- [Narrator] West coast rap is in a league of its own.
With a distinct sound that harkens back to the days
of George Clinton, Funkadelic and P-Funk,
the sub genre began to dominate the airwaves
and charts in the 1990s with the rise of G funk,
providing a smoother, laid back groove,
in contrast to the hardened, scared sounds
emanating from the east coast.
It's time to take a look at three west coast pioneers
to heavily influence hip hop.
- Just listen to all the competition out there.
Try to do my a lot better.
- [Narrator] Dr. Dre has been a trailblazer
since honeys was wearing Sassoon.
The diverse range of skills Dr. Dre possesses
is unparalleled.
He is a hip hop multihyphenate.
Producer, artist, diamond and multi-platinum album engineer,
six times Grammy winner and billion dollar entrepreneur.
Critics and fans alike marvel at Dr. Dre's ability
to shapeshift in music while staying true to his roots.
Dre's musical beginnings in 1985
with The World Class Wreckin' Cru,
introduced a new sound in hip hop
that differed from what was blasting from boomboxes
in New York City.
- Give me a drum machine, I'll show you something.
- [Narrator] Dr. Dre's production style
included heavy bass lines, hypnotic melodies,
live instrumentation and hypnotic harmony
that were dubbed G-funk or gangster funk.
Dr. Dre played double duty as producer and lyricist
on Eazy-E and Jerry Heller's Ruthless Records for NWA.
The label's 1988 release "Straight Outta Compton"
with breakthrough rap group NWA made heavy use
of Dr. Dre's signature drum breaks,
sampling and employing synthesizer solos
so thick with funk, a snicker would be jealous.
"Straight Outta Compton" would go on
to triple platinum status,
setting Dr. Dre up for a monumental future.
In 1992, Dre launched Death Row Records
with homeboys the D.O.C., Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey.
Dre continued to employ hard hitting baselines,
synthesized heat and instrumentation courtesy of members
of popular R&B groups, including The Dramatics.
The formula for Death Row Records proved to be
incredibly successful.
The label released a series of multi-platinum albums,
including Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" in 1992,
Snoop Dogg's "Doggystyle" in 1993,
"Above The Rim" and "Murder Was The Case" in 1994,
and "The Dogg Pound" in 1995.
But it was the signing of Tupac Shakur
and the diamond certified release of "All Eyes On Me"
that would cement Dr. Dre and Death Row Records
as musical behemoths that would be unequaled,
solidifying Dr. Dre as a creator
of some of the most successful hip hop albums of all time.
Death Row Records was lucrative,
but Dr. Dre set his sights on his own imprint,
Aftermath Entertainment.
At Aftermath, Dre would create some of his
most innovative works.
He introduced the world to a kid from Detroit
named Marshall Mathers, AKA Eminem.
He also released projects with fellow Compton native
Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Anderson Paak,
the soulful duo Silk Sonic, and Dr. Dre's own releases.
Dre's Aftermath Entertainment has produced
multiple projects that have charted diamond,
platinum, and gold.
It is clear that Dr. Dre still hasn't lost his touch
for discovering talent and dropping hits.
Tupac Shakur is one of the most revered lyricists
in the history of hip hop.
His eloquent dramatizations of life
as a misunderstood black youth resonated with his fan base,
inspired a legion of rappers and fans,
fueling praise from critics,
and criticism from journalists and politicians.
Shakur was, at his core, a masterful storyteller.
While attending Baltimore School for Performing Arts,
Tupac was introduced to Shakespeare and learned
to captivate audiences through prose.
On one hand, Shakur wanted to tell the world
how he and others felt with the uninhibited fervor
of an exploding volcano.
Tupac was compelled to be an advocate for social change
and a messenger denouncing systemic injustices
that plague people of color.
Tupac enamored listeners to his messages by emulating
powerful speakers like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
and Malcolm X, by orating from his soul.
Knowing the power of his words,
Tupac utilized a sense of urgency
and passion in his messages.
After being released from prison in 1995,
after serving nine months of his sentence,
he hurled vocal ammunition at the microphone,
like a hail of bullets.
Tracks including "Hail Mary" and "Hit Em Up"
are examples of the incendiary ferociousness
Shakur delivered when riled up.
During his life, Tupac authored an innumerable
amount of material that spawned rumors of his vitality
after his untimely death in 1996.
Death Row Records posthumously released
a total of 13 albums, further fanning assertions
that Shakur could still be alive.
The only rappers who ever released two albums
and charted number one on Billboard 200.
Despite disputes about who's the best rapper of all time,
no other hip hop artist holds that distinction.
Mic drop.
13 Grammy wins, a Pulitzer Prize for music,
three albums appear on Rolling Stone's
500 greatest albums of all time in 2020,
promoting then president Barack Obama's
my brother's keeper initiative and receiving
the California State Senate's generational icon award,
Kendrick Lamar has been called the greatest
hip hop artist alive, the greatest rapper of the decade,
and several other favorable descriptors,
lending themselves to Kendrick's 100ness.
Kendrick Lamar's influence spans
beyond album sales and the accolades.
The Shakespearian lyricists narratives
imbue battle cries opposing racism, social injustice,
and supporting black empowerment.
While his contemporaries flex on the mic
about blunts and brahs,
Lamar's compositions are anti flamboyant,
and have been likened to other significant songs of protest.
Former president Barack Obama cited his favorite song
in 2015 as "How Much A Dollar Cost".
Lamar's influence extends beyond his fan base.
Multiple musical artists including David Bowie,
Cordae, Dua Lipa, Christine and the Queens, among others,
cited Kendrick Lamar as an inspiration for their own work.
Kendrick has given hundreds of thousands of dollars
back to the Compton unified school district,
supporting music, sports and after-school programs.
Lamar understands that his imagery is far more important
than the greenbacks.
He frequently talks about how important it is
to not only serve as role models for the youth,
but to take the roles seriously through leading by example.
It's one thing to pay for a man's fish,
it's another to teach him how to fish.
A master wordsmith, Kendrick Lamar's art
became the soundtrack of a struggle for justice,
largely due to the barrage of police killings
of unarmed black men followed by muted accountability.
In 2015, a group of people who were sick and tired
held the first conference of the movement
for Black Lives at Cleveland State University.
Shortly after leaving the conference,
some of the attendees witnessed a 14 year old black juvenile
being harassed by multiple police officers.
When confronted by the group,
the officers pepper sprayed them.
Unfazed, the group of attendees stood firm,
challenging authority, chanting the chorus
in Kendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed anthem "Alright".
That track became a political battle cry
used in present day protests.
Kendrick takes full mastery over his words,
inspiring and energizing people with every
thoughtfully written lyric.
Props go out to these west coast giants.
Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Kendrick Lamar
are panjandrums in the game,
who have given far more to the culture than they have taken.
And we remain forever grateful.