

The first Golden Age of Hip Hop saw a rise in creativity in song creation and lyricism. Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, and Kool G Rap elevated rhyming styles which are still emulated today. Producer Marley Marl’s style sets the blueprint for the signature Hip Hop sound. West coast Hip Hop starts to develop and has a different sound and attitude, Gangsta Rap was born in Philly (Schooly D’s PSK) but LA and Oakland perfected it. Too $hort, Rodney O & Joe Cooley, and NWA paved the way the signature west coast sound. Public Enemy is born and introduces political lyrics and the sound created by the Bomb Squad was equated to a symphony for its complex arrangements of samples and sound bytes. The end of the Golden Age also saw the rise of the Native Tounges: the Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called Quest brought a social conscience lyrics and positivity.