User:Noahc03/Southern hip hop

Birth
The phrase "Dirty South" was introduced via the 1995 Goodie Mob track "Dirty South" with the chorus repeating the lyrics "What you niggas know about the Dirty South?" The rough and complex lives of the more rural Southern rappers who routinely dealt with the racism and oppression of the areas they lived in compared to the urban and more polished lives of Northerners made the contrast between the two sides even more apparent, forcing the Southern artists to have to prove themselves more to gain respect in the industry. The emergence of the Dirty South as a force in the music industry led to a diverse explosion of different genres and styles not yet explored in hip-hop. The complexity and ruggedness of the South as well as the underestimation of its talents by its peers led to its advancement and growth as a whole.

1995 Source Awards
Although highlighted by the ongoing beef between the East and West Coast labels Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records, respectfully, the Southern rap duo OutKast made a name for themselves as artists after an energetic performance and the winning of the prestigious Best New Rap Group Award. Despite this seemingly exciting accomplishment, the duo was booed as they took the stage to accept their award, provoking Big Boi to emotionally stand up for the South in a heartfelt speech followed by remarks from Andre 3000. This event is considered by many to be the birthdate of the Dirty South and its dominance in the hip-hop industry as countless artists such as Big Boi, Andre 3000, Lil Wayne, Lil Jon, Ludacris, and more made their way into the mainstream, with Andre 3000's famous quote from the incident "The South got something to say" becoming a motto for the area that still runs strong to this day. 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 (out of 5)... and it got back to OutKast... I didn't understand the music and I was wrong."

The Dirty Decade
The Dirty Decade, spanning from 1997 to 2007, marks a period in the 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.

Southern Crunk
Southern crunk music, a prominent subgenre of hip-hop, originates in the late 1990s, it gained wide spread attention through artists like Memphis's Three-Six Mafia and Atlanta's Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boys, propelling the urban South into mainstream. The term "crunk" stems from a southern pronunciation of "cranked up" and is associated with dances like buck-jumping, gangsta walking, juking, and snap-dancing. This style of music has also garnered negative feedback due to its high amounts of obscenity in comparison to other hip-hop regions. Distinctive to Southern crunk is its incorporation of elements from African American culture, such as field hollers, call-and-response, blues rhythms, and bass lines. Crunk music reflects the regionalized experiences of black Southern youth due to its integration of postindustrial, post-civil rights urban experiences into traditional black and rural southern musical traditions.

Present Usage
Among the four coasts, Southern hip-hop is one of the more recent genres compared to the other three coasts, meaning that the slang used in southern hip-hop is more recent than the slang in other coasts. A lot of the iconic southern slang that was used in hip-hop and rap came from four specific sections of the south: Houston, Memphis, Atlanta, and New Orleans. Of the many slang used in southern hip-hop, the ones that are still being somewhat used today:

Lean, a term used widely in southern hip-hop, is a sprite-codeine-candy mixture that is used like alcohol. The drink originated from Houston in the 1960's, though back in the 60's the word "lean" wasn't used and the drink had multiple names for it like "sizzurp" or "purple drink". It wasn't until the 1980's-90's that the drink was referred to as lean. The song that popularized the slang term "lean" was called "Sippin' Codeine" by DJ Screw and Big Moe, released in 1996 and has the lyric "It makes a southside playa lean" referring to how the sprite-codeine-candy mixture makes you "lean". The slang is still being used today, some of the most notable examples being "Gucci Gang" by Lil Pump, "Look At Me!" by XXXtentacion, and "I" by Kendrick Lamar, all of these songs being relatively recent.

Trap House, another widely used slang term in southern hip-hop, is a house where various illegal drugs are made, bought, sold, or used. The primary drugs that are common in trap houses are heroin, meth, cocaine, and fentanyl. The reason why these drug houses are called trap houses is because the consumer of the drug feel "trapped" in the addiction of the drug, hence the name trap house. The slang term trap house originated in Atlanta from the 1980's when drug addiction was at a rise as an escape from the poor conditions of the neighborhoods and cities. "Trap House" itself is a music genre, though usually just referred to as "trap" in the present day, and the music genre has lyrics that show off the hard life and struggle of being a drug dealer, trying to sell drugs, and living in a poor inner city. One of the most recent example of Trap House being used in a song is by YoungBoy Never Broke Again in his song "Trap House" that released in 2018.

The term Flossin ' derives from the word floss, and means to show off expensive articles of clothing, or items. The term was birthed in Houston around 1990, originally meaning to have money, but the term developed over time into what we know it as today. It was popularized through Southern Rap, being used in songs such as Lil'Flip's Texas Boyz (Screwed) 2002, being used in the following lyrics, "What you know about acting bad, flossin’ prowlers? I got seven DVDs, I’m watchin’ Austin Powers".

The adjective Ratchet means to be crazy, or off the hook. Ever since the late 1990's, rappers from shreveport, Louisiana have used the term in their songs. It derives off the Louisianan dialect for Wretched, and is used in songs like, Rapper Lil Boosie's 2005 "Do Da Ratchet", Nicki Minaj's 2012 "Right By My Side", and Juicy J's "Bandz a Make Her Dance".

The fashion in the South was the blueprint of hip hop fashion from the 1970s to today's day.
There was an American duo named Kriss Kross. Their names are Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith and Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly. They are from Atlanta Georgia. Kriss Kross was the youngest hip-hop pair to ever gain such a following. At the ripe age of 12 and 13 years old Kriss Kross made a fashion choice that was not done before in the hip-hip industry. The duo wore their clothes backwards, while performing on stage. This became a trend in the 90s, this fashion choice helped the youthful duo rise to fame. Migos are a American hip hop trio, stage names are Takeoff, Offset, and Quavo. They are from Atlanta, Georgia. Migos take a lot of pride representing the south. The Migos were the “founders” of drip. They were rappers that used high in fashion. They popularized high in brands in the black community. The Migos have walked the MET Gala carpets. Migos hit mainstream hip-hop with their hit song Versace and their signature sound. Drake then cosigned the group with verse on the remix, that became on the Billboard charts. Not only did a song that introduced the Migos to the world, but the tune also popularized the Versace fashion brand in hip-hop in the Black community.

Travis Scott (Jacques Bermon Webster ll) is an American Rapper and record producer. Scott is from Houston, Texas. Travis worked with numerous brands, including Dover Street Market, McDonalds, PlayStation, Epic Games, and Byredo. He started his career working as an artist who made sneakers for Nike. He eventually became “a creative consultant” for they company. Christian Dior announced its partnership with Travis Scott as a musical artist fro its Spring/Summer ’22 line at Paris Fashion Week, Scott appeared on stage together to introduce there further plans.

Jermain Lamarr Cole is an American rapper and record producer, from North Carolina. J Cole opened his 4 Your Eyez Only tour by wading through a sea of fans in a full orange prison jumpsuit, printed on the back was “Property of”. They look would end up being a centerpiece of the tour that added a new layer of storytelling in Cole’s performance.

Alabama
As Hip-Hop formulated in the bronx, it's influence began to bleed to other parts of the world. For decades Hip Hop has existed in 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-Hops place in the state.

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.