Southern rap is a subgenre of Hip-Hop that (as its name suggests) largely originated from the American South (with the scene being heavily centered on Atlanta) and was one of the most prominent types of rap music in the 2000s, and contains the prominent subgenres Crunk and Trap Music. However, it's also extremely controversial and polarizing. Southern rap took off in popularity in the early 2000s; the fallout from the "East Coast/West Coast" rivalry and the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls were among the main catalysts, as was the declining popularity of Bad Boy Records and the outright demise of Death Row Records, while the ability of Cash Money Records and No Limit Records to publish large amounts of albums from artists that had, up to that point, mostly been limited to New Orleans and East Texas (neither of which were known for being major hip-hop landmarks) with low production costs that charted well convinced the music industry to look to the South on more than just an individual basis. The rise of the Hot Boy$ and Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz around the end of the 1990s (and Lil Wayne's own departure from the Hot Boy$ and subsequent solo success) largely cemented the South's eventual stranglehold on the mainstream, and by the end of 2003, crunk had officially taken over, and snap followed roughly a year later. Both genres ruled the charts for the entirety of the mid-2000s, but 2008 was where their hold began slipping rapidly, and by 2009, crunk and snap were completely and utterly gone from the face of the earth as Trap Music began to replace them.
Southern rap can be distinguished into roughly 3 predominant styles, sometimes overlapping with each other, though many artists such as Killer Mike and Outkast do not fit clearly into any of these styles:
Type 1: Party Music/Dirty South, exemplified by Ludacris, Lil Wayne, Lil Jon, and Gucci Mane. Minimalistic, bass-heavy instrumentals, chanted choruses, lots and lots of Cluster F-Bomb and N-Word Privileges, overt sexism (there are actually several female Southern Rap artists like Ciara, Trina, Rasheeda, Jacki-O and Diamond and Princess from Crime Mob but they're mainly there as Ms. Fanservice and tend to objectify themselves) and lyrics about casual sex, using and dealing drugs, partying, the club, killing people, criminal activity and girls' butts. Also typically associated with artwork from Pen & Pixel Graphics, particularly late 90s/early 00s artists. This was easily the most popular type of Southern Hip Hop up until the late 2000s (and, along with crunk and snap, is what most people associate with the "ringtone rap" era), and the one that people usually think about when talking about the genre in a derogatory fashion.
Type 2: The Soulful style, exemplified by groups such Goodie Mob, UGK, Little Brother, and Cunninlynguists, feature a slower, chilled-out production, influences from Gospel and Soul music, and having lyrics that often deal with social issues, though some do still incorporate lyrics revolving around criminality (often in a more introspective or deconstructive light) or more abstract topics. Often associated with the Dungeon Family and Organized Noize, who helped codify the production style, but they were not the only production group who did that style.
Type 3: The eerier, no-holds-barred style, overlapping with Hardcore Gangsta Rap and often Horrorcore, exemplified by artists such as Geto Boys (though they lack several of the hallmarks), Three 6 Mafia, Tommy Wright III, and Denzel Curry with creepy and lo-fi production, lyrics with unglamorous, brutal descriptions of criminality and a distinctively quick flow style. This style is generally referred to as "Memphis Rap", and has become popular as an influence on more recent MC's and producers due to its atmospheric nature, especially on the emo rap and Soundcloud horrorcore styles that emerged in the late 2010s.
