Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop that emerged from hardcore hip hop depicting urban crime and violence in inner cities. It was pioneered in the mid-1980s by artists like Schoolly D and Ice-T, and gained popularity in the late 1980s through groups such as N.W.A. After attracting national attention, gangsta rap became commercially successful. Some gangsta rappers have claimed or been alleged to have ties to real gangs like the Bloods and Crips.