Southern hip-hop
Southern hip-hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip-hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip-hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Florida—often titled "The Big 5," five states which constitute the "Southern Network" in rap music.
The music was a reaction to the 1980s flow of hip-hop culture from New York City and the Los Angeles area and can be considered the third major American hip-hop scene, alongside East Coast hip-hop and West Coast hip-hop. Many early Southern rap artists released their music independently or on mixtapes after encountering difficulty securing record-label contracts in the 1990s. By the early 2000s, many Southern artists had attained success, and as the decade went on, both mainstream and underground varieties of Southern hip-hop became among the most popular and influential of the entire genre.
History
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the American hip-hop music market was primarily dominated by artists from the East Coast and West Coast. Los Angeles and New York City were the two main cities where hip-hop was receiving widespread attention. The West Coast was mainly represented by groups like N.W.A, Death Row Records, and the East Coast had people like The Notorious B.I.G., Nas and groups like the Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep and Bad Boy Records. In the mid 1980s, cities throughout the Southern United States began to catch on to the hip-hop music movement. The Geto Boys, a hip-hop group from Houston, were among the first hip-hop artists from the Southern United States to gain widespread popularity. Southern hip-hop's roots can be traced to the success of the group's Grip It! On That Other Level in 1989, the Rick Rubin-produced The Geto Boys in 1990, and We Can't Be Stopped in 1991.By the early-1990s, Miami became the birthplace of Southern hip-hop music. Local hip-hop groups such as 2 Live Crew and 69 Boyz played a huge part in helping the South become a center for hip-hop music. Murder Dog magazine and Ozone magazine presented information about gangsta rap.
A defining moment for Southern rap was at the 1995 Source Awards. The duo Outkast had just been awarded Best New Artist, and within the tension that was the East Coast–West Coast feud, member André 3000 came up on stage followed by boos and said, "But it's like this though, I'm tired of them closed minded folks, it's like we gotta demo tape but don't nobody want to hear it. But it's like this: the South got something to say, that's all I got to say." As stated by rapper T.I., "Outkast, period. Outkast. That's when it changed. That was the first time when people began to take Southern rap seriously." Former co-owner of the magazine The Source Benzino took credit for the incident in an interview from April 2023, saying "they gave Outkast 4.5 mics... and it got back to Outkast... I didn't understand the music and I was wrong." Both scenes borrowed heavily from a production style first introduced by way of the obscure late-1980s New York rap group The Showboys, heavily sampling the beats from their song "Drag Rap ". By the early 2000s, these scenes found mainstream success through Disturbing tha Peace in Atlanta, Cash Money Records and No Limit Records out of New Orleans, and Hypnotize Minds out of Memphis, revolutionizing financial structures and strategies for independent Southern rap labels. According to HipHopDX, "Not only is the South on the radar, but now the region that was an underdog is the barometer for rap music and hip-hop culture."
By the early to mid-2000s, artists from the South had begun to develop mainstream popularity with artists like Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, and Lil Keke from Houston; T.I., Ludacris, Lil Jon, Gucci Mane and Jeezy from Atlanta; Trick Daddy and Rick Ross from Miami; Master P, B.G., Lil Wayne and Juvenile from New Orleans, and Three 6 Mafia and Yo Gotti from Memphis all becoming major label stars during this time.
Southern hip-hop peaked in popularity from 2002 through 2004. In 2002, Southern hip-hop artists accounted for 50 to 60 percent of the singles on hip-hop music charts. On the week of December 13, 2003, Southern urban artists, labels and producers accounted for six of the top 10 slots on the Billboard Hot 100: Outkast, Ludacris, Kelis, Beyoncé and Chingy. Additionally, from October 2003 through December 2004, the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart was held by a Southern urban artist for 58 out of 62 weeks. This was capped by the week of December 11, 2004 when seven out of the top ten songs on the chart were held by or featured Southern urban artists. In 2004, Vibe magazine reported that Southern artists accounted for 43.6% of the airplay on urban radio stations.
The Dirty Decade
"The Dirty Decade", spanning from 1997 to 2007, marked a period of evolution of southern hip-hop. This era witnessed the genre's maturation and widespread recognition, with artists from the Southern United States achieving commercial success. The term "Dirty Decade" is often used to describe the gritty and distinct sound that emerged during this period. Southern hip-hop has its roots in the 1980s, with artists like OutKast and the Geto Boys laying the foundation for the genre. It was during the Dirty Decade that Southern hip-hop gained prominence on a national scale. The genre's influences are diverse, drawing from regional cultural elements and blending them with traditional hip-hop elements. Artists who rose to prominence during this era, such as OutKast, Ludacris, and Lil Wayne, continued to shape the contemporary hip-hop landscape. The regional diversity showcased during the Dirty Decade laid the groundwork for the ongoing growth and expansion of Southern hip-hop.The Dirty Decade in Southern hip-hop was characterized by specific musical elements that set it apart from other regional styles. Heavy basslines, distinctive use of slang, and a fusion of regional influences into the production were notable features. Producers such as Mannie Fresh, Lil Jon, and Organized Noize played key roles in shaping the sound of this era. Artists from the region consistently dominated the charts, with many albums reaching platinum and gold status. Crunk music, in particular, gained widespread popularity, with hits like "Get Low" by Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz and "Salt Shaker" by the Ying Yang Twins becoming notable contributions to the genre.
