Welcome to the Dirty South...
What's it all about?
The Dirty South (Also known as Southern Hip Hop) has its roots firmly in da club. Party music through and through, it celebrates fame and money and rewards it with 808-tastic beats and repetitive (and as such, ridiculously catchy) detuned sawtooth synth lines over the top.
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Occasionally you'll find one of the more epic dirty south tunes too, which ventures into sampling big string or brass sounds for the rappers to spit over and really push the club P.A. to its limit!
When did it start?
In the late 1980s, out of a genre then known as "Miami Bass" came Dirty South. It was originated by rappers such as 2 live crew. The initial sound was as bass heavy as its predecessor, making it ideal music for clubs.
How did it start to get popular?
A few that sprung to the charts include Outkast, who pushed the envelope musically as well, being one of the few popular hip hop artists to venture outside of conventional 4/4 beats, Ludacris, who has featured on some of the biggest pop songs in the charts and become a massive rapper in his own right, and Lil Wayne, who similarly has pretty much spent his later career at the top of the charts.
Why is Dirty South so Dirty?
It spans from minimal to maximum impact, drum-machine focused to epic samples, but the consistancy lies in the message, which is pretty much to get up in the club. It's an easy message to follow and the club-goers and single-purchasers love it, hence its popularity.
Where can I get it?
As previously mentioned - just look in the charts! It's one of the easiest genres to find because it's so radio friendly (ironic, considering some of the more graphic content about what goes on after the rappers leave the club, girls in tow) so it's not hard to get stuck in!
For samples, check out Prime Loops' Dirty South Producer Combo Deal, which has a scary amount of quality samples to make epic Southern Beats with!
