The golden age of hip hop is a name given to a period in mainstream hip-hop, usually cited as being a period varying in time frames from around 1986 to 1997. This period of hip-hop music was notable for its diversity, quality, innovation and influence. There were various forms of subject matter, while the music was experimental and involved heavy use of sampling. Early releases in this period tended to be conscious-oriented, good-natured, or party-oriented; by the era's end, explicit gangsta rap and G-funk had become hip-hop's most commercially-viable style.
The artists most commonly associated with this phrase are Run-D.M.C. (Raising Hell onwards), Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. & Rakim, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul, Gang Starr, Ice-T, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Geto Boys, N.W.A, KRS-One, Kid 'n Play, The Fat Boys, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, MC Hammer, 2 Live Crew, Too Short, Masta Ace, House of Pain, Cypress Hill, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, EPMD, A Tribe Called Quest, Slick Rick, the Jungle Brothers, Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., The Pharcyde, the Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Mobb Deep, Warren G, Nate Dogg, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Coolio, Craig Mack, the Fugees, early Xzibit (At the Speed of Life era), and early Jay-Z (Reasonable Doubt era).