Editing Gangsta rap (section)

==1997–2007: Bling era/crunk==
Before the late 1990s, gangsta rap, while a huge-selling genre, had been regarded as well outside of the pop mainstream, committed to representing the experience of the inner-city and not "selling out" to the pop charts. However, the rise of Bad Boy Records, propelled by the massive crossover success of Bad Boy head [[Sean Combs|Sean "Puffy" Combs]]'s 1997 ensemble album, ''[[No Way Out (Puff Daddy album)|No Way Out]]'', on the heels of the media attention generated by the murders of [[Murder of Tupac Shakur|Tupac Shakur]] and [[Murder of the Notorious B.I.G.|the Notorious B.I.G.]], signaled a major stylistic change in gangsta rap (or as it is referred to on the East Coast, hardcore rap), as it morphed into a new subgenre of hip hop which would become even more commercially successful and popularly accepted. [[Gangsta Boo]], Gangsta Blac, and Ghetto Twinz released Gangsta rap albums.

The earlier, somewhat controversial crossover success enjoyed by popular gangsta rap songs like "[[Gin and Juice]]" gave way to gangsta rap's becoming a widely accepted staple on the pop charts in the late 1990s. [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]]-styled hooks and samples of well-known [[soul music|soul]] and pop songs from the 1970s and 1980s were the staples of this sound, which was showcased primarily in [[Sean Combs|Sean "Puffy" Combs]]'s latter-day production work for The Notorious B.I.G. ("[[Mo Money, Mo Problems]]"), [[Mase]] ("[[Feel So Good (song)|Feels So Good]]") and non-Bad Boy artists such as [[Jay-Z]] ("[[Can I Get A...]]") and [[Nas]] ("[[Street Dreams (song)|Street Dreams]]"), which he sampled from 2Pac's song (All Eyez On Me). Also achieving similar levels of success with a similar sound at the same time as Bad Boy was [[Master P]] and his No Limit label in New Orleans, as well as the New Orleans upstart Cash Money label.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/soulja-boy-rockstar-new-mixtape.116492.html?song-111643 |title=Rockstar Souljah Boy mixtape |last=Lilah |first=Rose |date=August 1, 2016 |website=Hotnewhiphop |access-date=August 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816140032/http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/soulja-boy-rockstar-new-mixtape.116492.html?song-111643 |archive-date=August 16, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Three 6 Mafia]], Lil Jon, Pitbull, and Crime Mob released "crunk" CDs.

By the turn of the century, the style of gangsta rap pioneered by N.W.A. had long given way to [[Economic materialism|materialism]] regarding money, women and cars.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Woods |first=Aleia|date=2020-11-10 |title=50 Cent Calls Out T.I.: "What Hood You From Again?" |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/50-cent-calls-out-t-i/ |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=XXL Mag |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lavin |first=Will "ill Will" |date=2013-10-01 |title=Hip Hop Heroes: Rap's New Millenium |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/in-depth-features/hip-hop-heroes-raps-new-millenium/ |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=uDiscover Music |language=en-US}}</ref> Gangsta rap was hugely popular in the mainstream during the mid-2000s, propelled by [[50 Cent]]'s influential ''[[Get Rich or Die Tryin']]'' album, which contained "catchy" and melodic music that helped its success on pop charts,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doherty |first=Kelly |date=2023-02-07 |title=50 Cent is selling signed vinyl copies of Get Rich Or Die Tryin' |url=https://thevinylfactory.com/news/50-cent-get-rich-or-die-tryin/ |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=The Vinyl Factory |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=III |first=William E. Ketchum |date=2018-02-06 |title=The Villain Everyone Loved: How 50 Cent's 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' Made Him a Rap God 15 Years Ago |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/50-cent-get-rich-or-die-tryin-15-year-anniversary-8098396/ |access-date=2024-03-26 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> while rapping about themes of guns and wealth.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.portugalresident.com/50-cent-a-real-bargain/ | title=50 Cent, a real bargain | date=September 8, 2005 }}</ref>