Examples of Southern rap artists
- 21 Savage (London-born, was raised in Atlanta)
- 2 Chainz
- 2 Live Crew (a Trope Maker)
- Uncle Luke
- 8 Ball
- Ace Hood
- Afroman (Los Angeles-born, but based in Mississippi)
- Bankroll Fresh (shot and killed outside his studio)
- Beyoncé (recent material only— on her self-titled album and Lemonade)
- Beyoncé (2013)
- Lemonade (2016)
- Cowboy Carter (2024)
- BG
- Big Boi (the rapping half of OutKast, easily one of the more respected examples)
- Big KRIT
- Birdman
- The Big Tymers
- BoB (Yes, the guy who thinks the Earth is flat)
- Bobby Valentino
- Bone Crusher
- Boondox
- Brooke Valentine
- C-Note
- Ca$h Out
- Chamillionaire (hails from Houston)
- Childish Gambino (probably the most acclaimed of the lot)
- 2018 - "This Is America"
- Chris Brown (more recent material only; one of the very few to not use a Stage Name)
- Chingy (From St. Louis, which is not actually part of the South, but is considered this anyway, as he was a mentee of Ludacris and generally had more in common with Atlanta than St. Louis)
- Ciara
- Crime Mob
- Lil' Jay
- Diamond
- Princess
- Curren$y
- Cyhi
- David Banner (hails from Mississippi; not his real name)
- D4L
- Dem Franchize Boys
- Devin The Dude
- DJ Khaled
- The DOC
- Dolla (shot through the heart and killed)
- Dorrough
- Doughbeezy
- Drumma Boy
- Field Mob
- Flo Milli
- Flo Rida
- Freak Nasty
- Future
- Geto Boys (a Trope Maker)
- Scarface
- Willie D
- GloRilla
- Goodie Mob
- Gorilla Zoe
- Gucci Mane
- Gudda Gudda
- Gunplay
- Jack Harlow (a Token White in the genre, from Kentucky)
- Hot Boy$ (notable as the group that Lil Wayne and Juvenile got their start in)
- Hurricane Chris
- I-20
- Iggy Azalea is white, Australian and NOT from the South, but her music is definitely in the Southern Rap tradition.
- iLoveMemphis (Guess what city he's from!)
- Jacki-O
- Jazze Pha
- J. Cole
- JT Money
- Juvenile
- Kevin Gates (not his real name)
- Kia Shine
- Killer Mike (easily one of the more respected examples; one half of Run The Jewels)
- Kilo Ali
- La Chat
- Left Eye (TLC's rapper, killed in a car accident)
- Lil Boosie
- Lil Brianna
- Lil Flip
- Lil' Jon (a Trope Codifier)
- Lil Keke
- Lil Scrappy
- Lil Wayne (a Trope Codifier)
- Lil Yachty
- Lloyd
- London On The Track
- Ludacris
- Mack Maine
- Mannie Fresh
- Master P (a Trope Maker; he also founded and operated No Limit Records, which, along with Cash Money, was responsible for breaking Southern artists into the mainstream, and was also responsible for establishing New Orleans and East Texas in the mainstream)
- Megan Thee Stallion
- Mia X
- Migos
- Mike Jones (One of the few rappers here to use his real name)
- Mike Will Made It
- Monica
- Mystikal
- No Good
- OJ Da Juiceman
- OT Genasis
- OutKast
- 2003 - "Roses"
- Pastor Troy
- Paul Wall (from Houston)
- Petey Pablo
- Pitbull
- Plies
- Polow Da Don
- Project Pat
- Prophet Posse
- Rae Sremmurd
- Rasheeda
- Raven Symone
- Rich Boy
- Rich Homie Quan
- Rick Ross
- Rocko
- Roscoe Dash
- Shawty Lo
- Shop Boyz
- Silentó
- Silkk The Shocker
- Slick Pulla
- Slim Dunkin (Shot and killed over a piece of candy while in the studio)
- Slim Thug
- Soulja Boy (a particularly infamous example)
- T.I. (known as the "King of the South")
- T-Pain
- T-Wayne
- Three 6 Mafia
- Juicy J
- Lord Infamous (Died of a heart attack)
- DJ Paul
- Koopsta Knicca (Died of a stroke)
- Gangsta Boo
- Crunchy Black
- Trae Tha Truth
- Travis Porter (Three people, believe it or not, none of whose names are Travis or Porter)
- Travis Scott
- Trey Songz
- Trick Daddy
- Trinidad James
- Trina
- Turk
- UGK
- Bun B
- Pimp C (Overdosed on Purple Drank and died)
- Uncle Luke
- Unk
- Usher (when he raps)
- Waka Flocka Flame
- Yelawolf
- Ying Yang Twins
- Yo Gotti
- Young Buck
- Young Dro
- Young Greatness (Shot and killed in his hometown of New Orleans)
- Young Jeezy (AKA "Jeezy", after he got old)
- Yung Joc
- Yung LA
- Young Thug
- Yung Wun
- Youngbloodz
- Z-Ro