Southern Hip Hop

Southern hip hop refers to Hip Hop from artists based in the Southern region of the United States and is considered the third major American hip hop scene alongside East Coast Hip Hop and West Coast Hip Hop. While a variety of styles developed from the sub-regions of the area, a few characteristics considered more common within the scene compared to its counterparts include the emphasis on low-end within the production; the use of synths and drum machines (especially the TR-808) over samples; more prevalence of party-oriented music; slower rapping and simpler lyricism with heavy regional slang; and the distribution of music through mixtapes. One of the earliest distinctly Southern styles to emerge in the mid-1980s was the Electro-influenced Miami Bass from Miami, Florida, characterized by using the TR-808, heavy bass, fast dance-tempos and sexually explicit lyrics as exemplified by 2 Live Crew. This genre strongly influenced numerous Southern hip hop styles and Electronic Dance Music forms and led to a greater focus on low-end in Southern hip hop compared to most productions from other regions. Geto Boys from Houston, Texas also helped publicize the scene and paved the way for numerous Gangsta Rap and Horrorcore acts across the country with their dark subject matter and controversial lyrics. During the early 1990s, more distinct styles emerged from local underground scenes through mixtape distribution and establishment of independent labels, including the dance-oriented Bounce from New Orleans, Louisiana highlighted by Mannie Fresh's early production for Cash Money Records; the dark, gritty Memphis Rap from Memphis, Tennessee as popularized by Three 6 Mafia; the Chopped and Screwed slowing down and remixing technique pioneered by Houston, Texas producer DJ Screw; and most prominently Dirty South from New Orleans and Texas pioneered by UGK, Mannie Fresh and 8Ball & MJG characterized by bouncy rhythms, rattling hi-hats and snares. By the mid-1990s, Atlanta, Georgia had become a center in southern hip hop music with OutKast and production crew Organized Noize playing a major role mainstreaming the scene. During the 2000s, many Southern artists like Lil Jon, T.I., Jeezy, Ludacris and Lil Wayne attained international success with chart-topping crossover hits that frequently mixed Pop Rap, Southern hip hop and Contemporary R&B styles. Meanwhile, underground acts such as CunninLynguists and Little Brother provided an alternative to the mainstream with their Conscious Hip Hop lyrics and production that was not traditionally Southern. Many skews of Southern hip hop became some of the most popular hip hop styles, particularly with the radio dominance of styles such as Crunk, Snap and Trap, all of which were heavily influenced by earlier 1990s Southern styles and characterized by heavy 808 drum machines. Since the 2010s, trap particularly became a dominant form of American music and evolved into different regional styles nationally and globally