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