The Atlanta Rap Scene

Hip hop is a grand art movement created by African Americans and Latino Americans that originated from Bronx, New York City in the 1970s. Hip hop culture is defined by various elements that extend beyond just rap music, and as these elements began to grow and form a new genre of expression, hip hop spread out to other communities across the nation.

In the 1980s, Georgia had a music scene that was gaining speed, but it was mostly underground and local artists. Hip hop was introduced to Atlanta in the late 1980's, but it didn't have an immediate resonance. It was labeled a variant of "Miami Bass" or "Booty music," a subgenre of music that consists of heavy bass, kick drums, fast-paced tempos, and sexual lyrics. Early Atlanta stars include DJ Smurf and MC Shy-D, the latter of which brought Bronx-style hip hop to Atlanta.

The Atlanta rap scene's come up in the 1990s accompanied hip hop's compounding popularity. By early to mid 1990's, "Gangsta Rap" had boomed into a platform for expressing the hardships of living in the ghettos. Its appeal spread beyond the African American groups that were making it, which resulted in staggering commercial success, and the small hip hop influence that was brought to Atlanta only grew from there. Dungeon Family, an Atlanta-based hip hop collective, included popular hip hop groups such as Outkast, Arrested Development, and Goodie Mob. In addition, the impact of Organized Noize, another famous Atlanta production collective, combined with Dungeon Family's to give rise to what is knows as "Dirty South" music, a term given to the newfound Southern hip hop scene. In the mid 1990s, the Atlanta-based label LaFace Records gave way to successful acts like Usher, Kriss Kross, and TLC, earning Atlanta the label of "The Motown of the South." The 1990s was a key decade in defining the southern hip hop style, launching a new region up with the two dominating coastal hip hop entities, and establishing Atlanta as a center for rap music.

Southern hip hop was deeply connected to previous genres of African American music. This connection made the music available to African American audiences in the South and created opportunities for locales to invent their own interpretation of the sounds. As the South gradually followed or changed the elements of hip hop culture that was presented to them, they established a number of local artists, audiences, distributors, and independent label owners that would eventually form into more recognized urban hubs of music. In the growing stages of Southern hip hop, the major music corporations still directed their focus on the rap powerhouses: California and New York. The sheer geographic size and ubiquitous African American population of Atlanta aided in it becoming a pivotal city in the rap scene.

“I’m tired of folks, you know what I’m saying. The close-minded folks. It’s like we got a demo tape and 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.” - André 3000, 1995 Source Awards

1995 Source awards -- After winning New Artist Group of the Year, Outkast was met with boos and discontent because the immense East Coast - West Coast rivalry made Atlanta and Southern hip hop a seemingly small and unwanted outsider. Once the roaring disgust of the crowd was too much to bear, André 3000 got on the microphone and made it clear that the Southern rap industry is on the rise. This historic instance sparked a defining moment for Atlanta hip hop and incorporated South rap as a serious contender in the previous East Coast vs. West Coast debate (Mainly LA and NY).

From the late 1990's to early 2000's, famous producer Lil Jon drove a Southern hip hop subgenre called "crunk," a dance/party-oriented type of hip hop music, and famous record labels such as LaFace Records and So So Def Recordings signed many prosperous rappers and R&B groups such as Toni Braxton, Ciara, and Dem Franchise Boyz, setting up Atlanta to be a popular city for record labels. The striking number of successful artists coming from Atlanta labels attracted new artists to the scene and greatly contributed to the unprecedented achievements of Southern rap, with 50-60% of singles on hip hop music charts made by Southern artists in 2002 ("Southern hip hop," 2018).

Atlanta-based rappers such as Gucci Mane, T.I., Soulja Boy, and Ludacris made their debuts in the mid 2000's as Atlanta's musical popularity intensified. Their phenomenal beginnings helped emerge a subgenre of hip hop called "trap" music, which heavily emphasized the drug dealing lifestyle.

In 2004, Outkast won 6 Grammys for their album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Soulja Boy's widely acclaimed "Crank That" swept the nation and pushed Atlanta farther into the hip hop spotlight

In 2009, Waka Flocka Flame generated tons of support and attention with his viral singles, "Hard in da Paint," "O Let's Do It," and "No Hands." This added another milestone to Atlanta's now massive music identity.

