Golden Era of Hip Hop

1984 to 1992 (Still before my birth) is known as the Golden Era of Hip Hop. During this time, the culture of hip hop and the artists learn to perfect their image and create something sellable to the American population.

This era in Hip Hop was basically bookended by Run DMC and Dr. Dre. Some other prominent artists of this time were LL Cool J, Queen Latifa, NWA, Salt & Peppa, etc.

It is important to understand that Hip Hop in general is a competitive art form, which for the music industry, was very new. Run DMC constructed the image of "street," check out an image from a magazine. They are dressed very similar and the way they are standing, the back drop, their outfits, even shoes are purposeful and attempt to create an image of street life. On the opposite end, LL Cool J created a softer more seductive look to Hip Hop. He was smooth and created more a lyrical conversation was directed more at an audience and not a specific person.

Another important facet of this era of Hip Hop is that it is male dominated and hyper masculine. The Beastie Boys had a concert where women were dancing in cages. A lot of lyrics were explicit. Since there was such a male dominated culture, it was difficult for strong women to emerge. But they did. Queen Latifa as well as Salt & Peppa were some of the first female hip hop artists to break through. Their lyrics would address issues such as salary gaps and gender equality, they were not necessarily trying to put other artists now.

Those are just a few facets of this "Golden Era." There are many more important aspects that helped commoditize Hip Hop. Check out Run DMC's magazine cover as mentioned above and see what you think about the image of "street."

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