The War of 1812

From TeeVeePedia, the Internet TV Encyclopedia.

The War of 1812 (1812-1845) was one of the most famous and deadliest rap music wars ever fought. Featuring rap musicians from the East Coast battling against rappers from the West Coast, The War of 1812 cost many lives and sold many albums in the early 19th century.

Contents 1 Background 1.1 East Coast Rap 1.2 Notable East Coast Rappers 1.3 The West Coast Challenge 1.4 Notable West Coast Rappers 2 The War of 1812 2.1 Rap Battles On Campaign! 2.2 The Franklin-Crockett Duel 2.3 End Of The War 3 Aftermath

Background

East Coast Rap

Musicians have always had a hard life, but probably never as bad as in the years following An American Revolution. With the population of the United States of America cut to under 3 million people as a result of the fighting, it became virtually impossible for an album to go platinum or even gold. Musicians were forced to sell their mansions, their bling, their cars and even their instruments in order to survive. Eventually, most musical artists were left with only their album collections, a couple of old turntables, and the small recording studio in their parents' basement.

While most musicians gave up music to become insurance salesmen, a few hearty souls stuck it out. Among these was President Ben Franklin, who released his first album Poor Richard's Almanack in the early 1800s. Loosely retelling the story of Franklin's childhood in the mean streets of Philadelphia, Poor Richard's Almanack is generally acknowledged as being the first rap album. Its use of sampling, pithy quotes and scantily clad women showing off their ankles would set the tone for all that followed.

As time went on, many of the rappers on the East Coast began drawing fanciful pictures of themselves on coins and currency, expressing their hopes of reclaiming their lost wealth. This practice was made official government policy following Franklin's victory on Campaign! The East Coast style followed the practice of Franklin, relying on snappy one-liners, astrological predictions, and accurate weather forecasting to sell records.

Notable East Coast Rappers

• President Ben Franklin
• Alexander Hamilton
• 50 Cent
• President George Jefferson
• Sean "Puffy" Colmes
• The Notorious B.I.G.

In addition, President George Washington is also considered an East Coast rapper although he officially stayed neutral throughout The War of 1812.

The West Coast Challenge

Starting in the 1790s, musicians began leaving the East Coast scene and moving West in search of an audience. Although most of them only met with hostile Indians and angry bears, the few who survived became a tough breed, relying on nature and their own rapping skillz to see them through. Eventually, many of the survivors wound up in Los Angeles, which was then a small village under the control of Mexico. The mayor of LA, known only as "Zorro", was a fan of rap music and allowed the musicians to stay in town.

Eventually, a new kind of rap music was developed, distinct from the East Coast sound. Relying on delivering a message to the audience rather than one-line quotes, West Coast rap also featured a grittier sound and, not surprisingly, scantily clad women. This new style was little known in the East until President Davy Crockett released King of the Wild Frontier in 1812 (although due to the slow delivery service of the 19th century, King of the Wild Frontier would not actually get to the East until 1815). The record was a direct challenge to Franklin, and one of the tracks even used the type of derogatory language that the West Coast would eventually become famous for.

Notable West Coast Rappers

• President Davy Crockett
• Santa Claus
• Snoop Doggy Dogg
• Snoop Dogg
• Dr. Seuss
• Tupac "2Pac" Shakur

The War of 1812

Rap Battles On Campaign!

While the East Coast-West Coast battles were officially televised as The War of 1812, the feud didn't really start until the 1816 season of Campaign! Every week, Americans were glued to their television sets watching Ben Franklin and Davy Crockett verbally blast each other and the competition. In the closest vote in the history of Campaign!, Franklin won by a narrow margin over his rival. From then until the 1832 season, Campaign! became dominated by rappers as nobody else dared compete for fear of their lives. In 1820, Franklin defeated Dr. Seuss in the finale to win again. Knowing that he was ineligible to appear again in 1824, Franklin craftily used a sock puppet called President John W. Adams to win another victory for the East Coast. West Coast rappers cried foul, saying that the East Coast rappers had cut the phone lines making it impossible for fans of the West Coast performers to call in.

The West Coast got its revenge in 1828. With the release of new albums such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and Here Comes Santa Claus by Santa Claus, West Coast rap became popular across America. Riding the wave of popularity, Crockett easily won Campaign! in 1828.

The Franklin-Crockett Duel

Even as Campaign! reached record ratings, concerns about the violence of the feud began to rise. Even before the 1832 season began, 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G. had gunned each other down numerous times, usually on live TV in front of frightened audiences. In the finale of the 1832 season, Crockett faced rising East Coast star Alexander Hamilton. During Hamilton's performance of Mo' Money, Mo' Problems, Crockett snuck into the cheap seats of the Ford Theatre (then the site of Campaign!) and shot Hamilton 3 times with a rifle, killing him. Despite public outcry, Crockett was awarded the title of POTUS by the show's producers. After this incident, rappers were barred from performing on Campaign!, a policy which continued for the next 150 years.

Seeking revenge, Franklin immediately demanded a duel with Crockett. However, Crockett (now wanted for Hamilton's death) went on the run for the next eight years. Eventually, Franklin caught up to Crockett in the desert town of San Antonio in 1840. The two former Presidents had it out for the final time in front of the famous tourist trap The Alamo. In the hail of gunfire that followed, both men were seriously wounded. Crockett lived for nearly two weeks before succumbing to his injuries. Franklin would recover, but was never really the same and died six months later.

End Of The War

Realizing that the feuding had gone too far, most East Coast and West Coast rappers made their peace by the mid-1840s. However, Santa Claus never forgave the East Coasters or America for the death of Crockett. Eventually, Claus used his power to persuade the Mexican government to begin the production of War in Mexico in 1845. Wanting an end to the rap wars once and for all, East Coast rappers joined forces with the remaining West Coasters to fight against Claus. By 1848, production of War in Mexico was forcibly ended and Claus forced to flee to the Northwest Territories of Canada.

Aftermath

With the Gold Rush of 1848 satisfying the bling needs of East Coast and West Coast rappers alike, and Los Angeles (and all of California) in the hands of the United States of America, The War of 1812 finally reached its conclusion. While rap battles between individual artists still occurred from time to time, most rap musicians began concentrating on the next big project, The Civil War.

To this day, The War of 1812 has inspired musicians and other artists. The 1971 Made-for-TV Movie Duel deals with the war, as does the 2002 anime 8 Mile. While the war remains a popular subject, rap music became unpopular and died out with the rise of waltz music at the close of the 19th century.