Gangster rap or coined today as Gangsta rap has been around for over two decades tracing Southern California back to where it originated. As a West Coast phenomenon, Gangsta rap has produced successful and famous artists including 50 cent, DMX, Tupac Shakur, Scarface, Notorious BIG and many others since it broke into the mainstream in the early 1980s. Among these artists, it was ICE-T who pioneered the release of the first gangsta rap song titled “6 in the Mornin'”.

The popularity of gangsta rap is intertwined with controversies over the promotion of violence, drugs, profanity, gangster activities, alcohol abuse, and even homophobia. Regarding this, it had generated a lot of criticism and stereotypical accusations of being a manifestation of hostility that it claimed to turn into a bad influence and shows to youth groups. However, rappers and gangsta artists claim otherwise. They argued that this genre of hip-hop is not an indication of such controversies but a reflection of the reality plaguing the inner city suburbs and ghettos. The gangsta artist claims that his intention is really to show and make the world realize that life in the ghetto and the street is not a pleasant setting. They want to deliver a message to the good government that it should take action and concern for this problem.

The usual content of typical gangster lyrics tells the story of a gangster lifestyle detailing their criminal background, hardships and struggles. It would be fair to assume that perhaps gangsta rap artists are simply misunderstood and misinterpreted. They can always use this as their general defense; After all, the important thing for them is that, through this type of music, they make a living with it. Often what influenced the gangsta rap genre is not the lifestyle itself, but only limited to the way others dress such as admiration for bling-blings and baggy pants.