GANGSTAS vs gang members or gangsters are a clique of people associated with Gangsta Rap.  Former gang members, those affected by gang violence, and gang members themselves sing about their hard-knocked lives.  Gangsta Rap was started on the East Coast of the US in the mid 1980s, but Ice-T's album "O.G. Original Gangsta" (1991) has been credited as really the starting point of the genre's launch (happening in L.A.).  N.W.A. became the most significant factor in popularizing the music.
NAMES TO KNOW: DJ Scott LaRock, KRS-One, Arabian Prince, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, Rick Ross, Freddy Gibbs, Foxy Brown, MC Ren, and Schoolly D.
Gangsta Rap: hardcore Hip Hop, a form of rap music with aggressive lyrics and referring to gang life and gang violence.
FYI: Ice-T's original group was a heavy metal band fronted by Ice-T's rhymes (Body Count).

Disclaimer: We, as humans, like to define things. On these pages, definitions may vary from region to region, but Hella Cliques, through intense research, has tried to bring you the rawest history of each clique.  DON'T BE A POSER!