When it comes to modern hip hop, there are many different genres that go into creating that undeniable sound that so many of us love. From rap to R&B, there’s even some rock influences thrown in for good measure, and they all combine to create a very distinct sound that stands out from the hip-hop sounds that came before it.

So today we have two styles of old school and new school hip-hop, each with its own distinct sound and each strikingly different from the other.

So what is the difference between New School and Old School? In this article, we are going to take a look at these two:

What is the difference between old school and new school?

What is the difference between old school and new school?
Tupac or Six Nine, that’s the question!

The main difference between old school hip hop and new school hip hop is the beats. Old hip hop usually has 2-3 beats that overlap and have simple and understandable words.

New hip hop has 6-8 beats per song, ad-libs and a wide variety of edited sounds including reverb and echo. The word is also much more complex as the lyrics are delivered almost twice as fast as old school hip hop.

What is the old school style?

Old school hip hop is characterized by diversity, quality, innovation and influence, some famous old school hip hop artists include Public Enemy, KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. & Rakim, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and the jungle brothers.

There is also a period in hip-hop history known as “middle school” hip-hop, which includes the likes of Gang Starr, The UMC’s, Main Source, Lord Finesse, EPMD, Just Ice, Stetsasonic, True Mathematics. And becomes Mantronix.

What is the New School style?

New school hip-hop was initially characterized by “drum machine-driven minimalism, often with rock elements”.

Listeners hear taunts and rants about rap, usually delivered in an aggressive and spontaneous style. This changed because listeners were no longer interested in street boy behavior.

New school hip-hop artists soon realized that what their audience wanted were shorter songs, more radio airplay, and more cohesive LPs. This helped establish new school hip hop as a part of the mainstream music industry.

The best old school rap songs

The best old school rap songs
The best old school rap songs

An external source (website nme.com) recommends the following essential Old School songs (in no particular order):

  • Nas, “The World Is Yours”
  • Warren G, “Regulate”
  • Wu-Tang Clan, “CREAM”
  • Ol’ Dirty Bastard, “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”
  • Salt-N-Pepa, “Let’s Talk About Sex”
  • Dr Dre, Nuthin’ “But A G’ Thang”
  • Jay Z, “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)”
  • Beastie Boys, “Sabotage”
  • Jurassic 5, “Concrete Schoolyard”
  • Snoop Dogg, “Gin & Juice”
  • Public Enemy, “911 Is A Joke”
  • Naughty By Nature, “Hip Hop Hooray”
  • Digable Planets, “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)”
  • House of Pain, “Jump Around”
  • Ice Cube, “It Was A Good Day”
  • 2Pac, “California Love”
  • A Tribe Called Quest, “Scenario”
  • Missy Elliott, “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)”
  • Digital Underground, “The Humpty Dance”
  • The Notorious BIG, “Hypnotize”

What is the difference between old school tattoo and new school tattoo?

What is the difference between old school tattoo and new school tattoo?
Tupac Shakur tattoos

In general, old school tattoos are more messy and less accurate, as well as more limited colors, but new school style tattoos are more sophisticated and use a variety of colors.

What kind of shoes are called old school shoes?

Vans black shoes with white stripes are known as old school shoes.

How old should a song be to be considered as an old school song?

This is not for our website, and outside sources say that any song that is at least 20 years old is considered old school, although according to many, old school rap after the death of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. It was not like before.

Of course, note that Eminem also recorded many tracks in the old school style, which we have discussed more in the article on Eminem’s biography.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does old school mean?

Old school literally means old school or veteran group, but in rap, it refers to gangster songs that were produced between 1879 and 1983.

Where can I read about American old school rap style?

The best and most complete article you can read about old school rap style is the reference website of old school fans, don’t hesitate to read our quality articles!