<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Casualties </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Death (s) </Th> <Td> Tupac Shakur (West Coast) The Notorious B.I.G. (East Coast) </Td> </Tr> <P> The East Coast--West Coast hip hop rivalry was a feud between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States, especially from the mid to late 1990s . Focal points of the feud were West Coast - based rapper Tupac Shakur (and his Los Angeles - based label, Death Row Records), and East Coast - based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (and his New York - based label, Bad Boy Records), who were both fatally shot following drive - by shootings by unknown assailants in 1996 and 1997, respectively . </P> <P> Hip hop emerged in the 1970s on the streets of South Bronx . Powered by DJs such as Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa, the new genre became popular throughout the city's neighborhoods . The New York City area remained the forefront for rap music throughout the mid -' 80s, becoming home to numerous stars like Run - DMC, A Tribe Called Quest, LL Cool J, KRS - One, Doug E. Fresh, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Slick Rick, The Beastie Boys, Salt - n - Pepa, and others . In the early 1990s hip hop functioned to give the black community a voice in the public sphere . Hip hop gained appeal among African - Americans because of the "authentic" nature of the lyrical content to which they could relate . Over time, hip hop and gangsta rap became tools for competing record labels and their sometimes - associated gangs, as a way to build up reputations and increase commercial sales . </P>

Who won the east coast west coast rap war