After years of taking a backseat to the East, the West Coast emerged as a dominant force in hip-hop in the early '90s. Seminal G-funk releases from Dr. Dre (The Chronic) and Snoop Dogg (Doggystyle) were instrumental in making gangsta rap hip-hop's most commercially viable subgenre. Meanwhile, a new breed of New York MCs—documenting street life from an East Coast perspective—was on the verge of a major breakthrough. Wu-Tang Clan (Enter the Wu-Tang), Black Moon (Enta Da Stage), Nas (Illmatic), The Notorious B.I.G. (Ready to Die), and Mobb Deep (The Infamous) are just a few of the NY MCs who released seminal hardcore hip-hop albums from 93 to 9.