People would trade and copy the mix-tapes and would play the music outside on the battery powered cassette players called "Ghetto Blasters." These mix-tapes were popular mostly in the Bronx but as people began to trade, they were popular in all the neighborhoods. Then Blacks and Hispanics in the military got a hold of the mix-tapes and expanded them from just in N.Y.C. to all around the world. They spread the hip-hop sound and style to various new groups of people.
Run DMC and Jam Master Jay, were brought up in Hollis, Queens in New York, a middle class neighborhood. Run DMC's first single was "It's Like That" in 1983. Run DMC started "New Age" hip-hop with powerful beat and innovative lyrics. They were the inspiration for the next wave of hip-hop artists. Their first record was "King of Rock," in 1985, it was the first hip-hop album to achieve gold status. With the release of the album, Run DMC became the biggest thing since sliced bread. As the Vietnam War ended , black soldiers returned to their neighborhoods. Some had become heroin addicts, and some vets returned home with the mass amounts of heroin to sell. The explosion of heroin on the street had a major affect on the new type of ruthless black gangsta. By the 70's, large African-American drug cartels became the leading supplier of heroin and cocain. This drug explosion ruled most of the inner city ghettos. Gangsta Rap is a major by product that emerged from the explosion of crack-cocain.
Rap and Hip-hop quickly spread all over North America and became one of the leading types of music. But, with success if hip-hop and rap music came the competition. The East Coast and West Coast rivalry quickly heated up. The New York Rappers knew they were the creators and didn't like the East Coast Rappers fame. .
The culture of hip-hop always has been based upon rivalries between MC"c battling for territory and notoriety. The artists imaged themselves as products of their environment, which was violent upbringings.
