Old School rap was not called such until other, newer styles of rap broke off from this first style. The Old School style of rap formed in between 1979 and 1984 and gave birth to many of today's rap legends. When many different artists using essentially the same beat boxes and instrumental styles flooded the market, other branches of rap began to break off.
The next style of rap is now known as New School. As the 1980s brought about newer musical technology and less expensive methods of mixing music, it became easier to create a more diverse and unique sound set. At this time, as rap styles changed into what would later become New School, artists such as LL Cool J and Run DMC led the way. As the mid-1980s changed the landscape of rap music, two unique branches also started to emerge geographically, East Coast and West Coast rap.
Rap legends such as Grandmaster Flash and Run DMC kicked off East Coast rap in the late 1980s and dominated the music scene for the rest of the decade. East Coast rap gradually morphed into more aggressive beats and included lyrics with a message, moving the music away from strict dance floor sounds.
Major strides were taking place on the other side of the country, with West Coast rap slowly gaining a foothold starting in the early 1980s, evolving into a style of rap music that eventually gave rise to its own name. Rappers located on the West Coast such as Ice T, Digital Underground and Cypress Hill crafted lyrics based on the hard life of growing up in the inner city. These brutal and sometimes violent undertones identified West Coast rap style.
Not to be outdone by the east and west, rappers from the Deep South emerged in the 1990s, and with independent music labels began to make a name for themselves. It was the success of such rappers as Master P, Soulja Boy, Lil Jon and DJ Unk that brought the Dirty South into the mainstream of rap music, building on the efforts of Ghetto Mafia from the 1990s and creating a viable branch of rap centered on extreme dance beats.