Dirty Decade: Rap Music and the U.S. South, 1997-2007
Matt Miller, Emory University
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Essay Sections:
Introduction | Rap and Place | The Rap Map Unfolds | Rap Scenes and Styles | Marketing | Dirtiness Defined | Dirtiness in Southern Rap | Get Crunk | Visual Culture | Conclusion | Notes| Recommended Resources

Acknowledgements. I would like to thank my anonymous reviewers, the Southern Spaces editorial staff (Franky Abbott, Katherine Skinner, Sarah Toton, and Allen Tullos), Robin Conner, Daniel Green, Andy Hopkins, Andrew Nosnitsky and Ben Lawless for their generous assistance in preparing this article.

Notes:

1. Matt Miller, "Rap's Dirty South: From Subculture to Pop Culture," Journal of Popular Music Studies 16:2 (2004): 175-212.

2. Jason Berry, Jonathan Foose, and Tad Jones, Up from the Cradle of Jazz: New Orleans Music Since World War II (Athens: Univ. of Georgia Press, 1986), xiii.

3. Sara Cohen, "Sounding out the City: Music and the Sensuous Production of Place" in The Place of Music, eds. Andrew Leyshon, David Matless, and George Revill (New York: The Guilford Press, 1998), 287.

4. Andy Bennett and Richard A. Peterson, eds., Music Scenes: Local, Translocal, and Virtual (Nashville: Vanderbilt Univ. Press, 2004), 7-8.

5. Martin Stokes ed., Ethnicity, Identity, and Music: the Musical Construction of Place (Providence, RI: Berg, 1994), 4.

6. Kyra D. Gaunt, The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes from Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop. (New York: New York University Press, 2006), 183. See also Roberta Rainwater, "Rhythm, Song Trademarks of '90s Patty-Cake," Times-Picayune, April 26, 1990; "Pizza Pizza Daddy-O" at http://www.folkstreams.net/film,73.

7. Cheryl Keyes, Rap Music and Street Consciousness (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2002), 5; Adam Krims, Rap Music and the Poetics of Identity (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 74-75, 77-78.

8. Murray Forman, The 'Hood Comes First: Race, Space and Place in Rap and Hip-Hop (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2002), 179.

9. Ibid., xvii.

10. Ibid., 170.

11. Adam Krims, Rap Music and the Poetics of Identity (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 124.

12. Lawrence B. De Graaf, "The City of Black Angels: Emergence of the Los Angeles Ghetto, 1890-1930," Pacific Historical Review 39:3 (August 1970): 323-352, 331.

13. Kelefa Sanneh, "Memphis Bleak," Village Voice (June 20, 2000), 144.

14. Keith Negus, Music Genres and Corporate Cultures ( New York: Routledge, 1999), 19.

15. Luther Campbell and John R. Miller, As Nasty As They Wanna Be: The Uncensored Story of Luther Campbell of the 2 Live Crew (Fort Lee, N.J.: Barricade Books, 1992), 223.

16. James Bernard, "Bass 9-1-9," The Source 54 (March, 1994): 40.

17. Campbell and Miller, As Nasty As They Wanna Be, 22.

18. J-Mill [Jeremy Miller], "Prince Raheem," The Source 54, (March, 1994): 22 ; Idem, "Bass Game: Clay D Returns to His Roots on His Latest Bass Odyssey," The Source 54, (March 1994): 32-33.

19. Norman C. Stolzoff, Wake the Town & Tell the People: Dancehall Culture in Jamaica (Durham: Duke University Press, 2000), 19.

20. Brett Atwood, "Bass Music Rises From South As Acts Seek Majors' Interest," Billboard 106:38 (September 17, 1994): 46.

21. Janine McAdams, "Let's Talk About Sexism On Recent Raps; Wreckx-N-Effect, Disco Rick, Duice, Dre Revealed," Billboard 105:4 (January 23, 1993): 21.

22. Roni Sarig, Third Coast: OutKast, Timbaland, and How Hip-Hop Became a Southern Thing (New York: Da Capo Press, 2007).

