Southern Hip Hop is a dominating force in the genre. Covering regional dialects, influences and sounds in areas such as Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Memphis and New Orleans, it’s a lot to grasp. Highly-respected author Ben Westhoff breaks it all down in just-released book Dirty South: Outkast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop. Published on the Chicago Review Press, the easy-to-read book is written for us (and others) by one of us: the Hip Hop community.
Although the work chronicles more recent movements such as Soulja Boy, Grand Hustle and T-Pain, one of its greatest offerings is covering lesser-known or less popular facts about movements such as Luke Campbell and 2 Live Crew, J. Prince’s Rap-A-Lot Records and even 8Ball & MJG. Like we do about this time, the HipHopDX staff had a chance to read Westhoff’s new book and share with you 10 things we learned in paging through:
1. 2 Live Crew began making records about God. Pre-Luke-era 2 Live Crew found the California trio of Fresh Kid Ice, Amazing V. and Mr. Mixx making their 1984 Macola Records single “The Revelation,” which was about Heaven and Hell. Westhoff even revisited the 12-inch on the same label that birthed N.W.A. and others with the quoted verse from Amazing V., “Now your pocket is full, but can’t you see / That your soul will burn in hell for eternity?”
2. The ties between Rap-A-Lot Records and Death Row Records. For years, it’s been widely known that Death Row’s co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight and Rap-A-Lot’s James “J.” Prince are friends who have supported each others’ acts in tougher times. However, Dirty South points out why Big Mike and Mr. 3-2 were working with Snoop Doggy Dogg and Warren G in 1991 and 1992, before Mike filled in for Willie D in the Geto Boys. The ties then reportedly had to do with Michael “Harry O” Harris and Lydia Harris, who both claim to have provided seed money to the two legendary and controversial Gangsta Rap labels. When the Harris couple went to help roll out Death Row, they called on The Convicts to get their big break, and thus Big Mike had a chance to be a Death Row inmate. Had Willie D not skipped from Scarface and Bushwick, who knows how history would have been different…
3. DJ Screw’s store today. Late Houston, Texas deejay/production pioneer’s store, Screwed Up Records & Tapes. Ben Westhoff visits the Rap landmark and describes it to look as essentially a check-cashing outfit, with hundreds of covers of various Screw tapes on the wall, and the CDs housed behind a locked door. The 13 year-old operation is run today by Screw’s cousin.
4. Just how different Andre 3000 and Big Boi are. The book reveals interesting minutia that includes the fact that the two Outkast emcees travel on separate tour buses, frequently work from separate home studios, and that Andre 3000’s whereabouts are often unknown to everybody, including his partner.
5. Three early Cash Money Records artists, pre-Juvenile, have all been murdered since leaving the label. The list includes Kilo-G, Pimp Daddy and Yella Boy. Even Westhoff writes that very little is known or documented about the artists or deaths.
6. Master P’s wife and Lil Romeo’s mom was a rapper. Sonjya C. Miller (a/k/a Sonjya C) was just one of the many faces of the 1990s No Limit Records roster. Downplayed in the media, this rapper released a 1993 E-A-Ski & CMT-produced album, Married To The Mob, as well as was a prominent member of TRU throughout much of the decade. Her other son Vallentino has also pursued rapping, with the Rich Boyz.
7. Lil Jon was, at one time, a Rastafarian. The book says that in his early twenties, deeply influenced by British Reggae band Steel Pulse, the King of Crunk started growing the dreads we now know him for, and stopped eating meat.
8. DJ Drama alleges that two of his personal vehicles, a BMW 645 and a promotional van, have never been returned to him after the 2007 Federal raid launched by the RIAA.
9. Westhoff credits Cher’s 1998 hit “Do You Believe” as the first true Auto-Tune hit. In his chapter about T-Pain, Akon and DJ Khaled, the author notes how a former Exxon executive’s invention of pitch correction made a smash hit for the ’70s star, which trickled its way into urban music, later giving us years of 808’s & Heartbreak.