" 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 " - The New York Times, 2009

The New York Times even paid homage to the remarkable impact of Atlanta on the hip hop industry, showcasing evident hip hop success in an otherwise unexpected place. In the same article, The New York Times also acknowledges one of Atlanta hip hop's most underrated components: the producers. It states that Zaytoven, Drumma Boy, Shawty Redd, and Fatboi are among the "hottest producers driving the city." While the rappers themselves sincerely credit their producers for the work they put in, the public do not due to the producers not being in the media spotlight nearly as much as the rappers themselves.

As Hip Hop / Rap becomes the most popular music genre (Lynch, 2018), and as social media becomes a revolutionary communications platform, they allow for the new wave of Atlanta artists to top music charts and live in an even bigger media spotlight than the older Atlanta rappers. Another implication of hip hop becoming the most popular music genre is that the racial boundaries and stereotypes associated with rap music are diminished.

"Hip-hop is the singular most important melding of black and white cultures that has ever existed in the United States." - Mark Shimmel, Music Producer and Film Director

In an article by the U.S. Department of State, the genre of hip hop was proclaimed as a game-changer for racial boundaries in music. The article supports its claim by showing that a significant, growing portion of rap record buyers are white. This meshing of hip hop's fanbase serves to diversify popular rappers' youth supporters. Because the youth is more involved in hip hop today than in the past, hip hop can seamlessly become a mainstream music titan, and famous Atlanta rappers fill in most of that position.

Since artists like T.I. and Young Jeezy established Atlanta as the home of Trap music, the torch has been passed on to contemporary Atlanta phenoms such as the Migos, 2 Chainz, and Lil Keed.

• 21 Savage - I Am > I was
• Young Thug - So Much Fun
• Future - The Wizrd, DS2, EVOL, Future, and HNDRXX
• Migos - Culture and Culture II, "Bad and Boujee"

Atlanta is unsurprisingly home to a wealth of distinguished hip hop labels such as

• 1017 Brick Squad - Founded by Gucci Mane, has signed artists like Waka Flocka Flame and Lil Pump
• Quality Control - has signed artists like Migos, Lil Yachty, and Lil Baby
• Freebandz - Founded by Future

The new Atlanta rappers incorporate a much heavier trap style into their music. Lyrics about ruthless murders and copious drug use continue with much more prevalence, giving Atlanta the nickname "Traplanta." The music consists mainly of heavy kick drums, hi-hats, and synthesizers. Producer Fatboi even stated that the Roland TR-808 synthesizer (used for making the infamous "808s" sound) is a crucial instrument in Atlanta music's versatility. The New York Times went on to describe modern Atlanta's hip hop sound as "triumphant but moody, synth-heavy with sharp snares, all sprinkled with almost gothic overtones" (Caramanica, 2009). Differing from the old Atlanta rap scene, newer pop rap draws heavily from electronic productions and edits. In addition, the lyrics of new-school rap is commonly claimed to be less deep and meaningful than old-school rap. Notable Atlanta rappers like Migos, Young Thug, and Playboi Carti are also recognized for their considerable use of ad-libs, an element that wasn't so eminent in older times. On the other hand, a similarity between the old and the new is the importance of beats -- producers remain as significant components in contemporary hip hop, maybe even more so today.

The importance of producers in hip hop music cannot be overstated. While the famed artists are the ones who write the lyrics and perform the song, the musical aspects are attributed to the song's producer. Although some artists such as Kanye West and Pharrell produce their own music, often times, it is the producer responsible for the catchy beats and delightful hi-hats. Atlanta's most acclaimed producer is Metro Boomin, who has produced many accomplished projects and songs including "Ric Flair Drip," Not All Heroes Wear Capes, "Mamacita," "X," and Double or Nothing. Other respected Atlanta producers include Mike WiLL Made-It, Southside, Sonny Digital, and Honorable C.N.O.T.E.

Another big aspect of new rappers is their clothing. Fashion has become one of the biggest attributes to brag about in hip hop music. Modern rappers have coined the term "drip" as being well dressed or in expensive clothing. Designer brands such as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, and Givenchy are popular topics in modern rap songs. It is not uncommon to see videos or hear stories about musicians spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxurious clothes. As time goes on, high-end fashion seems to get more outlandish. In this picture on the left, Atlanta stars Young Thug and 2 Chainz are posed in colorful, lavish attire.

Just as important as their clothes, contemporary rappers show a lot of care for their accessories. Establishing the slang term "ice" for sumptuous jewelry, rappers commonly reference their chains, rings, and watches as high status capital. Atlanta, GA plays a big part in the rap game's "ice" because it holds one of the most well-known jeweler services in hip hop: Icebox Diamonds & Watches. Located in North Atlanta, Icebox is home to the most exclusive jewelry and is often visited by many popular rappers.

