This is part of Complex's 'The 1996 Project: Looking Back at the Year Hip-Hop Embraced Success.'
In the second part of Complex's 1996 roundtable discussion, things take an emotional turn as the panelists reflect on the media's involvement in some of the most heated and painful moments in hip-hop history: the East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry and Tupac Shakur's murder. From Snoop's infamous Death Row speech at the 1995 Source Awards to the stirring drama in the press room during 'Pac's week-long coma, the editors reminisce on the chaos and excitement of covering the pivotal developments of the year.
The panelists also talk about how 1996 saw the commercialization of hip-hop along with the increased power of the media to shape careers. "This is a real transitional year economically, so these guys really felt like stuff was at stake," said Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua. "It was now becoming real, like, 'We're actually making money, we're actually really affecting the culture. We're really here.'"
Check out the clip above.
