![]() ![]() A Tribe Called Quest was on a continuous journey to chart new musical ground. De La Soul used its second album, 1991’s De La Soul Is Dead, to kill the lazy hippie narrative that sprang from their debut, only to go even further left on 1993’s Buhloone Mindstate. They changed with every album, challenging themselves and listeners alike. As key members of the Native Tongues collective, they added variety to hip-hop by following their eccentricities and broadening the notion of what it could be. Their subversive ambition and sharp perspectives pushed hip-hop in new directions as it blossomed at the start of the 1990s. The price was going up, but at what cost?ĭe La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest were successful, but on their own terms: They might blow up, but they’d never go pop. What happens when the whole game starts resembling the glitz and glamour of the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Big Poppa” video thanks to less-talented imitators? Suppose hip-hop stumbles during its ascent, only to be found floating face down in the mainstream? These growing pains were culture shocks to folks with reservations. And while success was always the goal, commercial success was being embraced in ways that didn’t square with anyone who saw conflicts of interest in hip-hop. The business aspect of hip-hop had been elevated, meaning there was more money involved and more pressure to succeed. More mergers and acquisitions meant fewer opportunities for any music to be played. Meanwhile, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 changed the entertainment industry by further consolidating outlets for music. MTV may have embraced hip-hop’s impact on its bottom line by this point, but much of society still viewed it with disdain. The year saw hip-hop expand through the emergence of new figures from different regions, but it also saw tragedy as 2Pac, who dominated the conversation that year, was murdered amid a sensationalized bicoastal dispute. Nineteen-ninety-six was one of hip-hop’s most polarizing years, capturing the tension of a genre in conflict with itself and the world at large. Today, we’re exploring the leaders of the Native Tongues collective at their respective crossroads. The 1996 Rap Yearbook, a recurring series from The Ringer, will explore the landmark releases and moments from a quarter-century ago that redefined how we think of the genre. No year in hip-hop history sticks out quite like 1996: It marked the height of the East Coast–West Coast feud, the debut of several artists who would rule the next few decades, and the last moment before battle lines between “mainstream” and “underground” were fully drawn. ![]()
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