Atlanta's rich hip hop culture and involved communities take hip hop beyond music. It has influenced everyday urban life such as malls known for hosting historic rap battles, barber shops ran by Atlanta rappers, or consignment stores famous for serving popular rappers. For instance, Lenox Mall is an iconic site where Antwon and André 3000 first met and where T.I. started handing out promotions for his first mixtapes.

Walter's Clothing is a shoe and apparel store that have had admirable customers such as Future and DJ Khaled. The shop holds a lot of significance for rappers, being referenced in songs by Outkast, Future, Young Jeezy, and more.

In addition, in recent years, numerous Georgia college campuses have introduced classes regarding trap music and important artists such as OutKast (Carmichael, 2017). The Migos even held a "Culture Class" at NYU. The lecture discussed their impact on the culture and what it means for hip hop and the youth. Seeing hip hop pervade into academia showcases its major identity that goes beyond just the songs on the radio.

The location of Atlanta, GA associates itself greatly with Southern style hip hop. Regionally, the city certainly shows a lot of relation to the culture and includes over 300 recording studios, 60 music venues, and 30 music festivals (ChooseATL, 2019).

Atlanta's large number of studios makes it a thriving musical city. Some of the city's most famous studios include:

Patchwerk Recording Studios - a crucial Atlanta studio since 1993, Patchwerk offers a vast musical production service with outstanding quality. The studio secured its importance early on and attracted serious producers from Organized Noize, So So Def, and LaFace Records.

Tree Sound Studios - a high end studio with remarkable clients including Andre 3000, Beastie Boys, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, and Justin Bieber. This is also the location where Drake and Future recorded the platinum album, What a Time to be Alive. Apart from working with well known artists, the vast studio also holds unique events such as album listening parties and signing events.

11th Street Studios - another promising Atlanta studio with exceptional services. Since 2006, this WestSide District studio has been collaborating with music stars such as Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, and Charlie XCX.

Magic City is an iconic Atlanta strip club that plays a big role in Atlanta's hip hop culture for it helped build the fame of Future and Migos. Future's famous producer DJ Esco works there. In November 2018, Magic City even shortly renamed themselves "Future City" in honor of Future spending his 35th birthday there with noteworthy company like Drake and Lil Yachty. The strip club has been referenced and visited by big artists such as Drake, Future, Lil Yachty, Young Thug, and even 2Pac.

ONE Musicfest - For 10 years, this popular festival has paid tribute to the extraordinary hip hop culture and has hosted big names such as Rick Ross, Gucci Mane, Tory Lanez, and Wu-Tang Clan. This festival's notoriety continues to grow as Rolling Stone and Billboard cite it as one of the year's "can't miss festivals."

A3C Festival & Conference - This week-long festival exemplifies how Atlanta cares about hip hop culture. The festival has blossomed into a hip hop centered gala that brings together a community of music industry artists, workers, and fans, and has a notable artist alumni list including the likes of Nas, 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne, and Meek Mill.

Music Midtown - Originating in 1994, Music Midtown is a historic music festival for Atlanta that constantly brings out hip hop titans such as Drake, Eminem, Travis Scott, and Kendrick Lamar. This festival draws astounding attention, regularly hosting 300,000 attendees in its peak years.

ATL Hip Hop Day Festival - This unique festival grants free entrance to its hip hop fans and celebrates trap music with talented lineups in a centralized location of Woodruff Park in the heart of Downtown Atlanta.

Atlanta acts as a core piece in hip hop innovation. From new, potent trap authorities like Migos and 21 Savage to old-school hip hop veterans like OutKast and T.I., Atlanta has certainly made its mark on the hip hop culture at large and has shifted hip hop's center of gravity -- a center once focused on the East and West coasts. But Atlanta's grand emergence did not unearth without challenges. In the early stages, the city and Southern rap as a whole was struggling to be a relevant piece of the hip hop industry because of the enormous East Coast vs. West Coast rap beef. Their existence was often looked down upon as insignificant. Since OutKast's powerful statement in 1995, Atlanta's influence has continued to reinvent itself and the culture, producing famous rappers, flourishing hip hop shows, and voguish styles. Atlanta's unforeseen magnitude in the rap scene exemplifies the story of an underdog setting and forces the public to come to terms with the unimportance of alleged regional boundaries for hip hop success. Historically, New York and California were supposed to be the only realms for authentic hip hop, but Atlanta's role in bringing about Southern Hip Hop redefines traditional geographic limitations on certain genres of music, showing that no place is an outsider to the popular music world.

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