The 25 Biggest '90s Rap News Stories

These rap news stories made the most noise in the '90s.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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The 1970s gave birth to rap music, and the 1980s helped raise it, but the 1990s were when rap really came into its own. Artists like 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Doggy Dogg, Nas, OutKast, Jay Z, Scarface, and many, many more helped make the decade memorable by dropping albums that were later hailed as classics. And outside of the studio, rappers were also involved in lots of different incidents—both positive and negative—that shaped the public perception of what rap music was and helped it become a force within the music industry. Looking back, it's easy to see just how far rap has come since the '90s ended, but also how influential the '90s were with regards to where rap music is today.

Which stories from '90s rap stand out the most, though? That's the question that we asked ourselves recently—and the question we're going to answer today. For the most part, you won't find any album release dates here (save for a few really important ones), or dates tied to specific rap songs that were big during the '90s. But you will find important events involving rappers from what will surely go down as one of the most important decades in the history of hip-hop music. These are the 25 Biggest '90s Rap News Stories. 

Written by Chris Yuscavage

26. Big Daddy Kane Makes an Appearance in Madonna's "Sex" Coffee Table Book

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25. Canibus and LL Cool J Begin Beefing After the Release of "4, 3, 2, 1"

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24. C. Delores Tucker and the National Congress of Black Women Call for a Boycott Against Gangsta Rap

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23. Dr. Dre Announces His Departure From Death Row Records and Says Gangsta Rap Is "Dead"

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22. The Last Episode of "Yo! MTV Raps" Airs

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21. A Tribe Called Quest Breaks Up

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20. Jay Z Is Arrested for Allegedly Stabbing Lance "Un" Rivera

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19. Vanilla Ice Gets Exposed

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18. MC Hammer Becomes the First Rapper to Go Diamond

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17. Nas' Debut Album, "Illmatic," Receives Five Mics From "The Source"

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16. Snoop Doggy Dogg Releases "Doggystyle" and Reaches the Top of the Billboard Charts

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15. Suge Knight, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Puff Daddy, and OutKast Make Noteworthy Speeches at the 1995 Source Awards

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14. Slick Rick Is Charged With Attempted Murder

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13. 2Pac Is Sentenced to Prison on Sexual Assault Charges

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12. 2Pac Is Shot and Robbed in New York City

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11. Eazy-E Passes Away After Being Diagnosed With AIDS

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10. Will Smith Turns Into a Hollywood Superstar Thanks to "Independence Day"

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9. Puff Daddy, Jennifer Lopez, and Shyne Are Arrested for Allegedly Being Involved in a New York City Nightclub Shooting

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8. A Florida Judge Bans 2 Live Crew's "Nasty As They Wanna Be"

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7. Biz Markie Is Sued for Using an Uncredited Sample on a Song

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6. Ice-T Lands at the Center of Controversy Concerning His Group Body Count's Song "Cop Killer"

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5. Lauryn Hill Becomes the First Rapper to Ever Win Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards

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4. Snoop Doggy Dogg Is Arrested for Allegedly Murdering a Man

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3. The Murder of 2Pac

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2. The Murder of the Notorious B.I.G.

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