10. DJ Khaled was present the day that Lil Wayne met Cash Money Records founders Birdman and Ronald “Slim” Williams. The chance meeting reportedly happened circa 1993 in Odyssey Records, a retail New Orleans music store, where the aggressive-yelling Khaled was working during an autograph signing where Wayne freestyled. Fifteen years later, the four men started getting (major) money together.
Things We Learned listening to “Dirty South hiphop”
with exception of a few dirty hiphop just sucks bigtime!!!!
Your editor is fuckin slipppppppin…that Cher song was from like 99 or some shit, and number 10 doesn’t make any sense…
it is from the late 90s, these writer need to get their shit straight before writing these pieces. fuck auto tune!!
yeah, I thought that didn’t look right. It’s called Believe from 1998. Took me 1 second to check that DX Staff.
dj khaled is from new olreans not miami. that nigga old jus like baby so it could be true.
Lil Tunechi confirmed this story to be true in an interview with Nardwuar he said Baby handed him a cash money business card btw nardwuar is the greatest music industry interviewer ever,really check out his interviews*no dickride*
”Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop”….hahhahahhahahahha
OutKast FTW
lmfao!!!
this list is fucking wack, i agree with Andre 3000 and Big Boi and Juvenile and the rest of the list is fucking wack garbage!!!
That’s true about Weezy and Khaled. Weezy talks about it in this interview. Search “Lil Wayne vs. Nardwuar” on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgMUhI_SN68
the lesson gained from this book is do Not turn your back on Baby and CM.
how can they even mention outkast with the rest of those people…. They should omit outkast and change the title to “How Hip-Hop Was Destroyed”
Old news.
You forgot how Wacka Flocka Flame got his early start naming himself after the sound he makes when he deepthroats and the sensation he gets after taking it in the butt from Gucci Mane who because of his DSL’s was then working as a fluffer on gay pornshoots of lil bow wow who then went by the stage name “the Kid” Bow wow introduced them to well known pedopile music producer Jermaine Dupree who encouraged them to form the label “dicksquad” and released early versions of “hard in the taint” and the now infamous dudes on the down low national pride anthem “O lets do it” and now the rest is history…
Hahahhahahahaha
funny shit but waka and bow wow are from up north. dont credit those two as southerners we got enough retards down here.
hey thanks for ruining hip hop! Now ill just stay underground
Bad music and greed ruined Hip-Hop. East coast has horrible music too. Jim Jones, 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, etc. Also other coasts had crappy music. So the south ruined hip-hop is bs.
Tony Yayo has been dope lately…i heard some tracks from him…damn just dope..
tony yayo lmfao hahahahahaha
war22 is right on this one.
Yayo actually foes have flow and punches.
It’s just that he isn’t consistent and hard all throughout.
East Coast has some bad music too but the south? almost all the shyt is ignorant and garbage
Sorry, am too busy listening to Cunninlyguistic while you guys enjoy listening to crap music.
Didnt know that shit about Outkast, kind of interesting.
man fuck u hatin ass niggaz! THE SOUTH RUNNIN DIS GAME! Fuck outta here wit dat new york detroit chicago bullshit. yall niggas cant sell shit n all yall mcs r ol ass niggas who cant spit no more! south takin over! we lean witit rock witit n stanky leg. we crankin dat soulja boy n superman deez hoes! we got dat stupid fruity retarded autism swag dat yall pussy boring ass north niggas keep tryna copy, shawty! wut do da north got? some ol fag ass boring niggaz nobody listen to! DIRTY SOUTH IN DIS BITCH! BURR! 1017 BRICK SQUAD! YMCMB! MAYBACH MUSIC! DISTURBIN DA PEACE! GRAND HUSTLE! YOUNG TRAPPY ENT.! I MOVE BRICKS RECORDS! GIMMESUMMADATCHIKEN RECORDS! SOUTH ALL DAY! WE RUNNIN THIS RAP SHIT!
south ran the game 2004-2006 not anymore just sayin.
