But the break seemed to be based on two pillars of tradition in hip-hop. That hip-hop was party music, but it was done to uplift the spirits, minds, and consciousness of the people.

Granted that battle had existed ever since hip-hop began, but by the early 90's, there was real money invested in hip-hop and people with a great deal of influence over their fans. So, the keep it real folks like KRS and Rakim and to a degree Nas wanted to keep making money, while making a stand for consciousness, while the jiggy folks, like you said, didn't want to make music which regurgitated the real desperation around them.

Granted more people like to party than take in music for its intellectual merits, so the battle was an uphill one from the start for the keep it real MC's.

And it didn't help that for a lot of the 'keep it real' acts, their music simply wasn't as fun or engaging as the jiggy folks.

For every Nas, Mobb Deep or acts like The Roots, there were a bunch of cookie-cutter cats with Timbos and hoodies, who were in effect posing because their A&R thought their image would sell more records.

The best acts were able to offer something to both sides, but in the end everyone lost whether you look at the uselessness of the battle or the fact that 2pac and Biggie's death was a result of the tension to a great degree.