By the end of the 1990s, the feel-good innocence of hip hop had been decimated by the

According to Melvin Burke Donalson in his book, "Hip Hop in American Cinema," the feel-good innocence of hip hop had been decimated by the "omnipresent gangsta rap."

Hip hop is a subculture and art movement developed in South Bronx, New York City during the late 1970s and arose as a form of expression of the urban Black and Latino youth, who were considered as marginalized communities at that time. It has nine elements namely, breakdancing, rapping, graffiti art, djing, beatboxing, street fashion, street language, street knowledge, and street entrepreneuralism. Hiphop has been most closely associated with hiphop music, which comprises 4 elements of hiphop (breakdancing, rapping, DJing, and beatboxing).

By the end of the 1990s however, gangsta rap dominated. The raps comprised of lyrics which emphasis on drugs, violence, and misogyny--quite unlike the "feel-good innocence" of hiphop.