Rap War

In the aftermath of the drive-by shootings, the alleged 'rap war' between the east and west was forced into the American national spotlight. Black community leaders (many of whom had already opposed the negativity of 'gangsta' rappers and their portrayals of black inner-city life) distanced themselves further from the music. Minister Conrad Muhammad of the Nation of Islam stated:

There needs to be one more murder...Gangsta rap needs to be murdered. [It] is absolutely genocidal. [It] holds out no hope. The lyrics can become like drugs, almost like a narcotic in a young person's life. We need rap. It's a critical vehicle for youth to express themselves. But the negativity is destroying what these young rappers have built^[1].

Many hip hop artists - including Chuck D of Public Enemy - also condemned the exploitation and commercialisation of gangsta rap, blaming not only the gangsta rappers but also the record industry for its over-enthusiasm to promote negative images of black society^[2] .

America loves gangsta rap because it releases the nation from guilt; it makes it seem as if the disenfranchised actually enjoy their oppression, actually rejoice in living in neighborhoods infested with crime and drugs^[3] .

CNN commentator Farai Chideya argued:

Hip-hop used to lift us above the struggles we faced; then it tried to inform us about the struggles we faced; now it's become one of the struggles we face. I used to tell myself that the 'thug life' portrayed in the music was just fiction. Now it's incontrovertible fact^[4] .

In the mid to late-1990s gangsta rap became a potent symbol of rebellion for white US teenagers, even surpassing heavy metal as a music most likely to infuriate parents, and it has been estimated that 75% of record sales for gangsta rap has actually been to white suburban adolescents^[5].

Since as early as the late 1980s traditional rock music has been fused with hip hop to create guitar-based alternative rock/rap - yet another sub‑genre of hip hop style. Notable groups include Rage Against The Machine and Korn. White musicians who have been influenced by hip hop have had a mixed reception from within the hip hop fraternity - being seen as everything from imitators and cultural pirates to stylistic innovators.