It's Schoolboy Q day! As we noted in our profile of his producer Gwen Bunn, the rapper's Oxymoron debuted at number one last week.

Along with being Kendrick Lamar's crewmate in their Black Hippy crew, Q is perhaps best known as a gangsta rap revivalist. He's said he thinks gangsta rap has fallen off the map, and he's looking to fill the gap. 

Sounds great! We at the Weekly are strongly pro-gangsta. Here are five genre trends from the '90s we hope Q brings back with him.
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News Stories About the Genre's Evils
Chances are, growing up, your parents say an ill-informed news special or twelve about how gangsta rap is killing our kids. The upside? These reports often brought our favorite rappers on TV as well as great samples. 


law logo2x bReal Confusing Album Art
We love the gritty, disturbing storytelling on gangsta rap records.

But their album art, particularly in the '90s, is often disturbing in a whole different way. 

What exactly is Ganksta Nip trying to say with the cover of Psychic Thoughts (Are What I Conceive?) 

Also, one wonders who drew their gun first on the cover of Scarface's debut?

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Comfortable Clothing
From black-plaid flannel to Raiders Starter jackets to hockey jerseys, thuggin' and buggin' in the' 90s got real comfortable (but still managed to look tough),

Not saying we hope Jorts return (though we do have black Karl Kani's have in out closet). It's just time that rap fashion got cyclical.


Real Competition On Wax
Nobody wants violence spilling into the streets, but there's much to be said for serious battles on record. In a world where Tim Dog faked his own death, there's no excuse why rappers should wear kid gloves when addressing each other.


Real Gangsta Reinventions
Who would have guessed that N.O.R.E. would have made one of the best songs of 2013?

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