A. Advances in production technology propelled a new set of hip-hop artists into more mainstream success.
As production technology advanced, the sound of hip-hop evolved. Breaks from funk and rock records were replaced by drum machines and synthesizers as hip-hop spread to dance clubs in downtown Manhattan. These advances opened the door for a new crop of artists in the mid-’80s: the new school. Artists like Run DMC, LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy became rap celebrities. Producers like the Bomb Squad and Rick Rubin embraced sampling like never before. New school hip-hop was brash and infectious, and the artists making the music had broad appeal. The once-fledgling genre was beginning to gain a footing in mainstream American culture.
What is the central idea of this passage?
A
Advances in production technology propelled a new set of hip-hop artists into more mainstream success.
B
The idea of a celebrity rapper was considered impossible until the mid-1980s.
C
Producers like Rick Rubin and the Bomb Squad were the true masterminds behind new school hip-hop.
D
Tension between new school and old school hip-hop artists led to multiple feuds throughout the ’80s.
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