#1 was a new fact to me, but the rest I already knew about. The bs music that’s out now doesn’t reflect the south. It’s plenty of more artists down here with talent that’s overlooked. So haters and the uninformed get cha minds right.
Even though dudes always mentioning Andre 3000 and Bun B and Scarface as the best MCs from the South, to me, on a technical MCing level, two of the best dudes are Mystikal and Ludacris…
Those guys have flows for ddaaaays, they can flow circles around most other dudes, it’s just they have a lot of mainstream sounding hits so the critics kinda dismiss the skills, as if you can’t be technical on a pop record or something
Ludacris is technically better than Andre? Seriously? I’ll put it this way, the first time I hear a new Luda track I usually end up predicting no less than 8 bars that I’ve never heard. Just sayin’…
I never said Luda was better than Andre…
I said everyone always mentions those first guys, but no one hardly ever mentions those other two guys.
Mystikal? for real? ok, i guess were all entitled to our opinions, but its my opinion that you are no longer entitled to your opinion. that amount of stupidity should require a revocation of your free speech rights.
He’s referring to flow and techniques behind those two mc’s deliveries, not their lyrical skill or content. To that end, I have to say that Luda has a really nice flow. You guys need to chill and actually read what the dude is saying.
@gemstar totally agree i mean i bump luda but he hasnt got much in the way of lyrics he flows well but that bout all.
Yep, anonymous knows what I mean, on the flows and technical level, not on like substance or subject matter…
Jess Devitt go back to school and learn to read
Things We Learned About The Dirty South is that their music is straight up garbage. Btw, i laughed my ass off when i read “Dirty South: Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop”
$hout out R-A-LMafia & the Back then Untouchable Deathrow Records,Outkast & Dungeon fam,”The Convicts” Lord 3-2 & Big Mike straight spitters,”Foundation Of Tha $outh” f_*k the rest.
This is a great article, I never knew any of these things. I also found a site that’s easy to get a radio interview posted called
http://www.undergroundsouthconnection.com
i used to love Yung Wun’s music…dont know what the fuck happend to him
Bone crusher.. what about Jay electronica, little brother and them dudes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHXCkC2bAes
SOUTH NIGGAS IS SLAVE MINDED MONKEYS. YEAH I SAID IT FUCKIN MONKEYS. LA DOIN IT UP YOU MARK ASS NIGGAS
Although basically errybody in LA has southern roots. Sooooooooooo….
You know what I learned from the “Dirty South” rap? They ruined a culture we (New Yorkers) made.
haaaa
I KNOW RIGHT? SMH
Im glad the south got into the mix..why? OUTKAST! but sadly they the only really good southern rappers. No one album sounded like its predecessor and no other rapper could mimick their style.. Still, NY got that fire! Wu Tang is for the children!
Homie you are painting with broad strokes “The South” didnt ruin HIPHOP, Cookie Cutter Wack emcess wack gimmick havin MFs from all over the country ruined HIPHOP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koN-yF4ySQs&feature=related
Skywalker – Barton Block
It shows true immaturity and hatred to discredit someone’s music when you cannot do what they do. No east coast, mid-west, or west coast artist has ever sold a million copies in one week, so how can you discredit the south?
FUCK ARE YOU TALKIN ABOUT?! 50 SOLD A MIL IN 1 WEEK DUMMY
You ever heard of Eminem? Haha you’re a fool.
lol i was with him at 1st epic fail
50 didnt sell no mil his first week he sold 800 sumthn and 800 again da next week em didn’t either but he sold alot without selling a mil in a week the only artist to cross over a milly first week was Wayne and usher and dey both from da south kanye came close 900 somethin but close ain’t good enuff
fyi stop spreading lies u fuckin faggot
massacre did a mill n so did mmlp..get dat faggot waynes dick
Cher? Zapp & Roger was runnin’ the auto tune sound way before Cher. Goes to show yo an outsider is telling you your history. And the south has been at the top of the charts since 96′. It is now 2011 and albums from the south are still topping the number one charts. Stop hating on your own people. Record companies are slave masters and yall mad cuz they found some new workers. Til’ we come together, HATE ON.
