Editing Gangsta rap (section)

===East Coast hardcore hip hop and the East Coast–West Coast feud===
Meanwhile, rappers from New York City, such as [[Wu-Tang Clan]], [[Black Moon (group)|Black Moon]] and [[Boot Camp Clik]], [[Onyx (hip hop group)|Onyx]], [[Big L]], [[Mobb Deep]], [[Nas]], [[the Notorious B.I.G.]], [[DMX]] and [[the Lox]], among others, pioneered a grittier sound known as [[hardcore hip hop]]. In 1994, both [[Nas]] and the Notorious B.I.G. released their debut albums ''[[Illmatic]]'' (April 19) and ''[[Ready to Die]]'' (September 13) respectively, which paved the way for New York City to take back dominance from the West Coast. In an interview for ''[[The Independent]]'' in 1994, the Wu-Tang Clan's [[GZA]] commented on the term "gangsta rap" and its association with his group's music and hip hop at the time:

{{Blockquote|Our music is not "gangsta rap". There's no such thing. The label was created by the media to limit what we can say. We just deliver the truth in a brutal fashion. The young black male is a target. Snoop (Doggy Dogg) has gone four times platinum and makes more money than the president. They don't like that, so you hear "ban this, ban that". We attack people's emotions. It's a real live show that brings out the inside in people. Like I said, intense.<ref name="ALewis">Lewis, Angela. [https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/pop-music--on-pop-1386521.html On Pop: Life & Style] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224171843/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/pop-music--on-pop-1386521.html |date=December 24, 2012 }}. ''[[The Independent]]''. Retrieved on 2009-08-03.</ref>|GZA}}

It is widely speculated{{By whom|date=June 2023}} that the ensuing [[East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry]] between [[Death Row Records]] and [[Bad Boy Records]] resulted in the deaths of [[Death Row Records]]' [[Tupac Shakur|2Pac]] and [[Bad Boy Records]]' the Notorious B.I.G.. Even before the murders, Death Row had begun to unravel, as co-founder Dr. Dre had left earlier in 1996; in the aftermath of 2Pac's death, label owner [[Suge Knight]] was sentenced to prison for a parole violation, and Death Row proceeded to sink quickly as most of its remaining artists, including [[Snoop Dogg]], left. Dr. Dre, at the [[MTV Video Music Awards]], claimed that "gangsta rap was dead". While Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Entertainment fared better than its West Coast rival, it eventually began to lose popularity and support by the end of the decade, due to its pursuit of a more mainstream sound, as well as challenges from [[Atlanta]] and New Orleans–based labels, especially, [[Master P]]'s [[No Limit Records|No Limit]] stable of popular rappers.