West Coast Hip Hop

West Coast hip hop is the regional hip hop tradition that developed in California, principally in Los Angeles, from the mid-1980s. Its best-known variant, G-funk, layers samples of *Parliament* and *Funkadelic*, deep synthesised basslines and high portamento leads over slow, heavy grooves, supporting a laid-back and often melodic delivery. Alongside it stand the jazz-inflected rap of the Los Angeles underground collectives, the hardcore reportage of gangsta rap and later Bay Area and ratchet variants. Across these strands, the coast's records chronicle street organisation, lowrider culture, policing and party life in California's cities.