Sorry kid, Zapp and Roger were messin with the vocoder. that’s different from autotune
School ’em Lima
SPLITTIN HAIRS….Its basically the same sound….Give Roger?Zapp the credit!!!
when the south first started blowin up, their music wasnt that bad but over time…they became catalysts to the hip-hop’s demise by discarding the purpose of the music & replaced it with a simplicity that even forrest gump would be insulted by. lil wayne & soulja boy reinvented hip-hop? fuck outta here!!
The Dirty South?? LMAO!! You mean the death of Hip Hop…Besides Outkast:)geniuses right there..
Did they just say Souja Boy and Outkast in the same sentence??
NIKKI MINAJ OWES MY COMPANY SOME SERIOUS BREAD SO I PUT HER SEX VID BACK UP ON A HIDDEN LINK OVER ON w w w (.)androidscoop(.)b l o g s p o t (.)com HIT THE AD AT THE BOTTOM THEN BACK AND HIT THE AD ON THE RIGHT THEN IT TAKES YOU THERE THE REST IS CRAZY NOW MISS PLASTIC BOOTY GONNA PAY AND I FIGURE THIS IS A DAMN GOOD WAY TO GET BACK AT HER GO CHECK IT SHE CANT EVEN TAKE PIPE THATS THE SAD PART
is the book out?
50 never sold a mil his first week he sold 800 em didn’t either da only artists 2 cross over a mil in a week was Wayne and usher and dey both from da south kanye got close 900 sumthn but close ain’t good enuff
wow be stfu you dumbfukk. that means nothing.
marshall mathers lp sold a mill 1st week n oustold the carter 3 1st week n overall…so stfu faggot….the massacre also sold a mill bitch
I so want this book.
But it’s funny to see how NY cats (i’m assuming that’s where most of yall come from) they always say that “the south killed hip hop” when 9/10 your favorite rapper is from the South or your favorite Producer is from the South.
The South expanded Hip Hop into another realm and people who don’t know that are just like “the birthers” to me. They’ll always be hating for no reason and don’t even know the facts.
“The South expanded Hip Hop into another realm ”
Meaning????
And for the record you are aware that niggaz like Lex Luger aren’t even from the South at all (that nigga in particular is from Milwaukee).
All of you so called “real hip hop” intellectuals need to step your game up when it comes to this rap shit
HIP HOP STARTED IN THE WEST
Just cause it sold a mill in a week doesnt meen its good, it just meens a million people are stupid. btw I like listenin to lil wayne but I would never buy one his albums
Outkast,J.Cole, and Big K.R.I.T are the only southern rappers I care to listen to.
It’s true that a lot of trash music came from the south but a lot of good shit did too…Outkast, Bun B, J. Cole, Jay Electronica, Ludacris, mid-career Lil Wayne, Scarface, Devin the Dude, Smoke from Field Mob and I KNOW there’s more, that was just off the top of my head…only one I just named who isn’t that lyrical is Devin the Dude, but he’s made some GREAT MUSIC…the rest of the country has shitty rappers just like the south, be fair now…even if the south has less LYRICAL cats overall, that doesn’t mean that it’s trash, some of it is but that’s not a proper measurement of all their quality music…Snoop was never super-lyrical, but he has some CLASSIC joints that can’t be denied (just an example) while Eminem is almost always tryin to be super-lyrical but he has made some shit music in his career too…
I’m from the northeast and I never thought it was cool to just go and hate on the WHOLE SOUTH, that shit is just stupid!