Rap

Northern Rap vs. Southern Rap

Grolier's multimedia Encyclopedia defines rap as a combination of rhymed lyrics spoken over rhythm tracks and pieces of recorded music and sounds called samples taken from old records. Hip-hop, which has its origin in the Bronx, is the only form of black American music that does not have its roots in the south. But after more than 20 years of Northern exposure, rap is now exploding in the southern states. It has exploded due to excellent rappers and producers such as Jermaine Durpri, Master P., Timbaland and 36 Mafia.Ludacris, Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boyz have taken their sounds to another level of popularity. Due to all of these factors, rap has become better than Northern rap. They have more artists in the public eye; an enhanced variety of hip-hop/rap, and southern rap is more popular.

Ludacris, who explains who's success has opened doors for others rappers, "It used to be a risk for proven major labels to sign on Southern acts, but now we have proven ourselves, the door is open.". Some other southern successful artists are Trick Daddy, from Miami, Florida , and Master P., from New Orleans, Louisiana. More Southern artists have come to the public eye recently. A particular artist that has come up, Lil' Flip, with his new track Sunshine featuring Lea, now ranked number four according to Billboard Music Top R&B/ Hip hop Singles Chart. Another few other popular rappers from the south, Lil' Jon, with Trick Daddy and Twista, they are ranked near the bottom at number ten, with the crunk club single Let's Go. In the overall chart of the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream Charts the only hip-hop artists that are in the top five are Southern artists. One artist is Ciara, featuring Petey Pablo. Her song, Goodies, is ranked number three. Destiny's Child holds the number 5 spot with the hit Lose My Breath. The south has also remained at the top for several years since in emergence as "mainstream".

The North stays on the charts, but always near the bottom. The Northern rappers have also been around for several years and are not very dynamic. Eminem, a Detroit rapper, holds the number eight spot on the mainstream chart with the very eccentric Just Loose it track off his Encore Album ( Billboard Music Top 40 Mainstream Chart). Eminem is followed by a collaboration with a Northern and southern artists Alicia Keys and Usher (from Atlanta) with the single My Boo. Alicia Keys also holds the number sixteen position with the song If I Ain't Got You . The next Northern group, from New York City, Terror Squad, rounds out the chart with a disappointing seventeen on the Top Twenty chart.

The amount of different artists has led to a wide variety of different types of hip-hop/rap. The newest form to emerge from the land of cotton and peaches is crunk. Crunk is also the most popular form due to its play in the clubs. As Kaine from the Ying Yang Twins remarked "It had its beginning in the Southern Club scene." Charlie Braxton, a Mississippi-based cultural critic insists, "The rap music of the South doesn't have a monosyllabic sound." The music that comes out of Florida "Has a more bassy sound. There are many towns down south, and each one contributes to its own timbre, style, and tempo to the music." He also mentioned. The more traditional types of rap are also represented in the south. Gangsta' rap is a form from the north carried down to the south. This form often includes verses about guns, drugs, and fighting. Lil' Scrappy, an artist who shows this style in his songs, has many streetwise songs. In one song in particular Such as No Problem, which includes verses, which rhyme about fighting and rioting.

The Northern Styles of rap tend to be more mono-stylistic. One of the only categories that exists in the north is the form of Gangsta'. Gangsta' Rap usually is not positive and almost always includes violence.