There seems to be ambiguity regarding the eras of Hip Hop so I thought I'd create some dialogue and state what I believe the eras of Hip Hop
First era - Mid 70s to early 80s. This is when they had park jams in The Bronx and groups like The Treacherous Three, Cold Crush and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 would perform around The Bronx and Harlem and make tapes of their shows. These shows would circulate throughout the Tri-State.
Second Era - Mid 80s. This is when they started making movies. Beat Street, Breakin, Krush Groove. There were a few documentaries. The Fresh Fest Tour in 1984, 85 and 86. Rush Management took over and he signed all the big name groups. They had merchandise like posters and t-shirts that you could buy in suburban malls.
Third Era - Late 80s to mid 90s. This is when Hip Hop had arrived. Groups like Run DMC had proven that you could reach mainstream America with songs like Walk This Way. They went 3X Platinum. Yo! MTV Raps came out in 1988. Rap City came out around the same time. Arsenio Hall came out in 1989 and he would have rappers perform and then they would sit on the couch for an interview. I believe Arsenio Hall and YO! MTV Raps both went off the air in 1995. The Source came out in 1988 and would become America's number one selling magazine by the mid 90s.
Fourth Era - Mid 90s to Mid 00s. Not much changed from 95-04. Hip Hop was nationwide. Every region was represented. It was common for an artist to sell a million copies of their CD. Hip Hop was no longer a late night thing. It was mainstream top 40. 2Pac, Biggie, Puff Daddy, Master P, Snoop, Wu Tang were all nationwide celebrities, not just in Hip Hop but they were represented in the Grammies and Top 40 radio. Hip Hop was no longer an Urban Black thing. Rap groups would go on festival tours like Lalapalooza or Woodstock.
Current era - Mid 00s to current. The internet came out and file sharing and later streaming took over. CD sales plummeted. Recording became easier as recording software made it possible to record an album in your bedroom. I don't think much has changed since the mid 00s. Seems like people stopped buying CDs in the mid-00s and they started counting streams as sales. The Source became obsolete because it was a monthly magazine and with the internet, news travelled much faster. Messagerboards and file sharing made it possible to share Hip Hop news instantaneously. 80s and 90s rappers became "legends" and could tour off of their old material rather than releasing new music.
First era - Mid 70s to early 80s. This is when they had park jams in The Bronx and groups like The Treacherous Three, Cold Crush and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 would perform around The Bronx and Harlem and make tapes of their shows. These shows would circulate throughout the Tri-State.
Second Era - Mid 80s. This is when they started making movies. Beat Street, Breakin, Krush Groove. There were a few documentaries. The Fresh Fest Tour in 1984, 85 and 86. Rush Management took over and he signed all the big name groups. They had merchandise like posters and t-shirts that you could buy in suburban malls.
Third Era - Late 80s to mid 90s. This is when Hip Hop had arrived. Groups like Run DMC had proven that you could reach mainstream America with songs like Walk This Way. They went 3X Platinum. Yo! MTV Raps came out in 1988. Rap City came out around the same time. Arsenio Hall came out in 1989 and he would have rappers perform and then they would sit on the couch for an interview. I believe Arsenio Hall and YO! MTV Raps both went off the air in 1995. The Source came out in 1988 and would become America's number one selling magazine by the mid 90s.
Fourth Era - Mid 90s to Mid 00s. Not much changed from 95-04. Hip Hop was nationwide. Every region was represented. It was common for an artist to sell a million copies of their CD. Hip Hop was no longer a late night thing. It was mainstream top 40. 2Pac, Biggie, Puff Daddy, Master P, Snoop, Wu Tang were all nationwide celebrities, not just in Hip Hop but they were represented in the Grammies and Top 40 radio. Hip Hop was no longer an Urban Black thing. Rap groups would go on festival tours like Lalapalooza or Woodstock.
Current era - Mid 00s to current. The internet came out and file sharing and later streaming took over. CD sales plummeted. Recording became easier as recording software made it possible to record an album in your bedroom. I don't think much has changed since the mid 00s. Seems like people stopped buying CDs in the mid-00s and they started counting streams as sales. The Source became obsolete because it was a monthly magazine and with the internet, news travelled much faster. Messagerboards and file sharing made it possible to share Hip Hop news instantaneously. 80s and 90s rappers became "legends" and could tour off of their old material rather than releasing new music.
