The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry was a dispute between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States, especially from the mid-1990s. Focal points of the feud were East Coast–based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Daddy and their New York City–based label, Bad Boy Records, and West Coast–based rapper Tupac Shakur with Suge Knight and their Los Angeles–based label, Death Row Records. The feud culminated in the murders of both rappers in drive-by shootings. Although several suspects have been identified, both murders remain unsolved.
Here is a list of some of the most famous East Coast and West Coast rappers, along with their origins, history, and popularity:
East Coast
The Notorious B.I.G. (Brooklyn, New York)
[Opens in a new windowWikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Notorious_B.I.G.)
Jay-Z (Brooklyn, New York)
Nas (Queens, New York)
Rakim (Long Island, New York)
Big Daddy Kane (Bronx, New York)
LL Cool J (Queens, New York)
Eric B. & Rakim (Long Island, New York)
Run-DMC (Queens, New York)
West Coast
Tupac Shakur (Harlem, New York; raised in Los Angeles)
Dr. Dre (Compton, California)
Snoop Dogg (Long Beach, California)
Ice Cube (Compton, California)
Eazy-E (Compton, California)
NWA (Compton, California)
Suge Knight (Compton, California)
The D.O.C. (Compton, California)