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WELCOME TO ATLANTA
More than 20 years after OutKast’s Andre 3000 famously proclaimed that “the South got somethin’ to say” at the 1995 Source Awards, Atlanta has arguably grown to become one of the nation’s hip-hop hubs.
Throughout the 1980s and early ‘90s, Atlanta’s music scene was heavily influenced by both Miami bass music and East Coast hip-hop, with acts like Kilo Ali, MC Shy D and Raheem the Dream laying the foundation. Groundbreaking music industry events like Jack the Rapper featuring performances from Prince and helping break new acts spanning Tupac to Kris Kross and the 1996 Olympics (and the more raucous activities at the annual Freaknik) drew hundreds of thousands of fans to the city, inspiring rappers from across the country like Erick Sermon and Too $hort to relocate to Atlanta’s burgeoning music scene.
Throughout the mid-‘90s, the rise of the Organized Noize production trio and their extended Dungeon Family, which included trailblazing acts like OutKast and Goodie Mob, branded a new style of soulful hip-hop. Meanwhile, producers like Jermaine Dupri and platinum-selling R&B acts like TLC, Monica and Usher helped establish Atlanta as a powerhouse in other genres beyond rap. Popular radio personality Chris Luva Luva reinvented himself as the rapper Ludacris and hit it big, crossing over into the mainstream and eventually taking his talents from the booth (see: Hot 100 chart-toppers “Stand Up” and “Money Maker” featuring Pharrell) to the big screen as part of the Fast & Furious franchise.
The early 2000s were marked by the “crunk” era of Atlanta rap music, led by producer/artist Lil Jon and his BME label. Acts like Lil Scrappy, Trillville, the YoungBloodZ and Crime Mob benefited from their association to the animated rap star. Groups like D4L and Dem Franchize Boyz introduced “snap” music and encouraged fans to hit the dance floor, while producers like Jazze Pha introduced Ciara’s brand of Pop&B. Goodie Mob’s Cee Lo Green expanded his brand worldwide with Gnarls Barkley, and earned a Grammy as a solo act for 2011’s “F–k You.”
“Trap” rappers like T.I., Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane reminisced on their hustling days over powerful beats, inspiring a new generation to “git up, git out and git something” as OutKast and Goodie Mob once encouraged. Southern rap music, led by these ATLiens, reigned atop music charts for more than a decade. T.I., Ludacris, Lil Jon, Usher, OutKast, Killer Mike, Jermaine Dupri and Bryan Michael Cox were among many who brought Grammys home to Atlanta throughout the 2000s.
Today, radio station playlists are dominated by Future, a second-generation Dungeon Family affiliate. Tity Boi of Playaz Circle, best known for their massive “Duffle Bag Boy” hit with Lil Wayne, reinvented himself as 2 Chainz, going on to nab the chart-topping album Based on a T.R.U. Story in 2012. Atlanta rap group Migos coined the term “New Atlanta” on their 2014 record with fellow ATL natives Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan, representing the new wave of Atlanta’s homegrown talent. Upstarts like 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, TKnCash, Lil Yachty, Johnny Cinco, Jose Guapo and Raury are all on the come up.
Boasting the busiest airport in the world, Atlanta is literally and figuratively at the center of the music industry, attracting talent and drawing influences from all over the country. As long as the city continues to reinvent itself as it has for decades past, ATL is setting itself up to remain the cutting edge of the hip-hop music scene it’s already posited itself to be.
Follow along as Mike Will goes back to Atlanta and treats the city to the concert of a lifetime.
Watch the crowd go wild for Mike Will and friends at his 1800 Back to the Block show.
Since the early ’90s, the Altanta scene has left its mark on the Billboard charts, giving us some of hip-hop’s most memorable songs and iconic artists. Check out the region’s top 5 artists, based on their performance on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart*.
