How the 1995 Source Awards Ended Gangsta Rap

The 1995 Source Awards are pivotal. Going back to watch it for my research brought me back to why the Super Bowl HalfTime show is such a huge deal in 2022. From 1993-1997 gangster rap went mainstream, 59 million records were sold, labels were started and lost, and many lost their lives or were seriously harmed. But one thing that is deniable is the amazing music between the two biggest record labels of the time, Death Row and Bad Boy. This is the story of the 1995 Source Awards and the following 18 months that lead to the downfall of gangsta rap.