23. Joe Nick Patoski, "Money in the Making," Texas Monthly (August 1998): 136.

24. Ibid.

25. Forman, The 'Hood Comes First, 330.

26. Catherine Chriss, "For Houston's Geto Boys, Anything Goes in the World of Gangsta Rap," Houston Chronicle, Texas Magazine section, April 17, 2005.

27. Patoski, "Money in the Making," 1998.

28. Ibid.

29. Sarig, Third Coast, 56.

30. Kelefa Sanneh, "The Strangest Sound in Hip-Hop Goes National," New York Times, sec. 2, April 17, 2005. (Accessed electronically through LexisNexis Academic on April 13, 2007.)

31. Ibid.

32. Kelefa Sanneh, "The Woozy, Syrupy Sound of Codeine Rap," New York Times, sec. 2, April 18, 2005. (Accessed electronically through LexisNexis Academic on 13 April 13, 2007).

33. Sarig, Third Coast, 281.

34. J-Dogg [John Shaw], "Parallels in the Development of Memphis and New Orleans Rap, " Rec.Music.Hip-Hop Usenet Newsgroup, Dec. 9, 1997. (Accessed electronically through Google Advanced Group Search on February 2, 2006.)

35. Sarig, Third Coast, 272.

36. Tony Green, "Twerk to Do," Village Voice (Oct. 23, 2001): 149.

37. Sarig, Third Coast, 103.

38. Roni Sarig, "Dungeon Family Tree," Creative Loafing (Atlanta), Sept. 18-24, 2003. See also "Additional reporting by Tony Ware," Creative Loafing (Atlanta), September 18-24, 2003.

39. Sarig, Third Coast, 146.

40. Sasha Frere-Jones, "The Sound," New York Times, sec. 6, February 8, 2004.

41. Sarig, Third Coast, 158.

42. Ibid., 164.

43. Ibid.

44. Leigh Anne Duck, The Nation's Region: Southern Modernism, Segregation, and U.S. Nationalism (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2006), 4.

45. Riché Richardson, Black Masculinity and the U.S. South: From Uncle Tom to Gangsta (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2007), 5, 9.

46. Kim O. [Kim Osorio], "The Front Lines: Southern Hospitality," The Source 168 (September 2003): 40.

47. Ibid.

48. Carlton Wade, "Three 6 Mafia: Mark of the Beats," The Source 168 (September 2003): 166.

49. Ibid.

50. Kim O., "The Front Lines," 40.

51. Mary Colurso, "On Sellouts, Superstars, and Other Stuff," Birmingham News, December 22, 2000.

52. Allison Graham, Framing the South: Hollywood, Television and Race during the Civil Rights Struggle (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001), 182.

53. "Universal Inks Record Deal With Emerging Alabama Rap Group Dirty," PR Newswire, December 13, 2000.

54. Elizabeth Merrill, NU Rookie I-Back Lights Up Backfield." Omaha World Herald, sec. C, August 11, 2004.

55. Alex Markels, "Protesters Carry the Fight to Executives' Homes." New York Times, sec. 3, December 7, 2003.

56. Michael Perlstein, "Fighting Back." New Orleans Times-Picayune, sec. A, May 29, 2005.

57. "Track & Field," Times-Picayune, Aug.6, 2005; Larry Hartstein, "Daily Briefing," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 18, 2005.

58. Margaret G. Lee, "Out of the Hood and into the News: Borrowed Black Verbal Expressions in a Mainstream Newspaper," American Speech 74:4 (1999): 379.

59. Shane Harrison, "Sound Check: Sound Bites," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, sec. P, Sept.15, 2005; Martin McNeal,. "Kings Control Hornets and Win," Sacramento Bee, sec. C, December 19, 2003.

60. Patrick Anderson, "Southern Living and Dying," Washington Post, sec. C, April 5, 2004; Peter Mergendahl, "Books at a Glance." Rocky Mountain News, sec. D, March 26, 2004.

61. P.G. Koch, "New Rap for Nick Travers; Glitzy, Druggy Milieu Works," Houston Chronicle, May 2, 2004; Collette Bancroft, "Twenty-One Hours to Live." St. Petersburg Times, sec. P, March 21, 2004.

62. "Hunt on for Shoot Suspect," Toronto Sun, Oct. 9, 2005; "Master Remixer on Deck," Hobart (Australia) Mercury, June 1, 2006.

