How much do you really know West Coast hip-hop? It’s not enough to just know the basics. Anyone could listen to Kendrick Lamar and get it. N.W.A, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube. That’s the vintage 90s material anyone can get on board with. Even millennials and older Gen Z crowds will have fond memories of the run YG had at one point. But those artists only give you a surface-level understanding of LA rap. In order to truly understand the journey of hip-hop out West, you have to fill it out with other foundational artists.
But where do you even start? To avoid only knowing the basics, we’ve selected a handful of classic LA rap songs to bolster your knowledge. That way, you won’t get any accusations of being a transplant if you move out to the West Coast.
Four Timeless LA Rap Songs to Show That You Actually Know West Coast Hip-Hop
“Pitch In On a Party” by DJ Quik
When talking about West Coast hip-hop, the first instinct is to go to Dr. Dre. In releasing a timeless classic like The Chronic in 1992, he typically receives the bulk of the credit. History and the popular consensus tend to center him as the mastermind behind G-Funk.
However, this thinking leaves out the pivotal works of DJ Quik. Records like Safe & Sound and Rhythm-al-ism were foundational pieces to the LA rap equation. Rather than lean heavily on the backbone of George Clinton and Parliament samples, Quik fleshed out the city’s imagery and texture. You can imagine the bright sun and the cookouts in Southern California on records like “Summer Breeze” and “Pitch In On a Party”. LA rap gets a ton of its atmosphere because of Quik, not just Dre.
“I’d Rather Give You My B***h” by Suga Free
Suga Free’s brand of cartoonish pimping acts as a natural extension of the player aesthetics artists like Too $hort and E-40 were building in the Bay Area. Similar to Quik, it was atmosphere that fleshed out its sound. His production was often silky and permed, all while he bends and hop-scotches around the beats. Knowing Suga Free immediately lets LA locals know that you’re at least somewhat hip to the scene.
“Sweet Lady” by 03 Greedo
Before turning himself in to prison in Texas, 03 Greedo was blossoming as one of the West Coast’s next great musical stylists. Where Ty Dolla $ign’s brand of smooth auto-tuned hooks dominated mainstream rap records, the Watts rapper was wily and loose with his melodies. Take “Sweet Lady”, an electric reimagining of Tyrese’s 1998 R&B classic. The sample glitches, bubbles, and echoes throughout the song as Greedo raps and coos a new-age love song.
“Impatient Freestyle” by Drakeo The Ruler
Understanding the last ten years of LA rap all stems back to Drakeo The Ruler. As popular as Kendrick Lamar was and is, the artists from his city weren’t trying to rap like him. By 2016, YG went back to old G-Funk stylings after the big boom in Mustard beats. After a while, you started to know exactly what a West Coast hip-hop song would sound like.
But Drakeo’s dark menace and hefty lyrical acumen separated him from the rest of the pack, coining his own lingo and inventing new ways to flex. He nearly crashed his foreign car, but instead he “almost Paul Walker-ed” on “Impatient Freestyle”. He’ll stitch slick punchlines together in a moment’s notice. “Hopping out the Batmobile, Bruce Wayne, I’m robbin’,” he snarls.
In the years since, artists like Tyler, The Creator and Kendrick Lamar himself have drawn from the late rapper’s inimitable style. Consequently, it’s vital to comb through his catalogue in order to understand the lineage of LA rap.
Photo by Timothy Norris/WireImage
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