Atlanta hip-hop

History

In the 1980s and early 1990s Atlanta's hip hop scene was characterized by a local variant of Miami's electro-driven bass music, with stars like Kilo Ali, MC Shy-D, Raheem the Dream, and DJ Smurf (later Mr. Collipark). produced by DJ Toomp; Jones was signed to controversial Southern hip hop label Luke Records, run by Luther Campbell aka "Uncle Luke". Arrested Development won a Grammy Award in 1992 with "Tennessee", while Kris Kross won with their hit song "Jump". The group Tag Team released their debut platinum certified album Whoomp! (There It Is) on July 20, 1993, spawned by their hit single of the same name. However, Organized Noize and Dungeon Family "cornerstone" Rico Wade, who even produced albums for Outkast, Goodie Mob and Future, was considered to be a major architect of Atlanta hip hop. Numerous aspiring musicians and artists would in fact record music in the studio which was located in the basement of Wade's mother, and which became known as the "Dungeon."

By the mid-1990s, the rise of LaFace Records artists Outkast, Goodie Mob and the production collective Organized Noize led to the development of the Dirty South style of hip-hop and of Atlanta gaining a reputation for "soul-minded hip-hop eccentrics", contrasting with other regional styles. i.e. Southwest Atlanta, plus territory extending into the adjacent cities of College Park and East Point. The term "SWATS" came into vogue around 1996, initially made popular by Outkast and Goodie Mob.

From the late 1990s to early 2000s, record producer Lil Jon became a driving force behind the hip hop subgenre known as crunk, known for its upbeat and club oriented hip hop sound. Record producers L.A. Reid and Babyface founded LaFace Records in Atlanta in the late-1980s; the label eventually became the home to multi-platinum selling artists such as Toni Braxton, TLC, Ciara. It is also the home of So So Def Recordings, a label founded by Jermaine Dupri in the mid-1990s, that signed acts such as Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Xscape and Dem Franchise Boyz. The success of LaFace and SoSo Def led to Atlanta as an established scene for record labels such as LaFace parent company Arista Records to set up satellite offices.

In 2009 The New York Times noted that after 2000, 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." Atlanta hip-hop's pop breakthrough—everyone from Jermaine Dupri to OutKast to Lil Jon—involved the blend of various distillations of hard-core sounds from the West, bass beats from Florida, and styles and images from the North. Producer Drumma Boy called Atlanta "the melting pot of the South". Producer Fatboi called the Roland TR-808 ("808") synthesizer "central" to the Music of Atlanta's versatility, used for snap, crunk, trap, and pop rap styles. The same article named Fatboi, Shawty Redd, and Zaytoven the four "hottest producers driving the city".

Atlanta hip-hop has influenced other mainstream forms of media. The television show Atlanta, which chronicles the lives of two cousins as they navigate the hip-hop world, exemplifies this broader impact. It has earned two Golden Globe awards and two Emmy awards. A number of Atlanta-based artists, including Killer Mike and Jermaine Dupri, have also become involved in local and national political movements.

Top-selling artists

Local multi-platinum artists include Ludacris, Ciara, B.o.B, Outkast, T.I., and Jeezy. The following hip-hop, rap, R&B, and soul artists have had #1 or #2 albums or singles on the U.S. Hot 100 chart:

References

References

1. Caramanica, Jon. (December 11, 2009). "Gucci Mane, No Holds Barred". The New York Times.
2. [http://m.npr.org/story/92090721?storyId=92090721 NPR: "Atlanta soul scene reborn"]
3. MC Shy-D is credited with bringing authentic Bronx-style hip-hop to Atlanta (and Miami), such as 1988's ''Shake it''[https://books.google.com/books?id=XkCncJ7j744C&lpg=PA476 Mickey Hess, ''Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide: Volume 1: East Coast and West Coast'']
4. (September 4, 1995). "Billboard – Google Books".
5. Abrams, Jonathan. (April 14, 2024). "Rico Wade, an Architect of Atlanta Hip-Hop, Dies at 52". New York Times.
6. (April 15, 2024). "Atlanta rap legend, Dungeon Family member Rico Wade dies at 52". WSB-TV.
7. [https://www.youtube.com/user/SWATSATLTV S.W.A.T.S. Web television series YouTube channel]
8. [https://books.google.com/books?id=XkCncJ7j744C&pg=PA475 Mickey Hess, ''Hip Hop in America: East Coast and West Coast'']
9. (January 2010). "The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 14: Folklife". Univ of North Carolina Press.
10. Sarig, Roni. (2007). "Third Coast: Outkast, Timbaland, & How Hip-Hop Became a Southern Thing". Da Capo press.
11. (December 29, 2020). "How Atlanta rappers helped flip the White House (And they're hustling to flip the US Senate)".
12. "Ludacris Biography by Jason Birchmeier".
13. "Ciara Biography by Fred Thomas".
14. "B.o.B Biography by Cyril Cordor".
15. (October 22, 2000). "Melody Makers of Hip-Hop".
16. "OutKast Biography by John Bush".
17. "T.I. Biography by Andy Kellman".
18. "Jeezy Biography by Andy Kellman".