Editing East Coast hip-hop (section)

== Musical style ==
{{Listen
 |filename     = The Choice Is Yours (Revisited).ogg
 |pos          = left
 |title        = Example
 |description  = A sample of an East Coast hip hop song, highlighting an emphasis on lyricism, as well as displaying boom bap and jazz rap elements. The song played on the background is "[[The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)]]" by [[Black Sheep (duo)|Black Sheep]].
}}
In contrast to the more simplistic rhyme pattern and scheme used in [[Old-school hip-hop]], hip-hop in the late ‘80s developed a stronger emphasis on lyrical dexterity.<ref name="Adaso"/> It also became characterized by multi-syllabic rhymes, complex wordplay, a continuous free-flowing delivery and intricate metaphors.<ref name="Adaso"/> Although East Coast hip-hop can vary in sound and style, "aggressive" beats and the combining of [[sampling (music)|sample]]s were common to the subgenre in the mid- to late 1980s.<ref name="Allmusic"/> The aggressive and hard-hitting beats of the form were emphasized by such acts as [[EPMD]], [[Beastie Boys]] and [[Public Enemy]], while artists such as [[Eric B. & Rakim]], [[Boogie Down Productions]], [[LL Cool J]], [[Big Daddy Kane]], [[Nas]], [[The Notorious B.I.G.]], and [[Slick Rick]] were noted for their lyrical skill. Lyrical themes throughout the history of East Coast hip-hop have ranged from [[Political hip hop#Conscious hip hop|lyrical consciousness]] by such artists as Public Enemy and [[A Tribe Called Quest]] to [[Gangsta rap#Mafioso rap|Mafioso rap]] themes by rappers such as [[Raekwon]], [[MF Grimm]] and [[Kool G Rap]].<ref name="Adaso"/>