By K.B. Tindal
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Mafioso rap became a big deal in hip hop during the mid-1990s. These rhymes were heightened when “The Sopranos” debuted in 1999 on HBO. Many of the current Mafioso rappers are inspired by the central character, Tony Soprano, who reigned supreme in the fictional New Jersey Mafia for eight years.
When it comes to being a “boss,” few were as ruthless as Tony Soprano. Truth be told, there are a lot of people in the actual business of entertainment who mold some of their practices after Tony Soprano. His impact on American culture was major, life imitating art, blatantly.
But, in real life, most were shocked to discover James Gandolfini died from a massive heart attack while he was in Italy. Ever since “The Sopranos” ended, there have been rumblings of a movie or some form of sequel. Fans hoped to have the chance to see one more scene from Tony Montana.
Hip Hop Vibe decided to chronicle the best of Tony Soprano to remember the good times. Of course, since Tony Soprano was an anti-hero, most of his good times were bad. But, “The Sopranos” inspired some of the best in hip hop music, the theme song spawned the hit 2001 single from Nas, “Got Urself A Gun.” This is just one of the many things “The Sopranos” inspired in the hip hop culture, so we compiled a little list.
Watch “Got Urself A Gun” by Nas below:
Nas Got Yourself A Gun by kilya
Clearly, Nas was inspired by “The Sopranos” on the theme song, but the music video is obviously inspired by the deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.
Watch “The Sopranos” Intro below:
Everybody who watched “The Sopranos” was familiar with seeing this every week, as they knew this was the start of the episode and Tony would be handling some form of business.
Tony “whacks” Christopher
This is probably the saddest scene in the history of “The Sopranos.” Those who followed the series knew Christopher was like a son to Tony. But, circumstances had the two at odds with each other. With tensions rather high between the two, a car accident caused by a high Christopher left Tony with a chance to “put an end” to Christopher. For most longtime fans, this is hard to look at.
Uncle Junior shoots Tony
An early premise of “The Sopranos” was Tony visiting a psychiatrist, where he unloaded the sins of his life. Word got out to his uncle, Junior. Not taking kindly to stories about the “family business” being told, Uncle Junior took matters into his own hands and decided to “handle” the situation in season one.
Tony’s near death experience
What comes with the territory of “the business” is the constant prospect of death. The “business” is dangerous and there were times when Tony came close to death. While in a coma and Paulie talking to him, Tony had a near death experience.
Tony’s final scene with Uncle Junior
Through it all, family was the most important thing to the Soprano family. Obviously, Tony and his Uncle Junior had their fair share of ups and downs, but in the end, they loved each other. This is clear when the two shared their final scenes together.
There is much more of “The Sopranos” that can be showcased and found on YouTube. But, this is just a little sampler of the character of Tony Soprano. So, for those who do not know why such a fuss was made over the death of James Gandolfini, this is a part of the reason why.
