Go look up Schoolly D, Ice-T, and Boogie Down Productions (KRS-One s group from back in the day.) Yes, even KRS-One, Mr. Conscious Hip-Hop himself, was rapping about gangster subject matter for two albums before NWA hit the scene.
Hell, the Beastie Boys even identified themselves as gangsters before NWA did it. Early NWA songs had them rapping over Beastie Boys beats, their influence on NWA can t be discredited. Even if Easy-E had never existed, gangster rap music would have still continued to appear.
It probably would have just ended up being another group or artist that popularized it with mainstream America.
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