63. "Book Blog," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, sec. F, June 11, 2006.

64. Chris Riemenschneider, "Drive South." Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, sec. F, February 1, 2004.

65. Robert Christgau, "Consumer Guide: Inter-Century Freundschaft," Village Voice 49:36 (September 8-14, 2004): C90.

66. Jeff Vrabel, "Spin Control," Chicago Sun-Times, sec. "Sunday Showcase," August 22, 2004.

67. Niels Jansen, "Totally Unofficial Rap-Dictionary (Bi-weekly Posting, part 1/2)," Rec.Music.Hip-Hop Usenet Newsgroup, December 1, 1995; Prolifik, "This Is Driving Me Krunk." Rec.Music.Hip-Hop Usenet Newsgroup, October 7, 1998.

68. Side-bar story, Rolling Stone (August 19,1999): 91.

69. Wade, "Three 6 Mafia," 166.

70. Hattie Collins, "Crunk: Lots More Goodies in Store." Music Week (February 5, 2005): 11.

71. Steve Jones, "Get Crunk Huh!" USA Today, sec. E, July 25, 2003.

72. "Power Players: Indie Labels," Billboard 117:19 (2005): 30.

73. Joycelyn A. Wilson, "Show & Prove 2: Kamikaze, the Movement," XXL (October 2003): 72.

74. John Lewis, "Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz Islington Academy Mon.," Time Out (January 26, 2005): 108; Ricardo Baca, "Bring In Da Crunk: More Take Notice of Hyper Sound with Southern Accent," Denver Post, sec. F, September 16, 2003.

75. Hattie Collins, "Crunk," 11; J. Freedom Du Lac, "From Memphis, Cranking Up the Crunk; Rap's Red Carpet Rolls Out for Al Kapone," Washington Post, sec. C, July 25, 2005; Andy Battaglia, "Hip-Hop's Dirty Martini." Washington Post, sec. C, Nov. 17, 2004; "Box Office: The Lowdown," Independent on Sunday, sec. "Features," February 6, 2005.

76. Jones, "Get Crunk Huh!"

77. Josefina Loza, "Pitbull," Omaha World-Herald, Mar. 30, 2006; Jones, "Get Crunk Huh!"

78. John Soeder, "Nonstop Selling Eclipses Singing at Hip-Hop Show," Cleveland Plain Dealer, sec. E, August 17, 2005.

79. Baca, "Bring In Da Crunk"; Lewis, "Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz Islington Academy Mon."

80. Loza, "Pitbull."

81. Ricardo Baca, "The Rap on the Third Coast," Denver Post, sec. F, March 15, 2004.

82. Jones, "Get Crunk Huh!"

83. Baca, "Bring In Da Crunk."

84. Lewis, "Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz Islington Academy Mon."

85. Parliament, "Give Up the Funk," 1976; Trammps, "Disco Inferno," 1976; see Sarig, Third Coast, 277 for a connection between crunk's destructive imagery and that of Texas bluesman Blind Willie Johnson.

86. Brian Ward, Just My Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness, and Race Relations (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998), 339.

87. Tia DeNora, Music in Everyday Life (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 47.

88. Jon Caramanica, "Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz," Rolling Stone 931 (September 18, 2003): 34.

89. Jones, "Get Crunk Huh!"

90. Celeste Fraser Delgado, "Crunk Candy: On Location with Lil Jon, Trick, Hootchies, and Director Mamas," Miami New Times, June 23, 2003.

91. Sonia Murray, "Lil Jon, Crew Crank Up Chant with A-List Assist," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, sec. E, November 16, 2004; Martin Edlund, "Strip Crunk," New York Sun, June 28, 2004; Lewis, "Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz Islington Academy Mon."; Tony Green, "Twerk to Do": 149.

92. William Safire, "On Language: Kiduage," New York Times, sec. 6, November 28, 2004; Andrew Pettie, "Reviews: Music," Daily Telegraph (London), January 22, 2005; Collins, "Crunk," 11; "Box Office: The Lowdown," Independent on Sunday, 27; Loza, "Pitbull."

93. Steve Dollar, "Cool 2 Know," Newsday, sec. B, April 19, 2006; "CD Reviews: Hip-Hop," The Irish Times (March 31, 2006): 15.

