How Well Do You Know 1990s Hip Hop?

November 27, 2024

In the 1990s hip hop went from an underground movement to the top-selling music genre thanks to emerging new rappers on the east and west coasts of the United States.

Artists like Dr. Dre, Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and The Notorious B.I.G. ushered in the golden age of rap producing some of the most memorable music of the decade. 

Let’s get you ready for the Hip Hop Dance Party on The 90s Cruise in 2025 by testing your knowledge about some hip hop icons with these questions provided by History of the 90s.

1. What record label did Dr. Dre co-found with Marion “Suge” Knight following his departure from N.W.A in 1992?

1. Bad Boy Records
2. Death Row Records
3. Roc-A-Fella Records
4. Heavenly Records

2. For what crime was Tupac beaten by Oakland police in 1991?

1. Armed Robbery
2. Vandalism
3. Jaywalking
4. Performing without a permit

3. What was Chris “Biggie” Wallace doing in California the night he was shot and killed? 

1. Watching a basketball game
2. Filming a music video
3. Collaborating with Dr. Dre
4. Attending the Soul Train Music Awards

4. Which rap album was banned because it was deemed obscene by a judge in Florida?

1. Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy
2. Doggystyle by Snoop Dogg
3. As Nasty As They Wanna Be by 2 Live Crew
4. Black Sunday by Cypress Hill

5. What was the first rap song to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

1. Nuthin’ but a G Thang by Dr. Dre
2. Hypnotize by The Notorious B.I.G.
3. Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice
4. Baby Got Back by Sir Mixalot

6. What famous student attended the Baltimore School for the Arts with Tupac ?

1. Lisa Bonet
2. Jada Pinkett Smith
3. Robbie Williams
4. Mariah Carey

Answers:

1. B) Dr. Dre formed Death Row Records in 1992 with Suge Knight after feeling cheated by his former label, Ruthless Records, and manager, Jerry Heller.  Dre’s new label helped establish rap music as legitimate and pushed gangsta rap to the top of the charts in the early 1990s.
2. C) Jaywalking. After being stopped by police and asked for his ID, officers questioned his name.  Tupac was placed in a chokehold, slammed to the ground, stomped repeatedly, knocked unconscious, and arrested for “resisting arrest.” Tupac’s mother says this beating from the police changed him forever.
3. D) Attending the Soul Train Music awards. Biggie came to promote peace between east and west coast rappers following the death of Tupac Shakur. However when on stage, he got booed by the California crowd and walked off embarrassed.  Biggie was killed hours later
4. C) As Nasty As They Wanna Be by 2 Live Crew.  The album, which included the song “Me So Horny” was deemed obscene by a Broward county judge and banned from being sold.  A record store owner was arrested for violating the ban and members of 2 Live Crew were arrested for performing the album live.  The obscenity ruling was eventually overturned.
5. C) Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice.  It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 3, 1990, and held on to the position for just one week.  While Vanilla Ice is not remembered today as  rap icon he helped take hip hop mainstream with the infectious hit. 
6. B) Jada Pinkett Smith.  Tupac and Jada became close friends while attending the Baltimore School for the Arts in the 1980s.  Tupac expressed love for Jada in poems he wrote about his classmate but Jada insists that while they had a deep bond, their relationship was not romantic.

Don’t miss out! Get onboard the inaugural sailing of The Freshest 90s Party! We sail to Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico along with our fly lineup, epic parties, dancing, karaoke, throwback theme nights, dope activities, and off-the-chain trivia and events to keep us busy! Book now!