I feel that rappers didn't have as many visible, known girlfriends/wives back in the 90's. Even with most of the major rappers such as Snoop or Jay....you never saw them get with other famous celebs (Jay got with Bey in 02-03), and there were no "video vixens" or reality star types available at that time.. It was also still a stigma against rappers, so a polished R&B "diva" wasn't always gonna get with a rapper.

I feel that in this era, it goes along with the marketing package...so most mainstream rappers almost have to get with a girl who's known, even if known for being in sex tapes or reality shows, versus just the girl from around the way.