Louisiana
In the late 1990s, "bounce" music was born in New Orleans. Master P established No Limit Records. In 1992, Cash Money Records was founded, releasing bounce and gangsta rap music.It has fast beats, catchy call-and-response lyrics, and background adlibs, all meant to make people dance and express themselves. Since the late 1980s, bounce music has been really popular in New Orleans. One of the most famous bounce artists is Big Freedia. She has worked with Beyoncé, walked the MET Gala Runway with Ciara, and had her own TV show on Fuse.
Bounce music can be heard in many clubs across the city, especially at The Hangover Bar. On Second Line Sundays, brass bands play lively beats for people to dance along the parade route. Interactive twerk classes like Twerk NOLA and Shake Ya Brass at Crescent Park also feature bounce music.
More popular bounce artists are DJ Jubilee, Juvenile, Magnolia Shorty.
Florida
Miami Bass music is known for its explicit lyrics about sex, fast dance beats, and a strong bass with a constant kick drum. The genre is all about parties, drugs, sex, and champagne.The single "Throw The D" by the group 2 Live Crew in January 1986 was the first Miami bass song. Fresh Kid Ice said that the song came about when he noticed a new popular dance in Miami, when Herman Kelly and Life's song "Dance to the drummer's beat" played. 2 Live Crew released their album As Nasty As They Wanna Be in 1989.
2 Live Crew got into trouble for explicit lyrics in their 1989 album "As Nasty as They Wanna Be." A judge said it was too obscene to sell, but 2 Live Crew won the legal fight. This allowed them and others to keep using slang and explicit content, but they had to put a warning on album covers.
Luke Campbell and David Hobbs from 2 Live Crew were important in making Miami Bass popular through these controversial albums.
Tennessee
, DJ Paul, Juicy J, Lord Infamous, Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo, La Chat, Project Pat, Indo G, Playa Fly, Eightball and MJG, Yo Gotti, Moneybagg Yo, NLE Choppa, Pooh Shiesty, Blac Youngsta and Young Dolph all came from Memphis, Tennessee.Tennessee hip-hop blends the style of southern rap, and funk. The Tennessee rap scene popularized musical subgenres within the community, such as Memphis Rap, and Memphis horror-core. Arrested Development's debut album 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of... had the song Tennessee in 1992, which is thought to have been the first rap song to release from the state.
Alabama
The gangsta rap group Dirty is from Montgomery, Alabama. Codie G was the manager to G-side and became a mentor to many Alabamian people in the rap community. His involvement spear-headed the genre into popularity within the state of Alabama. In 1999, The group Dirty Boyz debuted with the album Country Versatile thus solidifying hip-hop's place in the state.Georgia
In 2009, the New York Times called Atlanta "hip-hop's center of gravity", and the city is home to many famous hip-hop, R&B and neo soul musicians.In the 1980s and early 1990s, Atlanta's hip-hop scene was characterized by a local variant of Miami bass, with stars like Kilo Ali and DJ Smurf.
Notable artists from Georgia include Lil Baby, Young Thug, Playboi Carti, Gunna, Future, Latto and Migos.
By the mid-1990s, the rise of OutKast, Goodie Mob and the production collective Organized Noize, let to the development of the Dirty South style of hip-hop and of Atlanta gaining a reputation for "soul-minded hip-hop eccentrics", contrasting with other regional styles. On August 3, 1995, Outkast received the award for Best New Artist in New York City at the Source Awards. At the time, the primary hip-hop heard nationally was from artists on the East and West Coasts, due at least partly to high- profile disputes between rappers from each coast. It was groups such as Outkast who were determined to let the world know that the South had something to say.
In 2009, it was noted that after 2000/2001, Atlanta moved "from the margins to becoming hip-hop's center of gravity, part of a larger shift in hip-hop innovation to the South", primarily due to the massive popularity of Waka Flocka Flame's 2009 debut mixtape. Producer Drumma Boy called Atlanta "the melting pot of the South". Producer Fatboi called the Roland TR-808 synthesizer "central" to the music of Atlanta's versatility, used for snap, crunk, trap, and pop rap styles. The same article named Drumma Boy, Fatboi, Shawty Redd, Lex Luger and Zaytoven the five "hottest producers driving the city".