{"product_id":"original-gangstas-tupac-shakur-dr-dre-eazy-e-ice-cube-and-the-birth-of-west-coast-rap-9780316344852","title":"Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Birth of West Coast Rap","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Raw, authoritative, and unflinching ... An elaborately detailed, darkly surprising, definitive history of the LA gangsta rap era.\" -- \u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA monumental, revealing narrative history about the legendary group of artists at the forefront of West Coast hip-hop: Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac Shakur.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Amid rising gang violence, the crack epidemic, and police brutality, a group of unlikely voices cut through the chaos of late 1980s Los Angeles: N.W.A. Led by a drug dealer, a glammed-up producer, and a high school kid, N.W.A gave voice to disenfranchised African Americans across the country. And they quickly redefined pop culture across the world. Their names remain as popular as ever -- Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube. Dre soon joined forces with Suge Knight to create the combustible Death Row Records, which in turn transformed Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur into superstars. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Ben Westhoff explores how this group of artists shifted the balance of hip-hop from New York to Los Angeles. He shows how N.W.A.'s shocking success lead to rivalries between members, record labels, and eventually a war between East Coast and West Coast factions. In the process, hip-hop burst into mainstream America at a time of immense social change, and became the most dominant musical movement of the last thirty years. At gangsta rap's peak, two of its biggest names -- Tupac and Biggie Smalls -- were murdered, leaving the surviving artists to forge peace before the genre annihilated itself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Featuring extensive investigative reporting, interviews with the principal players, and dozens of never-before-told stories, \u003ci\u003eOriginal Gangstas\u003c\/i\u003e is a groundbreaking addition to the history of popular music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBen Westhoff\u003c\/b\u003e is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eRolling Stone, The Atlantic, Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e, Vice, Pitchfork, and the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e. He spent three years as the Music Editor at\u003ci\u003e L.A. Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, and is the author of \u003ci\u003eLittle Brother: Love, Tragedy, and My Search for the Truth, Fentanyl, Inc: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Dirty South: Outkast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop\u003c\/i\u003e, which Rolling Stone called \"packed with lively reporting and colorful social history.\" He lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with his wife and two children.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Hachette Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50621000646930,"sku":"9780316344852","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e8f9c098-6bca-44a9-ba11-38580ac3f9ce.jpg?v=1732578104","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/original-gangstas-tupac-shakur-dr-dre-eazy-e-ice-cube-and-the-birth-of-west-coast-rap-9780316344852","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}