The Detroit native rocketed to fame off the back of his 1999 smash The Slim Shady LP and never looked back. While hip-hop has long been a big genre, nobody has redefined quite how big a rapper can be better than Eminem. All of this came from Andre 3000 and Big Boi moving Southern rap from the periphery of hip-hop to the mainstream. Even the outer space/aliens trope explored by everyone from Lil Wayne to Future can find some of its roots in OutKast’s ATLiens. Non-Southern rappers like A$AP Rocky, French Montana, and a fake-accented Iggy Azalea have also risen to prominence in part due to the Southern-flavored nature of their music.
Nowadays, it seems like the region can’t stop producing hitmakers, whether it’s Rich Gang’s Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan, radio-friendly trappers like Migos and 2 Chainz, or rap/country hybrid artists like Yelawolf. From there, with OutKast’s native Atlanta as its epicenter, the scene began to take off in a huge way. While niche artists like Houston’s the Geto Boys and Miami’s 2 Live Crew first put Southern rap on the radar, it wasn’t until the mega-success of OutKast that the third region of hip-hop was taken very seriously. Is there a rap group more synonymous with the success of Dirty South hip-hop than OutKast? At a time when East Coast/West Coast feuds were still the dominant topic in hip-hop, OutKast emerged as a funky, futuristic alternative from the American South. Plus, not any rapper can announce they’re running for president in 2016 and get the response he’s gotten from his fans. To this day, Waka is still breaking down walls, where he’s going full-on EDM on side projects and working with newer talents like Keith Ape to help bring together rap’s melting pot of tastes. Thanks to Virginia producer Lex Luger, Waka’s bombastic and ominous direction, as demonstrated in heady anthems “Bustin’ at ’Em ” and “Hard in da Paint,” opened doors for Ca$h Out, Peewee Longway, T-Wayne, and Rico Richie to impact younger listeners with their inescapable singles.
While Waka isn’t the most lyrically dexterous MC, he’s taken elements of ATL crunk and infused aggression to establish his sound as boisterous, rowdy, and fun. Under the guidance of Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka Flame took what made Gucci a star (his innovative delivery, his song concepts, and his ability to create signature ad-libs) and pushed the boundaries by taking his music to the extreme.
It’s a rare occasion when a protégé breaks away from a mentor and becomes his or her own force in hip-hop.
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