Rap Country III: The South

Fellow travelers, it is finally time to leave the lands of samples and snow. Our last two regions are known to keep it warm, and it will get hot and sticky in part three. Pass me a Swisher and donk the ‘lac – Welcome to the Dirty South.

Atlanta

Contribution: Atlanta is generally considered the capitol of the Southern scene. As such, many labels and artists call the area home. Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def, T.I’s Grand Hustle Records, BME and Akon imprint Konvict Muzik are all music labels based in the city. Atlanta has contributed two defining sounds to the southern scene. The first, the wordy, NYC influence flows of Outkast; the second, the simplistic fun of snap and crunk music.

Style: As with most forms of southern hip hop, Atlanta music tends to be low on samples. Rappers here run the gamut from super sophisticated Outkast to the simplistic yet powerful Young Jeezy. Notable Atlanta MCs include T.I., Ludacris and Gucci Mane. These rappers tend to avoid the stereotypical snap or krunk-sound associated with the A-Town and instead they are known for interesting lyrical delivery. Outkast in particular stand in high regard for their word play, as does T.I. Some Atlanta rappers are often criticized for simplistic rhymes. But rappers like Jeezy, Gucci and Yung Joc still gain fans by having unique flows and strong beat production.

Crunk music is club music, and infamous producer Lil Jon has done perhaps more than anyone to bring this sound to ears across the country. Snap is a similar style, more laid back and lazy than its cousin. Both are based mainly off 808 beats, with sparse backing tracks and infectious beats. Snap and crunk practitioners include Dem Franchize Boyz, the Ying-Yang Twins and DJ Unk.

Listen to This: The ATL catalogue is deep, and one could spend days listing popular songs by Atlanta artists. Outkast did a lot for winning the city respect, and special attention should be paid to anything released by Big Boi and Andre 3000. An excellent place to start is with the duo’s ground breaking double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. ATLiens, Aquemini, and Stankonia are all highly regarded albums as well. Popular T.I. tracks include “Rubber Band Man,” “Bring ‘em Out” and “What You Know.” The albums Trap Muzik and King are both standouts. Southern anthem “Southern Hospitality” is classic Ludacris, and my favorite cut by Christopher Bridges. Other Luda hits include “Roll Out,” “Welcome to Atlanta,” “Pimpin’ All Over the World” and “One More Drink.” For a taste of some slow motion gangsta, “Put On” and “White Girl” both bang for Young Jeezy, and the catchy “Lemonade” is a good Gucci introduction.

New Orleans

Contribution: The deadly streets of the Big Easy have contributed some of rap music’s biggest names, including current attention getter Lil Wayne. Placing gangster imagery on top off Southern fried beats, NO quickly became a hot bed. Popular artists here include the aforementioned Weezy, Master P, Mystikal, Juvenile, Birdman, Mannie Fresh and the Big Tymers.

Style: Reflective of the city’s crime and grime filled nature, N’awlins rappers tend to stick to gangsta rap subjects. Flows can range from the slow and simplistic to stream of consciousness.

Listen to This: “Make ‘Em Say Uhh” is a Master P classic, often quoted in other rap lyrics. “Rodeo” by Juvenile is a personal favorite, and any Mystikal track will introduce you to his unique voice. All three of Tha Carter albums by Lil Wayne are considered classics, as well as his mixtape series’ Da Drought and Dedication. Popular collab I Can’ Feel My Face, with Harlem based Juelz Santanna, brings out the best of both rapper’s controversial styles. Birdman is joined by Clipse on “What Happened to That Boy,” a track whose catchy chorus and beat hides some sinister wordplay. Big Tymers classics include the fake-it-till-you-make-it anthem “Still Fly” and “Down South,” perhaps the entire scene’s theme song

Miami

Contribution: Miami is the stateside home to reggaetone and other Latin flavored rhythms. Miami bass is also (obviously) from The MIA. The city’s war zones, far from the glittering beach, are breeding ground for hard rap. Miami bass is typified by start-stop beats with ridiculously heavy bass tracks. 69 Boyz, Tag Team and Freak Nasty are all moderately well known Miami bass artists. 2 Live Crew was one of the first hip hop groups to push the border on explicit lyrics, particularly sexual themes. This sexually explicit tradition is carried on today in the lyrics of Fort Myers based rapper Plies. Rap legends Trick Daddy and Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew are from Miami. Newer acts include Rick Ross, Pitbull and DJ Khaled. Miami based tracks are often splashy, with large synths and sweeping, sing along choruses. Although based out of Orlando, The Runners are the architects of many popular Khlaed singles. Although from Tallahassee and Pomona Beach, respectively, T-Pain and Ace Hood are also indicative of Miami’s scene.

Style: Besides the Latin influenced songs, Miami rappers tend to be gritty and explicit. The city’s streets have a nasty reputation that its MC’s tend to share.

Listen to This: 2 Live Crew’s infamous albums 2 Live Crew is What We Are, Move Somethin’ and the oft-villified and always loved As Nasty As They Wanna Be come highly recommended for listener’s who do not blush easily. Love him or hate him, DJ Khaled radio anthems like “Holla at Me,” “We Takin’ Over” and “I’m So Hood” are fun slices of Dade county life. Trick Daddy’s www.thug.com and Thugs are Us are also solid choices.