West Coast O.G.'s

The West Coast is a prideful region when it comes to hip-hop. Although the East Coast created the genre, the West Coast's OGs have deep roots, too. The first West Coast rap records were made by electro-hop innovators like Uncle Jamm's Army, Egyptian Lover and the World Class Wreckin' Cru, and novelty acts like Bobby Jimmy & the Critters and Captain Rapp. Ironically, the region's artists blossomed when they focused on L.A.'s destructive gang culture and crack cocaine epidemic. Former electro acts Toddy Tee ("Batterram") and Ice-T ("6 in the Morning") made the West Coast's first gangsta raps, while Dr. Dre and DJ Yella of the World Class Wreckin' Cru joined Compton crack dealer Eazy-E and local rappers Ice Cube and MC Ren to form N.W.A. (N*gg*z Wit Attitude). Yet despite gangsta rap's notoriety, pop rap continued to thrive with Seattle's Sir Mix-A-Lot, Oakland's MC Hammer, and L.A.'s Tone-Loc and Young MC. Meanwhile, Oakland's Too Short and Digital Underground and L.A.'s DJ Quik blended their love for funk and street culture. The West Coast Old School ended with the triumph of Dr. Dre's multiplatinum classic The Chronic, which brought gangsta rap to the pop mainstream.