The cities of Philadelphia and Los Angeles helped give rise to Gangsta Rap. Thanks in part to the crack cocaine epidemic, the murder rate in Philadelphia was at an all-time high in the 1980s. That same crack epidemic had hit L.A., helping to fuel gang violence in the '80s.
Rap music historians credit Philadelphia rapper MC Schoolly D as the first to use the word "gangsta" in rap music. He released the single "Gangster Boogie" in 1984 and "P.S.K." (Park Side Killers) in 1985. Both songs described life in Philly's violent neighborhoods.
Other historians claim Gangsta Rap first found life in the violent ghettos of Watts and Compton in Los Angeles. L.A. rapper Ice-T released the Gangsta Rap song "Six in the Morning" in 1986. The group NWA released the albums "Straight Outta Compton" and "Easy-Duz-It," in 1989. Each sold more than a half-million copies. NWA member Easy-E said at the time, "We're telling the real story of what it's like living in places like Compton."