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I'm in the same boat as you, graduated HS in 87, was into the metal scene at the time, and most white kids weren't into rap or hip hop. Beastie boys were starting to get popular among whites around that time, but like the OP said, about mid 90's is when hip hop became more "mainstream"
Hip Hop is popular with young Tibetans around the world. Even young reincarnate lamas are getting involved in hip hop and rap. Here's a video of Gomo tulku, identified at a tender age as the reincarnation of an important lama. But after being taken from his Tibetan family in Canada to India for education in a monastery, he gave back his monastic robes after a visit back home in his teens, discovered rap, and went on to become a rapper and a popular recording artist. ("tulku" means reincarnation of a venerable teacher)
Here's a breakdance birthday party for Kalu Rinpoche (above), in a Tibetan community. ("Rinpoche" means "precious", an honorific title for Tibetan Buddhist masters.) Notice the monks in red robes seated around the room.
For people over 30-35ish isn't wasn't the universal soundtrack. It was basically only Latinos and Black people that listened to it. (Or east coasters that lived in the same neighborhoods)
It wasn't till the mid 90s or so when hip hop became popular with the "mainstream". (Read this as white people.).
I am 35 and I'd say most white people I knew didn't feel like it was ok to listen to hip hop exclusively. Or admit it anyway. They may have had a few albums but if you asked them their fave music they'd say rock or other acceptable white music. (In middle America). It took a little longer for hip hop to be mainstream for all groups.
That's not entirely true. I was a kid in Edmonton, Alberta(a Canadian city with basically no black people outside of Jamaicans who mostly moved from Toronto) in the late 80s and rap was already becoming the most popular music among the older kids of a mostly white and Asian populated grade school at that point.... When I returned to California by 91-92 the music at our middle school dances was almost entirely rap or hip-hop influenced r'n'b(New Jack swing) and those styles was all that anyone talked about. By the late 90s a lot of kids I grew up with in California had been listening to rap for years, but were already sort of bored with late 90s rap outside of the better stuff like the Wu-Tang Clan...
I can't even remember the lyrics of much other popular music from about 1989-1992 that isn't rap music...but it dominates the nostalgia of friends of my generation by and large...
My white, short, Jewish ex moonlighted as a hip-hop DJ and also has done some producing. I always get a kick out of people being surprised that I like hip-hop since I don't fit the stereotype one iota. Of course, I tend to listen to less mainstream (or at least radio mainstream) music... though lately I've really liked Macklemore.
Interestingly enough, most of my favorite hip-hop artists are white. Not that I knew that when I started listening to them, of course!
That's not entirely true. I was a kid in Edmonton, Alberta(a Canadian city with basically no black people outside of Jamaicans who mostly moved from Toronto) in the late 80s and rap was already becoming the most popular music among the older kids of a mostly white and Asian populated grade school at that point.... When I returned to California by 91-92 the music at our middle school dances was almost entirely rap or hip-hop influenced r'n'b(New Jack swing) and those styles was all that anyone talked about. By the late 90s a lot of kids I grew up with in California had been listening to rap for years, but were already sort of bored with late 90s rap outside of the better stuff like the Wu-Tang Clan...
I can't even remember the lyrics of much other popular music from about 1989-1992 that isn't rap music...but it dominates the nostalgia of friends of my generation by and large...
Oh but CA is ahead of the curve.
At my SC high school? People admitted to listening to grunge, alternative or country.
Don't get me wrong, everyone knew the new jack songs. But they didn't call it their fave music. The white people who did were called the w-word.
I am on my phone, please forgive the typos.
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