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The Dirty South pollutes the integrity of the hip-hop scene
By Brandon Martinez
bmart106@mscd.edu

The South is famous for many things: moonshine, accents and, let’s face it, blatant acts of racism. But aside from that, what does the South bring to the table? As far as Southern hip-hop goes, it’s hard to take seriously.

The South’s most recognizable artists, Lil’ John, Chingy, Paul Wall and T.I., are a festering infection within the hip-hop community. Their lyrics are stale and represent nothing except the bare minimum of getting paid and getting laid.

The music lacks substance and is mostly directed to the club crowd, with beats made of a whole lot of bass, drums and ambient noises.

Lil’ John, the South’s resident producer, regrettably has talent in beat-making, but his tracks usually have bland choruses that constantly ask you to do something, like “Snap your fingers,” or “Rock with it.” It’s ridiculous. But rapping is not his forte. I still can’t believe he made a career as an emcee with a three-word vocabulary: “okay,” “yeah,” and “what.” The mainstream listeners just lapped it up.

The southern hip-hop culture has gotten into everything. “Grills,” a mouthpiece covering the teeth and made from various flashy materials such as diamonds or gold, are really not even a new fad. Public Enemy’s Flava Flav has been wearing those since the early ’80s; they simply made them more expensive. The “pimp cup,” an absolutely terrible waste of money, is a gold cup encrusted with diamonds used to drink “crunk juice” which could be anything, but I still don’t know exactly what.

I hate to blame the region for more than a couple bad apples, but as long as they continue to flash upside-down peace signs to represent Atlanta, someone has got to be held responsible. The virus is consuming everyone in the music industry; artists either collaborate or take a hit in album sales.

Most of the people who listen to this poor excuse for hip-hop can’t even remember the time when an emcee’s skill was his hook. Not the money he made, not the women, not the car he’s driving or the gigantic house he lives in.

I’m here to tell you it wasn’t always this dirty in the South. Let me take you back to a time when Andre 3000 was still known as Dre and when Bushwick Bill still had both of his eyes.

The South was just a place on a map as far as hip-hop was concerned. Then the Geto Boys released their debut album We Can’t Be Stopped. The controversy over the release sparked the exposure needed to get the region noticed. The album also presented the track that gave the Geto Boys credibility, “Mind Playing Tricks On Me.” The paranoid, insomniac-based lyrics revealed the talent behind their gangster persona.

Outkast, a recognized force within the hip-hop world, is another leg that keeps the South standing proud. However, the music they’ve made is being overshadowed by what is now trendy.

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, Outkast’s first album, made a difference and gained the respect the South deserved in the era of the East Coast-West Coast battle. The album also won them the award for Best New Rap Group at The Source Awards.

Arrested Development, the bohemian rap group from Tennessee, kept to their own style and showed the social imperfections that plagued the South. They brought to attention the still prevalent racial intolerance of the Southern region. “Tennessee,” the group’s break- through single, preached togetherness and understanding.

Why is the Southern music of the past so much better than the updated Dirty South? It’s very simple: they have lost the true meaning of hip-hop, which is being able to explain one’s environment through lyrical content and the natural beat of the region.

Losing the aspect of each neighborhood being special, different and yours makes the music less relatable, more forced and less original. For all that it’s worth, lets bring the true Southern potential back.