Editing Gangsta rap (section)

===G-funk and Death Row Records===
{{Main|G-funk}}

In 1992, former N.W.A member [[Dr. Dre]] released ''[[The Chronic]]'' (1992) include "[[Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang]]", a massive seller (eventually going triple platinum) which showed that explicit gangsta rap could hold as much mass commercial appeal as the pop-oriented rap styles of [[MC Hammer]], [[DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince|the Fresh Prince]] and [[Tone Lōc]]. The album established the dominance of West Coast gangsta rap and Dre's new post-N.W.A label, [[Death Row Records]] (owned by Dr. Dre along with [[Marion "Suge" Knight]]), as Dre's album showcased a stable of promising new Death Row rappers. The album also popularized the subgenre of G-funk, a slow, drawled form of hip hop that dominated the rap charts for some time.

Extensively sampling [[Psychedelic funk|P-Funk]] bands, especially [[Parliament (band)|Parliament]] and [[Funkadelic]], G-funk was multi-layered, yet simple and easy to dance to. The simple message of its lyrics, that life's problems could be overcome by guns, alcohol and marijuana, endeared it to a teenage audience. The single "[[Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang]]" became a crossover big hit,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Anderson |first=Errol |url=http://www.clashmusic.com/features/classic-albums-dr-dre-the-chronic |title=Classic Albums: Dr Dre - The Chronic |journal=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]] |date=January 11, 2013 | access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> with its humorous, ''[[House Party (film)|House Party]]''-influenced video becoming an MTV staple despite that network's historic orientation towards rock music.

Another success was [[Ice Cube]]'s ''[[The Predator (1992 album)|Predator]]'' album, released at about the same time as ''The Chronic'' in 1992. It sold over 2 million copies and was No. 1 in the charts, propelled by the hit single "[[It Was a Good Day]]", despite the fact that Ice Cube was not a Death Row artist. One of the genre's biggest crossover stars was Dre's protégé [[Snoop Dogg|Snoop Doggy Dogg]] (''[[Doggystyle]]''), whose exuberant, party-oriented themes made songs such as "[[Gin and Juice]]" club anthems and top hits nationwide. In 1996, [[Tupac Shakur|2Pac]] signed with Death Row and released the multi-platinum double album ''[[All Eyez on Me]]''. Not long afterward, his murder brought gangsta rap into the national headlines and propelled his posthumous ''[[The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory]]'' album (released under the alias "Makaveli") to the top of the charts. Lill 1/2 Dead released gangsta album. [[Warren G]] and [[Nate Dogg]] were other musicians at the forefront of G-funk. Successful G-funk influenced artists also included [[Spice 1]], [[MC Lyte]] and [[MC Ren]], all of them reaching decent positions on the Billboard 100, or soul chart in spite of not being associated with Death Row. Ray Luv released G single "Last Nite" in 1995.