutiny as a result of "Cop Killer", a controversial song on their self-titled debut. n the spring of that year, a jury acquitted the white police officers who beat Rodney King, and when South Central Los Angeles erupted in riots, police unions, the NRA and panicked politicians began to accuse Ice-T and Body Count of fanning the flames. Among those who spoke out against the song were then-President George Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle, the California State Attorney General, and members of Congress. Stores pulled the record fro their selves and Warner Bros stockholders demanded that the label take action. In the end Ice-T and Warner Bros agreed to pull "Cop Killer" from the album - and in turn, Ice-T was released from his contract with the label.

"2Pacalypse Now" - Read more about 2Pac here

In 1992, former Digital Underground member Tupac Shakur released his solo debut, 2Pacalypse Now. Filled with blunt, explicit, gangsta-style rhymes about sex, violence and life on the streets, the album impressed hip-hop fans across the country while angering political and social conservatives, who were increasingly attackin' rap music as cause of various societal ills. 2Pacalypse Now went Gold, however, and the track "Brenda's Got a Baby" was a huge R&B hit. Handwritten by Tupac on lined school paper, these notes contain the preliminary track listing for the record and detailed credit information.



Death Row

Founded in 1991 by former N.W.A. member Dr. Dre and his partner Suge Knight, Death Row Records went on to become an industry powerhouse, with a roster that read like Who's Who of mid-nineties rap. As this Death Row Multi-Platinum Sales Award shows, Death Row was the label behind Dr. Dre's The Chronic and the hugely successful Doggystyle by Snoop Doggy Dogg (who has since shortened his name to Snoop Dogg), as well as the soundtracks to Murder Was the Case and Above Rim.



"The Chronic" - Read more about Dr. Dre here

In 1992, former N.W.A. member Dr. Dre released his Grammy-winning solo effort The Chronic on Death Row. The album was an enormous hit, and effectively cemented the fledgling label's position as a major force in the industry. On The Chronic Dre created when he termed G-Funk (or Gangsta Funk) by adding rolling, funkified grooves to the gangsta rap sound he'd helped create with N.W.A. Rapping alongside partner Snoop Dogg (or Snoppy Doggy Dogg as he was called at the time) on hits songs like "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang", Dr. Dre (and The Chronic's revolutionary G-Funk sound) influenced countless hip hop releases to come.

"The Low End Theory"

While hardcore rap was thriving, so were many hip-hop alternatives. In 1992, A Tribe Called Quest released their bass-driven, jazz-influenced album, The Low End Theory. As part of the Native Tongues, a loose-knit collective of artists who sought an alternative to the hardcore rap that dominated the day. A Tribe Called Quest brought positivity - as well as sonic diversity - to hip-hop. They also tackled topics not often addressed (in rap lyric or elsewhere), as demonstrated by songs such