Golden age hip hop

Golden age hip hop is a name commonly given to mainstream hip hop music made in the late 1980s and early 1990s, typically by artists originating from the New York metropolitan area. It is said to be characterized by its diversity, quality, innovation and influence after the genre's emergence and establishment in the previous decade. There were various types of , while the music was experimental and the sampling eclectic.

The artists most often associated with the period are LL Cool J, Run–D.M.C., Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys, KRS-One, Eric B. & Rakim, De La Soul, Big Daddy Kane, EPMD, A Tribe Called Quest, Slick Rick, Ultramagnetic MC's, and the Jungle Brothers. Releases by these acts co-existed in this period with, and were as commercially viable as, those of early gangsta rap artists such as Ice-T, Geto Boys and N.W.A, the sex raps of 2 Live Crew and Too Short, and party-oriented music by acts such as Kid 'n Play, The Fat Boys, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and MC Hammer.

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