Ever since André 3000 told The Source Awards crowd that the South got something to say, Atlanta has been at the forefront of hip-hop. The Dungeon Family’s take on soul and funk helped paint the picture of how we understand the South, a booming environment for Black ingenuity. Then, crunk and trap music captured the American imagination. Lil Jon brought the rawkus energy, Ludacris quickly proved to be one of Atlanta’s strongest lyricists, and acts like T.I., Gucci Mane, and Young Jeezy became permanent fixtures in hip-hop.
Once the Obama hope kicked in and Jeezy and T.I. embraced mainstream adoration, Atlanta was once again adaptive. Gucci stuck around and boosted the burgeoning youth like Waka Flocka Flame. The futuristic sound and Hollister apparel gave ATL a fresh aesthetic to toy around with for a short spurt. Eventually, the two sounds birthed legendary rap stylists into the mainstream like Future, Young Thug, and Migos.
Today, Atlanta still remains one of the premier cities in hip-hop, cranking out stars. With guys like Playboi Carti and 21 Savage leading the charge, ATL still has a distinct sound. Consequently, for all the out-of-towners, if you ever wanted to visit, here are four albums you should play while you’re there.
Four Must-Listen Albums When you Spend time in Atlanta
‘Aquemini’ by Outkast
Outkast and The Dungeon Family as a whole gave ATL a distinctive sound that still reflects the city today. Even with all of its stylistic growth, their taste for funk and soul is intrinsic to understanding Southern music, let alone Atlanta. Aquemini embraces these traits most strongly, channeling their inner George Clinton and tapping into the celestial and the traditional alike. Beautiful horns and crisp drums are cast alongside strange synths to depict Atlanta, a city of never-ending creativity.
‘MUSIC’ by Playboi Carti
Playboi Carti is best known for challenging how we understand what Atlanta can sound like. In past records, he’d always push the envelope, from cloudy, bubblegum rap to avant-garde trap stylings to outright vampiric cosplay. But MUSIC bridges ATL’s musical lineage with more edgy, jarring soundscapes. “Like Weezy” is a hypnotic nod to the days of Rich Kidz, while “OPM BABI” sounds like an overwhelming anxiety attack. Carti’s curiosity as an artist, with his acrobatic qualities as a rapper, continues to inform Atlanta hip-hop today.
‘Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101’ by Young Jeezy
Thug Motivation 101 is the crown jewel of trap music, a sub-genre that Atlanta put on the map. Here, Jeezy is a greedy tycoon, wheezily laughing about his drug empire upon nightmarish Shawty Redd production. Only money matters here; everything else is secondary. Frankly, Jeezy will do whatever it takes to maintain his dominance. Nowadays, trap has largely been altered into a mere musical framework. But listening to an artist like Jeezy illuminates what trap music was all about and how it started in Atlanta.
‘Barter 6’ by Young Thug
Young Thug’s bendy, colorful delivery and electrifying melodies made him an immediate favorite for the new generation of Atlanta superstars. Under his lineage, you get artists like Gunna, 21 Savage, and Lil Baby, all gleaning small traits to base their music on over time. Barter 6 is the crown jewel of his catalog, beautifully weird and alien, while also impressively traditional in how he raps. The album especially acts as a proper guide today when trying to pinpoint inspirations behind newer records.
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