It hadn't been a year since the acquittal of four police officers in the videotaped beating of Rodney King. In January 1993, there were still burned-out buildings in South Central Los Angeles. Our series about rap's greatest year begins with the album that started it all by drawing directly on the riots: Dr. The flowering had roots in the cultural and social upheaval sparked by the Los Angeles riots the year before. Over the 12 months of 1993, the Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Queen Latifah, A Tribe Called Quest, Salt-N-Pepa and more than 20 other rap groups released albums that helped change the sound of America. This year marks the 20th anniversary of a remarkable year in music.
Here they pose after a 1993 performance in Chicago.Īdvisory: The videos on this page contain profanity. Dre (right) with Snoop Dogg, who played a starring role on Dre's The Chronic.
