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Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP becomes an international hit and sparks controversy for its misogynistic and homophobic lyrics.
Dr. Dre files a lawsuit against music download tool Napster for copyright infringement.
  The
West Coast hip-hop scene welcomes the debut
album from alternative rappers Jurassic
5 while the South heralds St. Louis
rapper Nelly’s Country Grammar.
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After being acquitted on charges of assault, Puff Daddy reveals that he is changing his name to P. Diddy to signify the turning over of a new leaf.
Jay-Z and Nas attack one another on songs on their respective new albums.  Twenty-two-year-old
Aaliyah dies in a plane crash
while making a music video in the Bahamas. |
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Run-D.M.C.’s Jam Master Jay is shot and
killed at the age of 37, murdered outside a New
York recording studio.
 Eminem
reaches epic stardom in his quasi-autobiographical
film 8 Mile, which
garners an Oscar nomination for its theme song,
“Lose Yourself.”
 Albums
from Blackalicious, Common and Talib Kweli
renew interest in more conscious hip-hop. |
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 New
York City hardcore rapper 50 Cent releases his
debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’
on Eminem’s Shady/Aftermath record label.
The hip-hop generation’s consumer reach is fully realized as stars such as Nelly, 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg market for companies such as Nike, Reebok and AOL.
Jay-Z releases his swan song, The Black Album, and officially retires from making music to manage his other business ventures.
The Dirty South continues to dominate hip-hop as crunk—a distinctly Southern hip-hop style featuring heavy bass and aggressive chanting—takes off.
Jamaican dancehall star Sean Paul’s Dutty Rock is a bestseller, mixing hip-hop and reggae to breakthrough success.
 Outkast’s
fifth release, Speakerboxxx/The Love
Below, is a two-album set that features
separate recordings by the Andre 3000 and Big
Boi and the year’s ubiquitous and crowd-spanning
hit, “Hey Ya.” |
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Mainstream hip-hop becomes synonymous with big bucks as the Russell Simmons empire grows with his label Phat Farm. Nelly becomes part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Jay-Z—the new president of Def Jam—buys a share in the New Jersey Nets.
Wu-Tang clan member Ol’Dirty Bastard passes away at the age of 35. |
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Wildly popular 50 Cent makes his cinematic
debut in a semi-autobiographical movie, also titled
Get Rich or Die Tryin’. The movie
is commercially synced with the release of a book,
a documentary on 50’s life and a video game,
50 Cent: Bulletproof.  Queen
Latifah hosts the 47th Annual Grammy
Awards.
Reggaeton, a form of Latin American dance music
that mixes hip-hop, reggae and dancehall with
Latin rhythms and Spanish raps, takes off worldwide.
Lil Kim is sentenced to a year in jail for perjury,
charged with lying to investigators regarding
a February 2001 shooting in New York City.
 Kanye
West’s Late Registration
features the massive radio hit “Gold Digger.”
The rapper’s impassioned and improvised
speech, broadcast on national television during
a fundraiser, slamming the Bush Administration’s
slow response to Hurricane Katrina victims also
further catapults him into the public eye.
Produced by West, Common’s BE is
acclaimed for its soulful beats and skillful,
conscious lyrics. |
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 Three
6 Mafia’s “It’s Hard Out Here
for a Pimp” from the movie Hustle
& Flow wins an Oscar
for Best Original Song and is the first rap
song to be performed on the Academy Awards show.
Releases from alternative rap favorites The Roots and Jurassic 5 exemplify hip-hop’s shift away from mainstream gangsta rap, as diverse hip-hop styles continue to flourish throughout the world. |
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