50 Years of HIP HOP: "The Dirty South" : A Guide: Home

Southern Hip-Hop (Southern Rap, or Dirty South) is a broad term for a regional genre of Hip Hop music that emerged in the Southern United States in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memphis, and Miami.

The birth of Southern Hip Hop was a reaction to the explosion of Hip Hop culture emanating from New York and Los Angeles in the 1980s.  The success of southern rap music can be traced to the early success of acts like MC Shy D The Geto Boys and 2 Live Crew.

By the mid-1990's Atlanta would become the center of Southern Hip Hop music.The rise and success of Organized Noize, Outkast, and Goodie Mob, solidified Atlanta as the center of Southern Hip Hop music. The mid to late 90s saw the rise of independent labels included Cash Money Records, and No Limit Records as well as Hypnotize Minds in Memphis.