Schoolly D

Philadelphia emcee Schoolly D was among the first hip-hop artists to embrace the dark side of the streets, releasing unapologetic Gangsta Rap before there was even a term for it. His first album dropped in 1986, a year before West Coast OG Ice-T served up his debut. His conversational rhymes dealt predominantly with assorted criminology, rapping in the first person about casual murder and drug sales. He released nine albums during the next decade and influenced just about every hardcore artist in the business. Schoolly D is revered as one of Gangsta Rap's founding fathers.