Characteristics
Gangsta rap has been associated with the style; however, not all hardcore hip hop revolve around "gangsta" lyrical themes, even though there is a great deal of overlap, especially among hardcore rappers of the 1990s. Allmusic stated that hardcore hip hop is characterized by "anger, aggression and confrontation whether in the lyrical subject matter, the hard, driving beats, the noisy sampling and production, or any combination thereof." Russell Potter wrote that while hardcore rap has been associated with a "monolithic 'gangsta' outlook" by the popular press, hardcore rappers have "laid claim to a wide variety of ground".
Read more about this topic: Hardcore Hip Hop