94. Collins, "Crunk."

95. Silvio Pietroluongo, Minal Patel and Wade Jessen, "Singles Minded; Country and Crunk among Year's Top Hitmakers," Billboard 116:52/117:1 (December 25, 2004/January 1, 2005): 70.

96. "CD Reviews: Hip-Hop," The Irish Times, 15; Baca, "Bring In Da Crunk."

97. Murray, "Lil Jon, Crew Crank Up Chant with A-List Assist."

98. "CD Reviews: Hip-Hop," The Irish Times, 15.

99. Trish Davis, "New on Disc," Hartford Courant, sec. CAL, January 9, 2003.

100. Mike Schultz, [letter to the editor] "Crunk as in Stunk," New York Times, sec. 2, December 5, 2004.

101. Martha Bayles, "Troubled Soul: The Man Who Started It All Heads for the Finish Line," The Weekly Standard 10:43 (August 1, 2005.)

102. Negus, Music Genres and Corporate Cultures, 28.

103. Collins, "Crunk"; Ricardo Baca, "Lil Jon Crunks it up for All-Stars," Denver Post, sec. F, February 17, 2005; Jones, "Get Crunk Huh!"; "Twins Crank Up Crunk." USA Today, sec. 7, June 28, 2005.

104. Delgado, "Crunk Candy: On Location with Lil Jon, Trick, Hootchies, and Director Mamas."

105. Hattie Collins, "Crunk in Charge," London Guardian, sec. "The Guide," August 5, 2006.

106. Soren Baker, "Interview with Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz Feature," Murder Dog Magazine, http://www.murderdog.com/archives/liljon/LilJon&TheEastSide2.html. (Accessed on May 20, 2008)

107. Kelefa Sanneh, "Critic's Notebook: 'Laffy Taffy:' So Light, So Sugary, So Downloadable," New York Times, sec. E, January 12, 2006.

108. Ibid.

109. Katherine Henninger, Ordering the Facade: Photography and Contemporary Southern Women's Writing (Chapel Hill, Univ. of N.C. Press, 2007): 28.

110. Beth Reingold and Richard S. Wike, "Confederate Symbols, Southern Identity, and Racial Attitudes: The Case of the Georgia State Flag," Social Science Quarterly 79:3 (Fall 1998): 568.

111. Henninger, Ordering the Facade, 88.

112. Gregory Johnson, "Southern Pride," Vibe (September 2001): 96.

113. Ron Wynn, "Reclaiming Confederate Flag Angers Older Black Generation," Nashville City Paper, August 1, 2001.

114. Mosi Reeves, "Luda Disturbing tha State," Creative Loafing Atlanta, December 7, 2005.

115. Branden J. Peters, "Native Sons," The Source 168 (September 2003): 150.

116. Rodney Ho, "Rapper Has Big Plans to Lighten Up His Look," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 31, 2006.

117. Benjamin Meadows-Ingram, "Okay Okay," XXL (September 2003): 150, 152.

118. Sarig, Third Coast, 273.

119. Peter Stallybrass and Allon White, The Politics and Poetics of Transgression (London: Methuen, 1986), 23.

120. Richardson, Black Masculinity and the U.S. South, 215.

121. Patricia Yaeger, Dirt and Desire: Reconstructing Southern Women’s Writing, 1930-1990 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), xiii, 7.

122. Tara McPherson, Reconstructing Dixie: Race, Gender, and Nostalgia in the Imagined South (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2003), 18.

123. Michael Haralambos, Right On: From Blues to Soul in Black America (New York: Da Capo, 1974), 35, 33.

124. Terence McLaughlin, Dirt: A Social History as Seen Through the Uses and Abuses of Dirt (New York: Stein and Day, 1971), 6.

125. Yaeger, Dirt and Desire, xii, 125, 110-111.

126. Ibid., 265, 271.


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Essay Sections:
Introduction | Rap and Place | The Rap Map Unfolds | Rap Scenes and Styles | Marketing | Dirtiness Defined | Dirtiness in Southern Rap | Get Crunk | Visual Culture | Conclusion | Notes| Recommended Resources

Published: 10 June 2008

© 2008 Matt Miller and Southern Spaces